Columbus
The War Horse
I’m Finally Here at This Place Where I May or May Not Belong. I’m Ready to Find Out.
The fireplace crackles, just starting to warm the lodge’s lower-level living room on a quiet autumn evening in upstate New York. Someone lets loose a sigh, prompting me to look up and observe my company. Three others are cozied into their single sofa chairs, staring at their computers. Jennifer’s fingers wiggle in the air as if they themselves are desperate to start their chatter on the keyboard. Valerie repeatedly picks up and sets down her phone. Andrea combs her hands through her hair and types every now and then. Each face is serious, and none seem to notice as I repeatedly look up from my computer.
2023 War Horse Seminar Guides Gold Star Families in Healing Through Storytelling
In May, The War Horse hosted its sixth writing seminar, welcoming Gold Star children and siblings at Lucky Spur Ranch Retreat in Justin, Texas. Tailored to the unique needs of this cohort, this was The War Horse’s first hybrid seminar, which provided fellows with work and child care obligations an opportunity to participate. We selected 11 fellows from around the country.
Command Sergeants Major Built a Culture of Camaraderie, as Soldiers and as Black Women
Melissa Jones never thought she would join the military. Hailing from Brooklyn, New York, she planned to go to college as a full-time student. Her life changed when an Army recruiter appeared at her front door—looking not for her, but for her brother. He wasn’t home, but Jones’ mother let him in.
‘The System Is Not Built for You,’ VA Doctors Told Him. They Weren’t Wrong.
In the summer of 2015, some six months after exiting the Marine Corps, I took a run, not unlike hundreds before it. This time, though, I heard something snap in my back and collapsed to the ground. After five, maybe 10 minutes, I stood and hobbled back to my apartment, believing I’d severely strained a muscle.
They Did Everything They Could to Make Her Fail. But They Could Not Break Her.
Her fate was sealed before she even stepped off the plane at Agana Airport (Guam) in 1979. That’s a fact. The officers and chiefs had decided that the ensign was going to fail—they were not going to let a female line officer tell them what to do. Seventy...
Expectant Service Members Lack Support. Doulas Could Help, Advocates Say.
Gaby Cavins entered her military treatment facility on a Friday afternoon in February 2017 for a prenatal checkup. A lieutenant, junior grade, in the Navy, she was 25, healthy, and a week past her due date. She wanted to wait for natural labor to begin, but after an ultrasound, she was told her amniotic fluid was low and she couldn’t leave the hospital. Medication used to kick-start contractions didn’t have an immediate effect. So she walked lap after lap in hospital hallways to try to induce labor.
I Watched His Blood Wash Out of the OH-58D. It Was a Hell of a Way to Grow Up.
I remember it like it was yesterday. Receiving live ammo for the first time. It reminded me of when my dad would deal out .30-06 rounds the morning before a hunt. I never got over how similar those two feelings are. I remember landing and hauling every bit of gear...
‘A False Memory’–As Confederate Monuments Topple, Some at VA Cemeteries Still Loom Large
At Finn’s Point National Cemetery, in New Jersey, an 85-foot granite obelisk honoring the Confederate dead from the prison at nearby Fort Delaware dwarfs a nearby monument to Union soldiers. In Springfield National Cemetery, in Springfield, Missouri, a statue honoring Confederate soldiers reads, “Those who die for a right...
Because I Was a Woman Who Served, I Was Stigmatized and Stereotyped by a Stranger
My calendar stood wide open that Saturday as I drove around listening to the local country radio station. So when I heard an advertisement for a resource fair for veterans at my favorite local brewery—Service Brewing Company—I figured I’d give it a shot. I served four years...
Our Love Was a Casualty of War, Destroyed by Time, Distance, and Things We Couldn’t Say
In the days after the planes struck on that cloudless, sun-soaked Tuesday morning, a pack of military recruiters descended upon a South Florida high school. The recruiters’ mission-focused gaze cut through the early afternoon humidity like a drill instructor’s knife-hand. In lockstep formation, the recruiters paraded across the quad with a singular purpose: to capitalize on the shock, anger, and sheer hubris of teenagers hungry for video-game-style vengeance.
The Cadence of the 21 Gunshots Pierced My Ears. I Braced Myself for Each One.
