The Coast Guard would often bring alleged smugglers back to the U.S. for criminal charges and prosecution. This year, Attorney General Pam Bondi released a memo stating the department would “rarely” prosecute low-level offenders—including those intercepted at sea. thewarhorse.org/coast-guard-...

Coast Guard crews have seized about half a million pounds of drugs this year. But instead of killing ‘enemy combatants,’ they’re sending them back home. thewarhorse.org/coast-guard-...

We circled like giddy children around a Christmas tree. What we found under those box flaps defied all our expectations. thewarhorse.org/deployed-chr...

VA insists it doesn’t limit mental health care. Some veterans say they feel betrayed by a system that promised to take care of them for the rest of their lives. thewarhorse.org/veteran-ment...

I ended up in a healing center in Mexico. I didn’t want a vacation. I wanted a lifeline. thewarhorse.org/army-veteran...

Meet Kyle Bibby, one of our 2025 Writing Seminar Fellows! The War Horse strives to tell stories of the vast array of military experiences. We know we can do better to reflect the voices of our entire community. Follow along to meet other members of the cohort. thewarhorse.org/writing-semi...

After eight years in the Marine Corps, a veteran tells her body: I decide when we quit. Tamara Geyer is a 2025 War Horse Writing Fellow thewarhorse.org/marine-healt...

VA has told nearly 40 companies to stop charging veterans for assisting with disability benefits claims. The firms insist veterans want their help. (Reported in partnership with @npr.org) thewarhorse.org/veterans-aff...

My hands were nicked, my ego slightly deflated, but all my limbs were intact. I had two days to become the Michelangelo of ice carving. thewarhorse.org/ranger-ice-s...

I became the first person in my squadron to have an alcohol-related incident in three years. I wish I could say the guilt and shame were enough to keep me from drinking. That journey took another 15 years. Heather King is a 2025 War Horse Writing Fellow. thewarhorse.org/air-force-ve...

Meet Heather King, one of our 2025 Writing Seminar Fellows! Her first Reflection will be published later this week at thewarhorse.org. Follow along to meet the other members of this year's cohort and read their work.

Meet Bobby Burns, one of our 2025 Writing Seminar Fellows! The War Horse strives to tell stories that mirror the vast array of military experiences, and we know we can do better to reflect the voices and experiences of our entire community. Follow along to meet this year's cohort.

Veterans represent nearly 40% of the record number of death warrants Gov. Ron DeSantis has signed in 2025. Should their military service matter? thewarhorse.org/florida-deat...

Florida’s governor is a veteran. So are seven inmates he’ll send to the execution chamber this year. [via @thewarhorsenews.bsky.social]

At age 21, I thought I was in the best physical shape of my young life. Little did I know! thewarhorse.org/marine-lette...

“Numerous large companies are siphoning off hundreds of millions of dollars a year in veterans benefits, all to make a quick dollar on what has for decades been a free service.” This company is spending millions to profit off veterans’ benefits. An April feature from @thewarhorsenews.bsky.social:

Happy Veterans Day to everyone that's answered the call to serve our nation.

If you want to see veterans and hardened journalists cry, send them to The War Horse Writing Seminar. We marveled at their story arcs and the incredible writing leaps made in just one week. This is what commitment looks like. You’ll be able to read their Reflection essays soon at thewarhorse.org

I turned 22 years old, and for the first time in my life I was eligible to vote in a presidential election. The only problem was that I was in Vietnam. thewarhorse.org/soldier-vote...

I could not shake the feeling that today was going to be a scary day. I am not usually superstitious, but this time it was different. thewarhorse.org/vietnam-war-...

Thousands of LGBTQ+ veterans were supposed to get pardons. A year later, only four have succeeded. From our friends at @thewarhorsenews.bsky.social:

One soldier’s story of the stain from the military recruiting scandal that followed him for years thewarhorse.org/veteran-mili...

“Who will take my word over the plain text of the FBI’s criminal history?” A Texas mom and National Guard member has sued the Army to clear her name—and upend the military justice system. From our friends at @thewarhorsenews.bsky.social:

They’ve never been arrested. Why does the FBI list thousands of service members as likely criminals? [via @thewarhorsenews.bsky.social]

On an all-new The Weekly Show @nancyayoussef.bsky.social, David Lapan and Thomas Brennan are here to make sense of the Pentagon’s push for tightening press restrictions and the backlash from journalists and media organizations.

A Texas mom and National Guard member is suing the Army to clear her name—and upend the military justice system. thewarhorse.org/service-memb...

