Stephen Ruiz

Stephen Ruiz is an associate editor and content writer for Military.com. He previously worked for more than 30 years as a copy editor, writer and online producer for various newspapers, including the Orlando Sentinel. His writing also has appeared in Reserve & National Guard, Military Families and Military Influencer magazines. In his spare time, Stephen enjoys running, playing with his dog, Holly, and rooting on his hometown New Orleans Saints.

Latest Articles

Facilitator Christina Kim prepares to record Nancy St. Claire and her husband, Tom Garcia, as part of StoryCorps’ Military Voices Initiative tour in Nashville, Tennessee.

You Can Record With StoryCorps' Military Voices Initiative in 2023 in These States

In 2020, former Army cavalry scout and sniper Garett Reppenhagen spoke with StoryCorps -- a nonprofit that chronicles the...

Former Air Force flight nurse Jim Lorraine is the president and CEO of America's Warrior Partnership, a nonprofit that partners with communities to try to prevent veteran suicide.

Former Flight Nurse's Nonprofit Takes Community Approach to Combat Vet Suicide

During his 22-year military career, first as an Air Force reservist and then on active duty, Jim Lorraine tended to service...

Marine Corps Reserve Sgt. Kolton Lehman, left, is on the field at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas with other finalists for the USO/NFL Salute to Service Showdown Madden tournament in November.

How the USO's Focus on Gaming Is Sending 2 Service Members to the Super Bowl

As Kolton Leyman advanced in the USO/NFL Salute to Service Showdown video-gaming tournament, he could not contain his...

Navy-Marine Corps Relief Society visiting nurse T’Sheira Scott, based in Yokosuka, Japan, teaches a healthy girl interactive workshop.

Visiting Nurses Handle Patients with Care as Relief Society's 'Best-Kept Secret'

NMCRS nurses conducted almost 15,000 visits in 2022, a nearly 20% increase over the previous year, according to data provided...

Professor Mike Morris addresses members of the first Entrepreneurial Bootcamp for Veterans at the Whitman School of Management at Syracuse University in July 2007.

How Veterans Are Supercharging Their Businesses Through a Free Entrepreneurship Program

More than 2,200 vets have graduated from the Entrepreneurship Bootcamp for Veterans program since its launch in 2007.

Gen. Henry ‘Hap’ Arnold, shown in the late 1940s. (Sanaa Lasher/Air Force Scientific Advisory Board photo)

From Aviation to Aid Society, Air Force's Only 5-Star General Changed Service Forever

Because of Arnold's charitable nature, thousands of undergraduate college students receive assistance today through a grant...

Marine Corps wheelchair basketball player Carlos Cruz-Tejeda shoots against Team Canada at the Department of Defense Warrior Games near Orlando, Florida, Aug. 23, 2022.

How the Warrior Games Create a Special Bond for Military Athletes with Disabilities

Camaraderie unites the 300 athletes representing the Marine Corps, Army, Navy, Air Force and Special Operations Command...

Warrior Games athlete Gabe George, a retired Navy hospital corpsman, demonstrates how he competes in archery despite having his right arm amputated.

After 2-Year Pandemic Break, Warrior Games Athletes Get Another Shot at Competition

Hosted by the Army's Training and Doctrine Command, the 2022 Department of Defense Warrior Games are scheduled for Aug. 19-28...

Joseph Beyrle, who served multiple stints as a German POW during World War II, fought for the U.S. and Russian armies. (Facebook photo)

How This POW Became the Only Soldier to Fight for the US and Russia During WWII

While with the Red Army, Beyrle was involved in several firefights with Germans and helped blow open a safe at one of the POW...

Gangster Monk Eastman served in the 27th Infantry Division of the New York National Guard, which helped the Allies crack the Hindenburg Line, the last line of German defense on the Western Front during World War I.

How the 'First Real New York Gangster' Turned Guardsman Helped End World War I

Born Edward Osterman, Edward "Monk" Eastman led a collection of criminals that, at one point, numbered nearly 1,200.

Pvt. Henry Johnson, shown circa 1919, was nicknamed 'Black Death' after surviving 21 wounds, killing 4 Germans and injuring 10-20 others during an encounter in the Argonne Forest in France during World War I.

How the Story of This Medal of Honor Recipient Wounded 21 Times Was Almost Lost to History

Henry Johnson's discharge papers contained no mention of his heroic actions or injuries, depriving him of any awards or...

Army Brig. Gen. George Owen Squier, also a notable inventor and aviation enthusiast, is shown in his military uniform.

Before He Founded Muzak, This General Brought Innovation to the Army

Looking to improve the military's long-range communications, George Owen Squier tested his theories on whatever resources...

Douglas Fairbanks Jr. is shown as a lieutenant, junior grade, in the U.S. Navy during World War II.

This Famous Actor's Secret WWII Program Became a Precursor to the Navy SEALs

While Douglas Fairbanks Jr. appeared in about 100 movies, his role in creating the Beach Jumpers was likely the most...

A court-martial of 64 members of the All-Black 24th Infantry Regiment is held on Nov. 1, 1917, at Fort Sam Houston in San Antonio, stemming from the Houston Race Riot more than two months earlier. (National Archives and Records Administration photo)

How a Race Riot Involving an Army Unit Led to the Largest Murder Trial in US History

The Houston Race Riot of 1917 involved an all-Black battalion from the 24th Infantry Regiment and resulted in the execution...

Missionary Ridge in Tennessee was a key Civil War battle.

