Blake Stilwell

Blake Stilwell is a former Air Force combat photographer with degrees and experience in Graphic Design, Television and Film, International Relations, Public Relations and Middle Eastern Affairs. Instead of using any of that, he (eventually) became a writer. His work has appeared in Recoil Magazine, Military Times, Coffee or Die, Skillset Magazine, and more. Blake is based in Ohio but is often found elsewhere.

Email: Blake.Stilwell@Military.com

Latest Articles

Bob Uecker greets the crowd at Miller Park stadium in Milwaukee before a game between the Milwaukee Brewers and Arizona Diamondbacks in October 2011. (Department of Defense/Courtesy of Steve Paluch)

Bob Uecker, Army Veteran and Longtime Baseball Announcer, Dies at 90

Before becoming a Baseball Hall of Famer, Uecker played the sport in high school and in the Army before landing a gig in the...

Before January 10, 2025 this display of pregame patriotism was actually against Defense Department policy. (U.S. Marine Corps/ Sgt. Lillian Stephens)

Service Members Are No Longer Banned from Displaying the American Flag Horizontally at Major Events

It might come as a surprise, but U.S. service members weren't technically allowed to unfurl giant U.S. flags at major events...

Prisoners held by North Vietnam returning to the United States aboard a C-141 Starlifter during Operation Homecoming. (U.S. Air Force)

The Largest White House Party Ever Was in Honor of Returning Vietnam POWs

The event had a total guest list of more than 1,300 that included movie stars Bob Hope, John Wayne and Jimmy Stewart, along...

The 1780 Battle of Camden was one of the worst defeats in U.S. military history.

'America's First Veterans': Historians Need Your Help Identifying the Remains of Revolutionary War Troops

Forensics labs need Americans with 18th-century ancestral ties to the states of Maryland, Delaware or North Carolina to come...

In the 1600s there was no treatment for this kind of burn.

The 'Cuckold Flag': The Strange History of the World's Weirdest Battle Ensign

It’s not Robert Devereux’s fault that his marriage and sex life became a public spectacle on par with a British Interregnum...

Drowning Pool vocalist Ryan McCombs sings into his signature microphone during a free concert on Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Washington.

The Battle Songs that Defined the Global War on Terrorism, According to Service Members and Veterans

We asked U.S. troops and veterans what songs defined their service during the Global War on Terrorism. Here's what they had...

The USS Jack H Lucas. The Lucas is one of the latest Arleigh Burke-class Flight III guided-missile destroyers in the U.S. Navy. The USS Robert Kerrey is the most recently named ship. (Department of Defense/EJ Hersom)

The Navy's New Destroyer Is Named for the First SEAL to Receive the Medal of Honor

The USS Robert Kerrey will be an Arleigh Burke-class destroyer, the third named for a Navy SEAL after the USS Michael P...

It's either this or becoming president of the United States. You can't do both. (All Pro Reels)

Why President Gerald Ford Decided Not to Play Football for the Lions or the Packers

When future President Gerald Ford graduated from the University of Michigan, he faced a choice that might have been decided...

The EP House Military Memoir Porject is taking applicants now. (Courtesy of Kristin Bentley)

Veterans Can Learn to Write Their Service Story as Part of This Publisher's Military Memoir Project

There's a good chance that everyone who served in the military has their own personal story to tell.

'Helldivers 2' Video Game Is Getting a Movie Adaptation from Sony

The third-person shooter burst onto the scene in February 2024, with screenshots of armor-clad shock troops fighting robots...

The original Swiss Miss instant hot cocoa was created by a Navy veteran with a government surplus problem. (ConAgra Foods)

How a Korean War Food Surplus Brought Instant Hot Cocoa to the World

Navy veteran and engineer Charles Sanna didn't invent hot chocolate, but he changed the way Americans make it.

An Army Special Forces Veteran Created American Flags That Don't Burn

The material used to create these flags uses the same Kevlar-based fire retardant and manufacturing processes used to create...

The Best Military Movies and Shows Streaming Right Now on Amazon Prime Video

If you're looking for the best war movies on Amazon's Prime Video service, our list can help you cut through the chaff and...

The Best Military Movies and Shows Streaming Right Now on Paramount+

Paramount+ may not have all our old favorites when it comes to war movies and television shows, but there's no shortage of...

Nick Jonas in 2019's "Midway." (Summit Entertainment)

The Best Military Movies and Shows Streaming Right Now on Netflix

If you're looking for the best war movies on Netflix, we're here to help you stop the scrolling, move past the algorithm and...

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Most Popular Military News

Troop Pardons Set to Complicate Military's Muddled Response to Jan. 6

As Trump prepares to take office Monday, he has vowed to move quickly on a key campaign promise to pardon many, if not all...

