Richard Sisk

Richard Sisk has more than 45 years of journalism experience in reporting and editing in the U.S. and abroad for United Press International, the N.Y. Daily News and now for Military.com. He has covered police beats, the courts, transportation and politics in New York City and Washington, D.C., and had numerous assignments in the Mideast, Europe and Latin America. He has covered six presidential campaigns and since 2016 has been Military.com’s Pentagon reporter. Sisk is a Vietnam veteran who served with the 2nd Battalion, Fourth Marines, in 1967-68.

Latest Articles

Lt. James Crotty as lieutenant junior grade aboard a Coast Guard cutter. (U.S. Coast Guard)

POW Hero: Coast Guard’s Jimmy Crotty Came Home After 77 Years

Jimmy Crotty’s courage under fire and in captivity became legendary — a story of sacrifice, endurance and homecoming.

The Little-Known Role of Jimmy Doolittle in Nagasaki Atomic Bombing

Lt. Col. James H. "Jimmy" Doolittle famously led the first U.S. strike against the Japanese homeland during World War II, and...

A help-wanted sign is displayed at a live music and blues club in Chicago.

Veterans Unemployment Rate Drops, But Trump Fires BLS Commissioner After Weak Overall Jobs Report

President Donald Trump ordered the firing of the Bureau of Labor Statistics commissioner Friday following a weak jobs report...

Author Guy Gugliotta’s book, ‘Grant’s Enforcer,’ tells the story of how President Ulysses S. Grant picked a little-known postwar official in Georgia named Amos T. Akerman (above) to become his attorney general and fight the Ku Klux Klan.

Ulysses S. Grant Picked a Confederate Slave Owner to Take Down the KKK

Amos T. Akerman was a curious case to become President Ulysses S. Grant's attorney general, as depicted in Guy Gugliotta’s...

Scientists and other workers rig the world's first atomic bomb.

Trinity Test Fallout Victims in New Mexico Finally Get Compensation After 80 Years

Congress earlier this month finally got around to making New Mexico fallout victims of the first test of an atomic bomb and...

Four Chaplains Day

Feb. 3 marks the anniversary of the sinking of the United States Army Transport Dorchester and the selfless acts of four Army...

President Harry Truman holds up a handful of pens

Presidents Sometimes Use 4th of July Celebrations to Unveil Major Policies. Most Times, They Don't.

The past offered little guidance for President Trump on whether to make a major policy announcement on the Fourth of July...

Smoke rises from the building of Iran's state-run television

Air Force's Bunker-Buster Bomb Could Take Out Iran Nuclear Facility, But Israel Hints at Other Options

The Israeli campaign to prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons will be considered a failure if the centrifuges deep...

U.S. Coast Guard landing barge at Normandy, France during D-Dy invasion.

Coasties Braved Withering German Fire to Put Troops Ashore on D-Day

The role played by Coast Guard personnel who crewed the Higgins boats was critical to the success of the D-Day landings in...

What Ike Remembered When Returning to the Beaches of Normandy 20 Years After D-Day

In the early morning hours of June 6, 1944, the paratroopers of the 101st Airborne Division tried to ease the concerns of...

President Donald Trump speaks during an event

White House Says Trump’s Proposal to Rename Veterans Day Has Been Scrapped

The White House has backed off President Donald Trump’s stunning social media proposal to change the name of Veterans Day to...

Helicopter aboard the USS Blue Ridge pushed into the sea off the coast of Vietnam

Frantic Refugees, Helicopters Pushed Overboard: Memories of the Fall of Saigon 50 Years Later

Fifty years later, the surreal images of U.S. sailors and Marines scrambling to push, drag and muscle helicopters overboard...

Colonial militia reenactors prior to the Boston Marathon

British General Gave Order 250 Years Ago that Sparked Revolution in What Became America

The anniversary of the outbreak of the Revolutionary War precedes a slew of planned celebrations when the United States marks...

Secret Recordings Show President Roosevelt Debating Military Desegregation with Civil Rights Leaders

More than a year before Pearl Harbor, President Franklin D. Roosevelt heard arguments from the civil rights leaders of the...

Modular housing for homeless veterans in Los Angeles

Appeals Court Wary of Supreme Court Reversal on Case Calling for Housing LA Homeless Veterans

The appeals hearing was the latest in a legal battle between veterans and the VA on whether the campus in LA will be cleared...

Military News

Get the Military Insider Newsletter

Get the latest on pay updates, benefit changes and award-winning military content. Right in your inbox.

By signing up, you agree to our Privacy Notice.

Thank you for subscribing!

View more newsletters on our Subscriptions page.

One last step.

Verify your free subscription by following the instructions in the email sent to:

Most Popular Military News

U.S. Army Soldiers assigned to Task Force Nighthawk, 4th Combat Aviation Brigade, 4th Infantry Division receive their Shoulder Sleeve Insignia – Military Operations in Hostile Conditions (SSI- MOHC) during a patching ceremony at Erbil Air Base, Iraq on Oct. 23, 2025. U.S. Army photo by Capt. Bernard Jenkins Jr. Source: DVIDS.

Army Expands Combat Patch Eligibility as Modern Deployments Redefine Combat Service

The Army expanded combat patch eligibility, recognizing soldiers in modern deployments where risk is high even without...

Veterans hold signs supporting the PACT Act.

You Took Separation Pay Years Ago. Now the VA Wants It Back From Your Disability Check.

Under federal law, a veteran cannot receive both separation pay and VA disability compensation for the same period of service...

