Marine accused of displaying white nationalist banner to be booted from Corps

A Marine is being kicked out of the Corps after he was arrested at a pro-Confederate rally, at which he allegedly helped unfurl a banner with a white supremacist slogan. Staff Sgt. Joseph Manning was stationed at the Marine Corps Engineer School at Camp Lejeune, in North Carolina when he was arrested on May 20 […]

Ex-Marine died fighting Islamic State in Syria

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — A former Marine believed so strongly in the war against the Islamic State group that he secretly traveled to Syria, where he was killed this month while fighting for a Kurdish militia group. David Taylor, a 25-year-old former Florida resident, had kept his plans to join the Kurdish group a secret […]

What a Marine Recon Team looks like

Dirty, tired, camouflage-painted, trousers ripped, armed to the teeth, and overloaded. Okay, so that’s what the guys on the Recon team look like most of the time. The team itself has evolved a bit due to operational requirements, equipment limitations, and force protection requirements established by higher. Over the years since Vietnam, the Recon team […]

4 military terms I refuse to part with (and why)

Websites all over the internet that promise transitioning veterans advice about finding work in the private sector often target language first.  While just about every social niche develops its own unique take on contemporary vocabulary, the military may be the worst.  With acronyms and gibberish sounding titles littering our every sentence, and curse words filling […]

A Marine-turned-novelist takes on the Syrian War

Elliot Ackerman served five tours of duty with the Marine Corps in Iraq and Afghanistan, receiving both the Silver Star and the Bronze Star for Valor. Readers could be forgiven for expecting his novels to be heroic war narratives. Instead, his 2015 debut, “Green on Blue,” took the point of view of a young Pashtun […]

From Afghanistan to animation: Master Sergeant Jeff Sornig on life after the military

Jeff Sornig spent twenty-three years serving in the United States Marine Corps, deploying multiple times, and eventually achieving the rank of Master Sergeant before retiring.  I had the honor of serving alongside Jeff, whose unit was located right across the street from my own, and seeing firsthand the pride he carried with his service, and […]

Watch: Veteran Marine uses trail running to transition back into civilian life

A friend recently mentioned they had seen a trailer about a Marine who, since leaving the service, has taken up trail running as a means of therapy for the transition back into civilian life. I watched the trailer and the two minutes below instantly resonated. I knew I had to watch the full film. Although everyone’s experience in […]

Military Service Changes You: A Marine and his ego vs. the Polar Plunge

Sometimes, my stories or articles might lead some to believe that I’m cool. This probably isn’t one of them. Two years ago, I was a full-time college student just out of the Corps.  I was attending school in Framingham, Massachusetts, a few hours south of my hometown in Vermont, affording me the opportunity to take […]

A transgender Marine comes out

Lance Cpl. Aaron Wixson is looking forward to the day he can attend the annual Marine Corps Ball in the outfit he feels most comfortable in. Last Friday, he wore female Dress Blues to the gala at Pechanga Resort and Casino in Temecula, California. But next year, Wixson hopes to trade in the female uniform […]