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BENEFITS
Hiring, Overtime, and AI: VA Is Processing Veterans’ Disability Claims Faster Than Ever
Illustration by Ernest Kroi " /> Chip was a radio relay operator and repairman in the Marine Corps (Photo courtesy of Chip) " src="https://i0.wp.com/thewarhorse.
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FAMILY
I Love My Air Force Husband. My Feelings About the Government He Serves Are More Complicated
It was covered in the American flag and read “God Bless America.” The image forced my car back into park. I sat in the lot trying to understand the power those three words held over me.
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SERVICE
Medill Study: Military Bases and the Communities Around Them Have Lost Local News Coverage
Across the United States, nearly 2.5 million people, more than the entire population of New Mexico, live on or near military bases.
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SERVICE
A Combat Infantryman Stood In the Gap. Made the Calculation. Pulled the Trigger. But At What Cost?
Pvt. Cameron Pedersen during a combat patrol in Mosul, Iraq,in 2008. Photo by Sgt. John Crosby/115th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment " /> A decade has passed since I last felt the thud of a mortar...
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HEALTH
‘Got to Get Fixed:’ Billing Delays, Coverage Issues Still Plague Tricare Patients and Providers
Nearly every day for months, Lorelei Evans, a major in the U.S. Army Reserve, received a call or text from a doctor’s office trying to collect on some of her family’s $86,000 in unpaid medical bills.
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FAMILY
Another Conflict Roils the Middle East. A Marine Warns the War Will Come Home
I kicked in doors in the Middle East; I watched friends bleed. I know what war really looks like when the cameras leave and the speeches end.
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HEALTH
We Were Marines Who Did Everything Together. Then My Name Appeared in His Suicide Note
Illustration by Kim Vo " /> I joined the Marine Corps because junior college didn’t take. A semester and a half of C-minus ambition told me I needed something louder, something sharper.
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SERVICE
Drone Warfare Has Dramatically Changed the Battlefield. Is the US Medical Corps Ready?
(Photo by U.S. Army National Guard Sgt. 1st Class Christie R. Smith) " /> On a serene Saturday afternoon, thousands of miles from conflict, soldiers with the California Air National Guard are...
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SERVICE
A Transient Life and Hard Goodbyes: The Realities of My Lonely Military Childhood
Photos courtesy of Herbert Mintz. Illustration by Kim Vo " /> When my military family received orders to transfer to another duty station, my dad would organize our packing effort, chart a course,...
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SERVICE
The Jet Had a Glitch. Was It Mechanical Error, Pilot Error, or Something Dumber?
Photo courtesy of U.S. Air Force " data-medium-file="https://i0.wp.com/thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/null-37-e1774618249697.jpeg?fit=400%2C172&ssl=1" data-large-file="https://i0.wp.
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SERVICE
A War Zone, Minus the War: One Year Later, Has the Military Really Secured the US-Mexico Border?
Photo by Omar Ornelas for The War Horse " data-medium-file="https://i0.wp.com/thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/Border-cover-image.png?fit=400%2C267&ssl=1" data-large-file="https://i0.wp.
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FAMILY
We Were Winning in the Middle East. But the Civilian Casualties Kept Coming
Photo by Robert Fabich " data-medium-file="https://i0.wp.com/thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/null-4.png?fit=400%2C225&ssl=1" data-large-file="https://i0.wp.com/thewarhorse.
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SERVICE
Inside the Wait for War: Military Families Brace for What Comes Next
Photos courtesy of the Banks and Baginsky families, and U.S. Navy. Illustration by Hrisanthi Pickett " data-medium-file="https://i0.wp.com/thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/image-3.png?
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SERVICE
Tuition, Training, Housing: How to Sell the Military as the Path of Least Resistance
Photo courtesy of David Chetlain " data-medium-file="https://i0.wp.com/thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/null-3.png?fit=400%2C225&ssl=1" data-large-file="https://i0.wp.com/thewarhorse.
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SERVICE
A Marine Went on a Pilgrimage to the Holy Land to Heal from War. War Found Him Anyway
Photos courtesy of Michael Pereira and Wiki Commons. Illustration by Hrisanthi Pickett " data-medium-file="https://i0.wp.com/thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/pereira.png?
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HEALTH
Mental Health Issues Plague New Moms in the Military. The Pentagon Is Supposed to Help
Adapted from an illustration by Svetlana Larshina " data-medium-file="https://i0.wp.com/thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/image.png?fit=400%2C225&ssl=1" data-large-file="https://i0.wp.
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FAMILY
His Family Legacy Led Him to the Military. But He Found Contentment as a Family Man
Photos courtesy of Michael Kingslayer " data-medium-file="https://i0.wp.com/thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/Kingslayer-collage-2.png?fit=400%2C225&ssl=1" data-large-file="https://i0.wp.