Dieter Dengler is photographed after being rescued following his escape from Vietnam, weighing 93 pounds. (Matthäus Dengler)

25 Years: Nephew Remembers P.O.W. Navy Pilot Dieter Dengler Who Escaped Vietnam

Dieter Dengler, who died about 25 years ago, was "bigger than life."

New recruits take the oath of enlistment at the Advocate Center for the Eleventh Annual Chicago Bulls Special Recruit Division Enlistment Ceremony in Chicago. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Camilo Fernan)

Could the US Bring Back the Draft? Who Would Be Called First — and Who Qualifies

Could the U.S. bring back the draft? Here’s how Selective Service works today, who would be called first and why only about...

3 Big PCS Changes Are Coming at Once. Here’s What Service Members Need to Know Before Peak Season.

In 2026, three major changes are affecting military household goods moves: a new permanent agency to run the system, the end...

Latest Military Videos

Trump Offers More Details of Dramatic Rescue of Airman in Iran

Trump offers more details of dramatic rescue of airman in Iran.

Former Australian Soldier Charged with Committing Five War Crime Murders in Afghanistan

Former Australian soldier charged with committing five war crime murders in Afghanistan.

Artemis II Breaks Apollo 13’s Distance Record

Artemis II breaks Apollo 13’s distance record as humans travel farther from Earth than ever before.

Ukrainians Find Joy in Releasing Bats Rescued from War

After a harsh winter, Ukrainians find joy in releasing bats rescued from war.

Investigations and Features

In One of the Marines' Most Iconic Jobs, a Stunning Pattern of Suicide

Marine Corps drill instructors are a national symbol of discipline. But for some, their imposing persona belies a dark...

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...

Army News

This photo provided by Jen Rickling shows U.S. Army staff sergeant, Matthew Blank, left, and his wife, Annie Ramos, posing for a photo while celebrating their wedding, in March, 2026, in Houston. (Jen Rickling via AP)

US Soldier Trying to Halt Wife's Deportation After She Was Detained on Louisiana Military Base

A U.S. Army staff sergeant is trying to halt his wife's deportation after she was detained inside a Louisiana military base...

Monkeys eat tomatoes distributed by social workers near a Hindu temple during nationwide lockdown in Gauhati, India, Thursday, April 23, 2020. (AP Photo/Anupam Nath)

'Monkey Business': Pentagon Sued for US Taxpayer-Funded Primate Labs

“It's troubling that agencies like the Department of Defense continue to fund animal labs overseas when we've seen how...

Navy News

'Monkey Business': Pentagon Sued for US Taxpayer-Funded Primate Labs

“It's troubling that agencies like the Department of Defense continue to fund animal labs overseas when we've seen how...

Loved ones make hearts with their hands for their sailor on board while the USS George H.W. Bush (CVN 77) prepares to pull away from Naval Station Norfolk for deployment.

'However Long It Takes': USS Bush Gets Underway as Iran Conflict Rages

The USS George H.W. Bush got underway from Naval Station Norfolk as the conflict in the Middle East continues to rage.

Air Force News

President Donald Trump speaks with reporters in the James Brady Press Briefing Room at the White House, Monday, April 6, 2026, in Washington, as Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth listens. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)

Trump, Officials Reveal Details of ‘No-Fail’ Rescue of Downed Pilots

A downed U.S. airman evaded capture for nearly two days inside Iran before a rescue mission under fire pulled him out.

'Planned and Rehearsed': How US Rescued F-15E Crew Member in Iran

Trump called the rescues of two F-15 crew members "one of the most daring in U.S. history."

Space Force News

Robbie Robertson, Sedaro CEO and co-founder, presents a live demo to USSF leadership Thursday, Dec. 11, 2025, at Spacepower Conference in Orlando, FL. (Photo courtesy of SFA)

National Spacepower Center: Advancing US and Allied Spacepower

The Space Force Association launched the National Space Center in Dec. 2025 to connect government, academia and industry and...

This year's USO 2026 "Service Members of the Year." (USO)

'Exceptional Courage': USO Announces its 2026 Service Members of the Year

This year's crop of USO honorees saved motorcycle crash victims, rescued bodies underwater, saved civilians from a building...

Marine Corps News

U.S. Marine Corps Sgt. Maj. Carlos A. Ruiz, the 20th Sergeant Major of the Marine Corps, visits Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, California, April 3, 2026. During Ruiz’s visit, he attended the 2-26 Basic Reconnaissance Course (BRC) graduation, where Medal of Honor recipient Sgt. Dakota Meyer graduated as one of the BRC 2-26 graduates. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by GySgt Jordan E. Gilbert)

Medal of Honor Recipient Dakota Meyer Completes Marine Recon Training

Sgt. Dakota Meyer, who received the Medal of Honor for heroism in Afghanistan, completed the Marine Corps' Basic...

Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Jared Schmitz. (thefreedom13.org)

Organization Honors Fallen Marines by Building Nature Retreat for Veterans

Following the devasting loss of his son and 12 other Marines, Mark Schmitz vowed to do something to honor their sacrifice. He...

Coast Guard News

Coast Guard Cutter Midgett (WMSL 757) prepares to Moore at their homeport Honolulu, Hawaii Oct. 3, 2025. (U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 3rd Class Jennifer Nilson)

Coast Guard Cutter Finds, Retrieves Family Missing for 7 Days in Micronesia

The rescue mission was one not "routine" to the Coast Guard and cutter crew that succeeded.