Reflections

Ten years ago, I wandered into my first military spouse hiring fair. My resume read Honors College, summa cum laude and included a section at the bottom that read recently passed a secret-level background check, but my lack of work…

Editor’s Note: This story was published in partnership with San Quentin News and was written during a writing seminar for incarcerated veterans in April hosted by The War Horse at California’s San Quentin Rehabilitation Center. Tens of…

Newspapers—the old-fashioned, printed, published kind—are meant to be replaced. A day or week of stories and photos, then a new edition. They are like soldiers, giving way to who’s next, like how my responsibilities, across five years and…

Hundreds of gay and lesbian veterans will soon receive honorable discharges, marking a major step forward in the Pentagon’s promise to address decades of discrimination against LGBTQ service members.Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin…

General Becker shook my hand, said nice things about me, administered an oath in which I swore to support and defend the Constitution of the United States, then pinned a gold bar on my right collar while Major Phillips, my boss, pinned…

Editor’s Note: This story was published in partnership with San Quentin News and was written during a writing seminar for incarcerated veterans in April hosted by The War Horse at California’s San Quentin Rehabilitation Center. Tens of…

The difficulty of separation from loved ones in the military is no secret. It’s well documented to the point of cliché in books, stories, and movies.It’s reported that troops in WWII would weep upon hearing the song “I’ll Be Home for…

Editor’s Note: This story was published in partnership with San Quentin News and was written during a writing seminar for incarcerated veterans in April hosted by The War Horse at California’s San Quentin Rehabilitation Center. Tens of…

Sitting for a portrait can be fun: tilt your head this way and move your shoulder down. Give a hint of a smile, like the Mona Lisa. That’s perfect. Yet being photographed for the Veterans Portrait Project in the Military Women’s Memorial…

I started writing for the U.S. Army as a civilian when I was 21. I worked alongside a veteran editor, a couple of National Guard soldiers, and a few officers. They all warned me against doing two things: joining the military and falling in…