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SERVICE
What led to Operation Epic Fury?
USS Frank E. Petersen Jr. fires a Tomahawk Land Attack Missile on Saturday during Operation Epic Fury. (U.S. Navy Photo) " data-medium-file="https://i0.wp.com/thewarhorse.
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HEALTH
Desperate for Help, a Marine Battles Phone Trees, Hold Music, and Indifference
Photo courtesy of Evan Slusser " data-medium-file="https://i0.wp.com/thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/null-18-e1771601565430.jpeg?fit=400%2C225&ssl=1" data-large-file="https://i0.wp.
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LEGACY
American MIA Group and Filipino Muslim Government Unite to Bring Home World War II Servicemen
(Photos courtesy of Fort family, Ancestry.com, and Newspapers.com) " data-medium-file="https://i0.wp.com/thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/image-2.png?
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LEGACY
I Thought Removing Confederate Names Meant Black Soldiers’ Legacy Mattered. Then, the Names Were Restored
Photo courtesy of Jack Lowe " data-medium-file="https://i0.wp.com/thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/null-5-e1770999718480.jpeg?fit=400%2C225&ssl=1" data-large-file="https://i0.wp.
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HEALTH
‘I Felt Like a Factory Worker.’ Why VA Psychologists Are Burning Out
(Illustration by Ernest Kroi) " data-medium-file="https://i0.wp.com/thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/image-2.jpeg?fit=400%2C225&ssl=1" data-large-file="https://i0.wp.com/thewarhorse.
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HEALTH
He Hunted Roadside Bombs in Iraq. Now He Hunts Adventure to Combat PTSD
Casey Elliott during a reading and discussion session at an Outward Bound retreat in 2022. (Photo courtesy of the author) " data-medium-file="https://i0.wp.com/thewarhorse.
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FAMILY
I Decided Not To Go On a Patrol in Iraq. An IED Killed My Friends
Photos courtesy of author, James Danna, and the Blair family " data-medium-file="https://i0.wp.com/thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/image-3.png?
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LEGACY
Black in the Military: A Proud and Complex History
Photo courtesy of Jimmy Anderson " data-medium-file="https://i0.wp.com/thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Oath-feature.jpg?fit=400%2C225&ssl=1" data-large-file="https://i0.wp.com/thewarhorse.
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HEALTH
Finding Solace In Chickens: One Veteran’s Fight To Save His Flock and Mental Health
Todd Combs holds one of his pet chickens Sunday, July 13, 2025, in the backyard of his Kenosha Road home in Kettering. JEN BALDUF/STAFF " data-image-caption=" Photo by Jen Balduf/Dayton Daily News "..
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SERVICE
A Marine Father, an Air Force Son, and the Distance Between Them
Photo courtesy of Michael Hyon Johnson " data-medium-file="https://i0.wp.com/thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/The-Distance-Between-Them.webp?fit=400%2C225&ssl=1" data-large-file="https://i0.
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COMMUNITY
I Carried Death’s Shroud With Me From Afghanistan. But I Do Not Fear It
Photos courtesy of Cindy Seipert. Illustration by Hrisanthi Pickett " data-medium-file="https://i0.wp.com/thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/Cindy_Seipert-Death.webp?
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After 30 Years in the Military, an Army Colonel Asks: Who Am I Without the Uniform?
Photo courtesy of Alan M. Evans " data-medium-file="https://i0.wp.com/thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/Evans-Alan-MAJ-Iraq-2003.webp?fit=400%2C246&ssl=1" data-large-file="https://i0.wp.
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HEALTH
A Veteran’s Search for Healing Led to an Ibogaine Trip and an Epiphany: ‘I’ve Got to Let It Go’
This story was supported by the Pulitzer Center. Marc Dervaes sat straight-backed in a circle of 10 men at a clinic in Tijuana, Mexico.
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HEALTH
Curing Insomnia with Magic: How One Veteran Finally Got a Good Night’s Sleep
The ridiculous thing about war is that I remember being excited. For the first 90 days or so, I was constantly excited, and I don’t mean in a “joyous,” emotionally positive way.
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SERVICE
A Look Back at Our Most Impactful News Stories of 2025
Illustration by Hrisanthi Pickett " data-medium-file="https://i0.wp.com/thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/News-1.webp?fit=400%2C225&ssl=1" data-large-file="https://i0.wp.com/thewarhorse.
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HEALTH
A Look Back At Some of Our Favorite Reflections of 2025
There are many ways to measure this year’s “top” essays: Which ones garnered the most readers? Which ones sparked the liveliest conversations? Those metrics count, of course.
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SERVICE
Q&A: How Did the U.S. Patrol the Caribbean for Drug Smuggling Before It Started Blowing Up Boats?