He was a Vietnam War veteran but he was viewed as a potential thief, a threat, because “you know.” thewarhorse.org/vietnam-war-...

We're Hiring a Data Reporter! What we offer: 🟢 Fully remote newsroom 🟢 Compensation $85,000 to $90,000/year 🟢 401k match 🟢 Employer-subsidized medical, dental, and vision coverage 🟢 Digital privacy services Learn more about the role: thewarhorse.org/careers/posi...

They saw gore and death on the battlefield. We're revisiting the stories and lessons learned from the medics and corpsmen of our fourth writing seminar: thewarhorse.org/writing-semi...

We're proud to announce that "Shadows of Fallujah," our documentary about one Marine platoon's account of fighting in the Iraq War's bloodiest battle, won the @milreporters.bsky.social award for best TV/Video Documentary. thewarhorse.org/fallujah-fil...

Thinking of the war and the missions, the firefights, and IEDs makes me relive the moments I would rather forget. It happened long ago, but it seems like it was yesterday. thewarhorse.org/chaplain-ass...

Looking back at our writing seminar for military spouses that brought together a cohort of people affected by different military branches. thewarhorse.org/writing-semi...

The Pentagon said military families can help solve the child care shortage, but providers say over-the-top rules—from storing fruit cups to shoveling snow—are driving them away. thewarhorse.org/military-fam...

The Pentagon said military families can help solve the child care shortage, but providers say over-the-top rules—from storing fruit cups to shoveling snow—are driving them away. thewarhorse.org/military-fam...

The Navy was my calling and being a naval officer was my full identity. Or so I thought at the time. thewarhorse.org/transgender-...

Invoking the Insurrection Act would give the president very wide latitude to use the military on U.S. soil, free from the major checks and balances that usually come with deploying the military domestically. thewarhorse.org/trump-insurr...

As kids, they experienced firsthand the realities and human cost of military service. Read the essays by our Gold Star Children. thewarhorse.org/writing-semi...

As we gear up for our 8th Writing Seminar, we invite you to look back and read the essays from our past cohorts. In 2024, The War Horse partnered with San Quentin News to help share the stories of an often-forgotten segment of the veteran population. thewarhorse.org/writing-semi...

Over 100 women have earned their Ranger tabs, and the debate over whether women should serve in combat positions alongside men is generally considered settled. Or it had been, until very recently. thewarhorse.org/military-sta...

For the better part of a decade, Randolph was my closest friend. Through the tumult of life after war, I could always count on him by my side. thewarhorse.org/army-veteran...

Women and children were killed at Wounded Knee over a century ago. Since President Trump's first term, there have been efforts to rescind the Medal of Honor from those who participated in the battle. thewarhorse.org/wounded-knee...

People assume joining the military is a big risk, but for me, it was safer than choosing my own way and being wrong. thewarhorse.org/army-nurse-f...

We're hiring a Data Reporter to reveal the untold stories and explain the trends behind the biggest issues facing the military and veterans communities. What we offer: 🟢 401k match 🟢 Employer-subsidized medical coverage 🟢 Digital privacy services thewarhorse.org/careers/posi...

As the Pentagon aims to save money and reduce family stress by cutting back on the military rite known as PCS, not everyone is happy. thewarhorse.org/military-fam...

The story that needs to be told isn’t about rising above, overcoming, or finding redemption in suffering. ⁠ It's about an ordinary Tuesday when you realize you’ve been holding your breath for six months.⁠ thewarhorse.org/marine-pilot...

Ben Hagans idyllic childhood in the Philippines abruptly ended when Imperial Japan invaded. He and his parents spent most of World War II in Japanese prisoner-of-war camps where he was a witness to the executions of U.S. soldiers: thewarhorse.org/wwii-pow-exe...

The Global War on Terrorism began when the Twin Towers fell on September 11, 2001. A moment in history that defined a generation and would go on to spur two “forever wars”— in Afghanistan and, later, Iraq—and numerous conflicts around the world. thewarhorse.org/global-war-o...

Those who lost the least on 9/11 are often the most eager to recount their tales, details of where and when. It’s a bit more complicated for military families. thewarhorse.org/9-11-attack-...

National Guardsmen don’t just spring up out of nowhere. Thousands of Americans must put jobs, families, and every other aspect of civilian life on hold to answer the call. thewarhorse.org/trump-nation...

I still can remember the delicious pleasure of escaping the pressure of the job and the boredom of the place by dropping into my bunk with a great book. thewarhorse.org/vietnam-war-...