How Douglas MacArthur's Father Helped Deliver 'the Death Knell of the Confederacy'

Douglas MacArthur's father, Arthur, earned a Medal of Honor for his actions at the Battle of Missionary Ridge during the...

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Most Popular Military News

VA Hospital Employee Sentenced to 6 Months in Prison for Accepting Thousands of Dollars in Kickbacks

A former manager at the Philadelphia Veterans Affairs Medical Center was sentenced to six months in federal prison for...

U.S. Army’s newest weapon during a Rangers in Action Ceremony

Army to Test Out its New Guns in Extreme Environments

The XM7 Rifle and XM250 Automatic Rifle, designed by Sig Sauer, are set to replace the M4A1 Carbine and M249 Squad Automatic...

A gavel rests on the judge’s bench in the courtroom of the 39th Air Base Wing legal office at Incirlik Air Base, Turkey.

Woman Who Pretended to Be Sick Marine Gets Nearly 6 Years

A woman who pretended to be a sick Marine veteran to collect about $300,000 in benefits, charitable contributions, and...

Former Australian PM Says Subs 'Worst Deal in All History'

Former Australian Prime Minister Paul Keating launched a blistering attack on his nation’s plan to buy nuclear-powered...

Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs, Gen. Mark Milley.

Pentagon Unsure It Can Recover Drone Downed by Russia

Milley voiced skepticism that pieces of the drone, which was apparently bumped by the Russian jet after being doused in fuel...

Field testing of the Armored Multi-Purpose Vehicle.

Army Fields New Armored Personnel Carrier, Replacing 60-Year-Old Vehicle

The Armored Multi-Purpose Vehicle, or AMPV, is a tracked armored vehicle with similar gearing and suspension as the M2...

Latest Military Videos

Astronauts Discuss 5-Month Mission to the International Space Station

Following a five-month stay aboard the International Space Station, the four members of NASA’s SpaceX Crew-5 mission are back...

US Military Video Shows Black Sea Drone Incident

The Pentagon has released footage of what it says is a Russian aircraft conducting an unsafe intercept of a...

Blinken Starts Africa Tour With Coffee in Ethiopia

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken met Ethiopian Foreign Minister Demeke Mekonnen in Addis Ababa on Wednesday. (Mar 15)...

Clashes as Pakistan Police Try to Arrest Imran Khan

Supporters of former Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan threw bricks at police who fought back with clubs and tear...

Investigations and Features

Trading on Patriotism: How Extremist Groups Target and Radicalize Veterans

The issue of extremist groups has gained attention after the riot on Jan. 6 aimed at preventing the peaceful transfer of the...

They Said the Rise in Military Suicide Is a Mystery. Traumatic Brain Injury May Be an Answer.

Veterans who have had a head injury are at higher risk for suicide, but these deaths can be prevented, experts say.

Army News

Higher Cancer Rates Found in Military Pilots, Ground Crews

Aviation crews have long asked for the Pentagon to look closely at some of the environmental factors they are exposed to.

U.S. Army soldiers wait to board their CH-47 Chinook helicopter.

North Korea Launches Missile into Sea Amid US-SKorea Drills

The chief nuclear envoys from South Korea, Japan and the U.S. strongly condemned it as a provocation that threatens peace.

Navy News

Higher Cancer Rates Found in Military Pilots, Ground Crews

Aviation crews have long asked for the Pentagon to look closely at some of the environmental factors they are exposed to.

The aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan in San Diego.

California Military Base Locked Down After Vehicle Runs Gate

Multiple gates at the air station near San Diego were closed while security personnel checked the facility.

Air Force News

Higher Cancer Rates Found in Military Pilots, Ground Crews

Aviation crews have long asked for the Pentagon to look closely at some of the environmental factors they are exposed to.

Retired Air Force officer Larry Rendall Brock Jr.

Former Air Force Officer Gets Prison Term for Capitol Attack

A retired Air Force officer who stormed the U.S. Capitol dressed in combat gear and carried zip-tie handcuffs into the Senate...

Space Force News

U.S. Air Force Airmen and Space Force Guardians marching.

125% Increase to Space Force Bonuses Part of 2024 Budget Request that Would Grow Ranks

The Space Force wants to grow the number of Guardians by nearly 10% and hopes to offer almost $5 million in new bonuses to...

Chief of Space Operations Gen. Chance Saltzman.

'Go Get Screened': Space Force Chief Urges Missileers to Get Tested as Cancer Study Underway

The Air Force School of Aerospace Medicine said last month it is conducting a study examining a potential link between...

Marine Corps News

The first Taco Bell. It was saved from destruction and moved to Taco Bell headquarters in Irvine, California. (Taco Bell)

A Marine Corps Cook Spread the Gospel of Tacos Throughout America

Glen Bell engineered a way to pre-make hard-taco shells in large quantities, with less mess and faster, like hamburgers were...

Iraqi civilians and U.S. soldiers pull down a statue of Saddam Hussein in downtown Baghdad

The First Casualty of War Is Truth: Iraq 20 Years Later

Four months prior to the invasion of Iraq, I found out that the George W. Bush administration was selling the war to the...

Coast Guard News

A family member of a U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Kimball crew member looks at Honolulu's skyline.

Coast Guard Cutter Back in Hawaii After Trek to Japan

The deployment was in support of Operation Sapphire, a joint agreement between the U.S. and Japanese coast guard.

Coast Guard Cutter Polar Star visits Palmer Station in Antarctica.

Coast Guard Requests Budget Cut for Fiscal 2024

The service did not provide a reason for the lower request but said the funding would be enough to sustain the fleet while...

Stephen Ruiz

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