Service Members Are No Longer Banned from Displaying the American Flag Horizontally at Major Events

It might come as a surprise, but U.S. service members weren't technically allowed to unfurl giant U.S. flags at major events...

Army Secretary Christine Wormuth at Fort Jackson

In Her Final Days in Office, Army Secretary Formally Establishes Service's Command Review Program

The service's Command Assessment Program was established to remove bias from the selection process for command billets.

Matthew Livelsberger's Widow Breaks Silence, Refutes 'Misinformation About My Family'

The widow of Matthew Livelsberger — the Colorado Springs Green Beret who died by suicide in a rented Tesla Cybertruck seconds...

The Battle over Veterans’ Health Care: How the Republican Majority Hopes to Reshape the VA

With the new Congress sworn in and President-elect Trump poised for his second inauguration, Republicans have queued up a...

Sen. Joni Ernst speaks at the SASC confirmation hearing for Pete Hegseth

Combat Veteran, Sexual Assault Survivor Senator Backs Hegseth for Defense Secretary

In an interview with a radio station in her home state, followed by a written statement, Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, announced...

Latest Military Videos

President-Elect Donald Trump Pays Respects To Former President Jimmy Carter in the Capitol Rotunda

President-elect Donald Trump, who has alternated among praising, criticizing and even mocking Jimmy Carter, came Wednesday to the Capitol...

Ukraine President Says Deadly Russian Strike On Zaporizhzhia ‘Absolutely Deliberate'

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Russia's latest attack on Zaporizhzhia, which killed at least 13 people and injured around...

Why Greenland? Remote but Resource-Rich Island Occupies Key Position in Warming World

Remote, icy and mostly pristine, Greenland plays an outsized role in the daily weather experienced by billions of people...

Denmark Prime Minister Responds After Trump Refuses To Rule Out Taking Control of Greenland

Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen called the US Denmark’s “most important and closest ally" in response to President-elect Donald...

Investigations and Features

Army Capt. Jeremy Kuykendall and his wife Kate, cradle their daughter

Unsupervised: Military Child Care Centers Slow to Report Abuse with Little Oversight

A Military.com investigation into military day care centers revealed that service branch rules generally prioritize...

A patch in the home of retired missileer Paul Hunke

They Stood Sentry over America's Nuclear Missile Arsenal. Many Worry It Gave Them Cancer.

For years, it was an open secret among missileers that the Cold War-era missile alert facilities and launch control centers...

Army News

Veterans Affairs signage. (Dreamstime/TNS)

Veteran’s Ex-Wife Tried Hiding Divorce After He Died to Steal His VA Benefits, Feds Say

A U.S. Army veteran’s ex-wife insisted she was his surviving spouse after he died so she could steal his military benefits...

Bob Uecker, Army Veteran and Longtime Baseball Announcer, Dies at 90

Before becoming a Baseball Hall of Famer, Uecker played the sport in high school and in the Army before landing a gig in the...

Navy News

This is a locator map for Yemen with its capital, Sanaa.

Yemen's Houthis Signal They'll Now Limit Their Attacks in the Red Sea Corridor to Israeli Ships

The Houthis' announcement, made in an email sent to shippers, likely won't be enough to encourage global firms to reenter the...

Signage is seen at the CNN Center in Atlanta

Florida Jury Says CNN Defamed Navy Veteran in Story About Endangered Afghans

The jury awarded Zachary Young $5 million in damages and is now being asked to determine whether CNN must pay additional...

Air Force News

Dr. Troy E. Meink, principal deputy director of the National Reconnaissance Office

Trump Names Former KC-135 Navigator, Spy Agency Official to Be Next Air Force Secretary

Trump said on social media that Troy Meink, currently the principal director of the National Reconnaissance Office, was his...

Troop Pay Is Competitive with Civilian Workers, Pentagon Finds in Quadrennial Review

The Quadrenial Review of Military Compensation was unveiled and reported that "the department's compensation package is...

Space Force News

Trump Names Former KC-135 Navigator, Spy Agency Official to Be Next Air Force Secretary

Trump said on social media that Troy Meink, currently the principal director of the National Reconnaissance Office, was his...

Secretary of the Air Force Frank Kendall presents the keynote address

Air Force Secretary Kendall's Parting Advice: Military Needs a 'Much More Powerful Space Force'

Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall has less than a week left on the job and, on Monday, he took the opportunity to offer his...

Marine Corps News

Gen. Eric M. Smith departs an UH-Y at Marine Corps Base Camp Schwab on Okinawa

'Going the Wrong Way:' Booting Marines from Okinawa Could Embolden China, Commandant Says

Gen. Eric Smith said the planned transfer of Okinawa-based Marines to Guam in the coming years will distance the force from a...