A small boat crew from Coast Guard cutter Donald Horsley pursues suspected drug smugglers in the Caribbean Sea, Oct. 3, 2018. (U.S.
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SERVICE
We Pined for the Comforts of Home. We Got Tube Socks and Old Candy for Christmas Instead
Photo courtesy of Zach West. Illustration by Hrisanthi Pickett " data-medium-file="https://i0.wp.com/thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/Care-packages-cover.jpg?
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HEALTH
Are You a Veteran Struggling to Get Mental Health Care? These Resources May Help
VA photo by G. Edward Johnson " data-medium-file="https://i0.wp.com/thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/VA-Building-cover.jpg?fit=400%2C225&ssl=1" data-large-file="https://i0.wp.
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HEALTH
‘I Feel Lost.’ Anxiety Grows Among Veterans Cut off From VA One-on-One Therapy
Photos courtesy of Phoebe Ervin, Illustration by Hrisanthi Pickett " data-medium-file="https://i0.wp.com/thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/ervin-cover-web.jpg?
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FAMILY
I Left the Military and Tried to Heal, But I Was Unraveling. This Helped Me Reset
Photos courtesy of Samantha Juan. Illustration by Hrisanthi Pickett " data-medium-file="https://i0.wp.com/thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/Juan-cover-1.jpg?
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HEALTH
A Marine Fights a New War. This Time With Her Own Body
Photos courtesy of Tamara Geyer. Illustration by Hrisanthi Pickett " data-medium-file="https://i0.wp.com/thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/geyer-cover-web.jpg?
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BENEFITS
VA Warned These Companies They May Be Breaking the Law. Most Are Still in Business
Illustration by Hrisanthi Pickett " data-medium-file="https://i0.wp.com/thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/cease-cover.jpg?fit=400%2C225&ssl=1" data-large-file="https://i0.wp.com/thewarhorse.
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SERVICE
The Army Had a Crazy Thanksgiving Plan. I Had a Chainsaw
Photos courtesy of Matt Stone. Illustration by Hrisanthi Pickett " data-medium-file="https://i0.wp.com/thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/Ranger-scroll-cover-web-2.jpg?
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FAMILY
Air Force Veteran Didn’t Need Permission to Drink—or Find New Path to Sobriety
Photos courtesy of Heather King " data-medium-file="https://i0.wp.com/thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/permission-cover-web.jpg?fit=400%2C225&ssl=1" data-large-file="https://i0.wp.
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LEGACY
A List of the Veterans Florida Executed in 2025
Edward James Vet history: U.S. Army Crime: Convicted for the murder of an eight-year-old girl and her grandmother in 1993. Execution date: March 20, 2025 Jeffrey Hutchinson Vet history: U.S.
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SERVICE
Florida’s Governor Is a Veteran. So Are Seven Inmates He’ll Send to the Execution Chamber This Year
Illustration by Hrisanthi Pickett " data-medium-file="https://i0.wp.com/thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/death-row-cover.jpg?fit=400%2C225&ssl=1" data-large-file="https://i0.wp.
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SERVICE
‘I Won’t Shed Any Tears the Day I Leave.’ Letters Home From Marine Officer Candidates School
Photo courtesy of Marine David Nelson " data-medium-file="https://i0.wp.com/thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/Letters-from-a-Burr-Headed-Idiot.webp?
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ADVOCACY
I Wanted Peace, Freedom, and to Vote in Vietnam. The Air Force Was Not Amused
Photo courtesy of Marine Corps Archives " data-medium-file="https://i0.wp.com/thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/voting-absentee-web-resized-cropped.webp?
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LEGACY
Vietnam Was Scary Enough. Friday the 13th Added To Our Fear
Photo courtesy of Stanley Ross " data-medium-file="https://i0.wp.com/thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/launcher-web-scaled.jpg?fit=400%2C225&ssl=1" data-large-file="https://i0.wp.
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SERVICE
A Massive Fraud Probe, a Botched Investigation, and the Thousands of Soldiers Who Paid
Photo courtesy of Luis Visalden " data-medium-file="https://i0.wp.com/thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/Luis-Army-cap-cover.jpg?fit=400%2C225&ssl=1" data-large-file="https://i0.wp.
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SERVICE
They’ve Never Been Arrested. Why Does the FBI List Thousands of Service Members as Potential Criminals?
Illustration by Ernest Kroi " data-medium-file="https://i0.wp.com/thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/COVER-ILLUSTRATION-HORIZONTAL-1-scaled.jpg?
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LEGACY
What Caused Maurice’s PTSD: The Vietnam War or Being Black in America?
Photo courtesy of Sue Blaustein " data-medium-file="https://i0.wp.com/thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/on-the-patio-web.jpg?fit=400%2C224&ssl=1" data-large-file="https://i0.wp.