One by one, family and friends stepped up to the altar. They spoke of his bravery, leadership, and intelligence. They joked about his love for espresso. Before it was my turn to speak, I rushed to the bathroom, palms sweaty and stomach turning. I spun the sink handle and watched the frigid water stream through my fingers. I counted backward from five, taking deep breaths. “Five … four … three … two … one.”
I Heard My Daughter’s First Cry From 7,000 Miles Away. Hours Later, I Was in a War Zone.
In the wasteland deserts of Kuwait, I crammed my gear into duffle bags, preparing to fly into Iraq for a yearlong deployment. At the same time, but on the other side of the planet, my wife gave birth to our first child. I packed ammo pouches, desert uniforms, and gas...
‘A Violent Transition’—Mental Health Care Lacks Military Cultural Understanding
In 2010, Seth Allard, a Marine Corps veteran and member of the Sault Saint Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians, drove past a parking lot full of cars outside a local Catholic Church in Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan, and wondered why such a large group gathered at the church. It wasn’t...
‘People Feel Expendable’—Military Could Lower Suicide Rate With Focus on Quality of Life
Active-duty service members and veterans thinking of harming themselves can get free crisis care. Contact the Military Crisis Line at 988, then press 1, or access online chat by texting 838255. In the summer of 2022, Craig Bryan, a psychologist, listened as a young service member explained why some days...
In an Unsteady Peace, Soldiers Built Bridges With Hankies, C Rations, and Salami
In March 1960, I reported to Delta Company, 17th Infantry, Seventh Infantry Division, based at Camp Kaiser, a smallish compound of low cinder block buildings and Quonset huts some 60 miles north of Seoul and about 30 miles from the muzzles of North Korean artillery arrayed along their side of the Demilitarized Zone. I was an SP4 infantryman and assigned to Third Platoon’s Weapons Squad as a machine gunner on the WWII veteran Browning .30 caliber.
Her Flight Instructor Sexually Harassed Her. The Marine Corps Tried to Kick Her Out.
The invitation to the Padre Island Burger Club in Texas came in while Marine Corps 1st Lt. Allison Bennett was out sailing on a friend’s boat. A flight instructor in her naval aviation training squadron texted that he was meeting with a future flight student. He wanted to know if Bennett could swing by to give her some tips.
‘Guard the Forks!’–The Great Submarine Mess Decks Utensil Heist
“Hey, Eeyore, we need to do something big,” Jim Gover said, using my nickname since we couldn’t use our real ones in sonar for security reasons. We were on day infinity of submarine patrol and my partner in mischief Jim Gover was about to get me in trouble again.
Transgender Troops, Vets Warned to Avoid Florida Over Discriminatory Laws
When Jodi Jeloudov walked into the West Palm Beach Veterans Affairs center for her monthly doctor’s appointment this summer, she felt on edge. For eight years, she had approached VA the same way: high heels clipping the pavement, makeup adorning her face. As a transgender veteran, she faces persecution...
I Can’t Afford the Grace of Failure. I’m a Survivor.
I stare down at the sink to avoid eye contact. The only sound between us is the lazy drip of water on porcelain. I can’t take the silence, so I look up at her. “When did you become my worst enemy?“ Her cold, blank expression stares back at me in the mirror, radiating hate for the person she sees.
The Military Is Missing Recruitment Goals. Are Thousands Being Unnecessarily Disqualified?
Carlos Morales was a few drinks in late one evening when he first contacted his local Coast Guard recruiting office, but when he woke up the next day, he did not regret his late-night submission. He had been eyeing service for a decade, he tells The War Horse. He thought...
The War Horse
371+
Posts
4M+
Views
The War Horse is an award-winning nonprofit newsroom educating the public on military service, war, and its impact. Our team achieves this through journalism, public forums, and writing seminars that ensure those most affected by war have a prominent voice in the national conversation.
It’s essential to note our commitment to transparency:
Our Terms of Use acknowledge that our services may not always be error-free, and our Community Standards emphasize our discretion in enforcing policies. As a platform hosting over 100,000 pieces of content published daily, we cannot pre-vet content, but we strive to foster a dynamic environment for free expression and robust discourse through safety guardrails of human and AI moderation.