Category: War Stories

When I traded the dish pit for a military uniform, I thought I was leaving behind the chaos of a Chinese kitchen, but the military had a way of making me feel like I never left the wok.

Once A Marine, a 2020 documentary, is a must-watch if you want to get a real sense of the psychological impact of war on those who serve.

With every step away from the convoy and into the shadows of Kabul, I knew my choices were my own—solitary, dangerous, and irrevocably mine.

In 2004 Mosul, a shocking rocket attack and the brutal execution of Nick Berg left a lasting impact on those who witnessed the horror.

Staring down the absurdity of a polygraph test run by a banana-munching monkey, I realized that sometimes the only way to survive the circus is to play along and laugh at the clowns.

A combat cameraman veteran recounts the intense transition from the mundane to the perilous in the heart of Afghanistan.

With steely precision and nerves honed in the fires of relentless training, the SEAL snipers squeezed their triggers, delivering swift justice in the dead of night.

Matt was more than a Ranger; he was the embodiment of quiet strength and unshakeable courage, the kind of man you’d follow into the darkest corners of hell knowing he’d lead you back out again.

I was born to carry a rifle, to run ahead of the pack, and return with more than I started with, because that’s what it means to be all grown up in the world of professional soldiers.

Stiffing a nine-year-old guide and handing a kid my sweat-soaked “Runs with Scissors” T-shirt in lieu of payment, I found myself seething and shirtless, contemplating the karma of my actions amidst the labyrinthine alleys of Fez.

I awoke in my drab dormitory, missing the fez I had once swapped for a cab fare, only to be plunged into a surreal adventure through the labyrinthine Medina of Fez, guided by an ever-shifting cast of characters who seemed as lost as I was in a seething cauldron of chaos.

In the heart of Sarajevo’s war-ravaged streets, I shared a dubious cup of tea with Ivan, who, amid the rubble and ruin, clung fiercely to his pride and humanity.