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HEALTH
I Was Exposed to 150 Blasts While Deployed to Iraq. My Brain Was Changed
Photo courtesy of Katie Strain " data-medium-file="https://i0.wp.com/thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/in-vehicle-web.jpg?fit=400%2C225&ssl=1" data-large-file="https://i0.wp.com/thewarhorse.
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FAMILY
These Military Moms Turned Their Homes Into Day Cares. Then DOD’s Inspectors Came Knocking
Photos courtesy of Julia Bardsley and Denise Clark. Illustration by Hrisanthi Pickett " data-medium-file="https://i0.wp.com/thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/FCC-cover-web.jpg?
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SERVICE
Forced to Leave Because of Her Gender Identity, a Sailor Found a New Way to Serve
Photo courtesy of Paula Neira, Chris Stone/Times of San Diego, LaShawn Sykes/USN Military Sealift Command. Illustration by Hrisanthi Pickett. " data-medium-file="https://i0.wp.com/thewarhorse.
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SERVICE
After a Tour in Iraq, His Dog Gave an Army Veteran Something to Live For
Photo courtesy of Stan Lake " data-medium-file="https://i0.wp.com/thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Stan-and-Randolph-on-his-last-day-web.jpg?fit=400%2C225&ssl=1" data-large-file="https://i0.
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SERVICE
I Was No Longer an Army Nurse. As I Drove Off Base, I Was Ready to Learn Who I Could Be
Photo courtesy of Elsie Pryor " data-medium-file="https://i0.wp.com/thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/dress-uniform-cover.jpg?fit=400%2C225&ssl=1" data-large-file="https://i0.wp.
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SERVICE
‘I Don’t Want To Be Stuck.’ Meet the Military Families Who Love To Move
Photo by Air Force Staff Sgt. Stephanie Henry and contributed photos by the Meltz, Shour, and Speckhart families. Illustration by Hrisanthi Pickett " data-medium-file="https://i0.wp.com/thewarhorse.
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HEALTH
The Heartbreakingly Common Story of My Military Suicide Attempt
Photo courtesy of Evan Slusser " data-medium-file="https://i0.wp.com/thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/eponymous-jet-cover-1.jpg?fit=400%2C225&ssl=1" data-large-file="https://i0.wp.
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LEGACY
POW Witness: He Was Forced to Watch an Execution of U.S. Soldiers. 80 Years After WWII, His Story Sparks a Search for Their Remains
Illustration by Hrisanthi Pickett. Photo of Ben Hagans, left, by Kelly Hagans. Photos at right courtesy of Brig. Gen. Guy Fort’s family, Ancestry.com, and Newspapers.
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SERVICE
Fear and Uncertainty Followed the Sept. 11 Attacks. What Was Real and What Was a Good Headline?
Photos courtesy of Valerie Suttee, the National Park Service. Illustration by Kim Vo. " data-medium-file="https://i0.wp.com/thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Reminiscing-with-Fear-cover.jpg?
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SERVICE
‘Not Like Calling 911’—How A National Guard Call-Up Actually Works
Army photo by Sgt. Elizabeth A. Schneider " data-medium-file="https://i0.wp.com/thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/monument_ng-cover.jpg?fit=400%2C225&ssl=1" data-large-file="https://i0.wp.
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LEGACY
On a Remote Military Base During the Vietnam War, Books Offered an Escape
Poster courtesy of CB Falls, American Library Association. Illustration by Hrisanthi Pickett " data-medium-file="https://i0.wp.com/thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Reading-cover.jpg?
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SERVICE
From O.J. Simpson to Paraguay, Trust and Respect Go a Long Way
Photos courtesy of Paul “Greg” Smith " data-medium-file="https://i0.wp.com/thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/DEI-Made-Me-a-Better-Leader-web.jpg?
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HEALTH
‘We Need to Terminate Treatment’: VA Mental Health Providers Say They Are Under Pressure to Limit Care
Illustration by Ernest Kroi " data-medium-file="https://i0.wp.com/thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/VA-Mental-Health-cover-scaled.jpg?fit=400%2C225&ssl=1" data-large-file="https://i0.wp.
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SERVICE
Why Is the Army Chopping Away at Its Chopper Fleet?
Photo by U.S. Army Reserve Sgt. 1st Class Austin Berner " data-medium-file="https://i0.wp.com/thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/Black-Hawk-web.jpg?
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SERVICE
100-year-old Veteran Kept Jewish Prayer Book Over His Heart as He Confronted the Holocaust
Photo courtesy of author’s family " data-medium-file="https://i0.wp.com/thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/V.E.Day_May45_RodingGermany-web.jpg?fit=400%2C225&ssl=1" data-large-file="https://i0.
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