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. Stephen enjoys running, spending time with his girlfriend, Audrea, and dog, Holly, and rooting on his favorite sports teams, including his alma mater, LSU.

Email: stephen.ruiz@military.com.

Latest Articles

The undefeated 1944 Army football team was led by future Heisman Trophy winners Glenn Davis, left, and Felix ‘Doc’ Blanchard.

80 Years Ago, a Historic Army-Navy Game Captivated a Nation During World War II

The 1944 Army-Navy Game pitted the top two ranked teams in college football that season and raised more than $58 million for...

Three of the Douglas World Cruisers that attempted to become the first to circumnavigate the globe by air are shown in an undated 1924 photo.

How These US Military Aviators Became the First to Fly Around the World

To say the least, the eight Army Air Force aviators who departed Seattle on April 6, 1924, did not face an easy assignment.

Baron Friedrich Wilhelm von Steuben helped develop a training program for the Continental Army at Valley Forge during the American Revolution.

How a Prussian Baron Helped the Colonists Win the American Revolution

In a mere two months, soldiers learned how to load and fire a musket quicker and more efficiently, and were introduced to the...

Capt. Roy 'Butch' Voris, a fighter pilot who was credited with shooting down 8 Japanese planes during World War II, served 2 tours as the leader of the Blue Angels.

The World War II Fighter Ace Behind the Navy's Blue Angels

For the rest of his life, the Blue Angel pilots who came after him viewed Voris with reverence -- and with good reason.

The gaping hole, circled, at the 78th and 79th floors of the Empire State Building in New York marks the place where a B-25 Army bomber crashed into the structure on July 28, 1945, killing 14 people. The photo was taken on July 29 after the dense fog that caused the crash dissipated.

The Time an Army Bomber Crashed into the Empire State Building During WWII

The crash, which caused about $1 million in damage (roughly $17.5 million in 2024), represented the first time that an...

Periodontist Theresa Cheng founded Everyone for Veterans in 2017, about a decade after she first began providing free dental care to eligible veterans and their caregivers.

This Dental Nonprofit Will Fix Veterans’ Teeth for Free

Since 2008, nearly 900 veterans and their spouses have had their oral issues through the efforts of Cheng and then E4V.

Shelton 'Ivan' Ware, one of the original Tuskegee Airmen, retired as a lieutenant colonel after 32 years of military service.

How This 101-Year-Old Tuskegee Airman Helped Keep the 'Red Ball Express' Running During WWII

Nearly 75% of soldiers assigned to the Red Ball Express were Black, and collectively, they did yeoman's work until the...

Several leis hang around the neck of Elvis Presley after his arrival on March 25, 1961, for a concert to benefit the USS Arizona Memorial Fund.

How Elvis Presley Revitalized Efforts to Build a Pearl Harbor Memorial

Support for a USS Arizona memorial received a huge boost on March 25, 1961, when Elvis Presley performed a benefit concert at...

Most people know Julia Child, here showing off a salade nicoise on Aug. 21, 1978, for her culinary skills, but she also served in the Office of Strategic Services during World War II.

How Julia Child Helped the Navy Develop a Shark Repellent During World War II

While Child was not one of the driving forces behind the U.S. Navy's quest to develop a shark repellent during World War II...

In this image circa 1944, Lt. Archie Williams (2nd from left in front row), who won the 400-meter gold medal at the 1936 Olympics in Berlin, was part of the Tuskegee Weather Detachment that served with both the 332nd Fighter Group and 477th Bombardment Group.

How Jesse Owens' Olympic Teammate Kept the Tuskegee Airmen Safe During World War II

Because of their groundbreaking service in World War II, the Tuskegee Airmen were awarded eight Purple Hearts, 14 Bronze...

Mildred Fish-Harnack, a native of Milwaukee, was guillotined on Feb. 16, 1943, by the Nazis for spying.

Why the Only American Killed on Hitler’s Direct Order ‘Couldn’t Turn Her Back on Germany’

When Mildred Fish-Harnack was guillotined on Feb. 16, 1943, she became the only American killed on a direct order from the...

Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Paul Skenes, who played 2 seasons of college baseball for the Air Force Academy, throws during the 4th inning of a baseball game against the Brewers in Milwaukee.

How the Air Force Academy Molded Paul Skenes into the Biggest Story in Baseball

Coming from a military family, Paul Skenes had a pretty good idea of what awaited him at Basic Cadet Training before his...

Brig. Gen. Charles P. Stone's military career suffered greatly after the Union's humiliating defeat at the Battle of Ball's Bluff in Virginia on Oct. 21, 1861, during the Civil War.

How This 'Most Unfortunate' Civil War General Helped Give America the Statue of Liberty

Charles Pomeroy Stone served as the statue’s chief engineer, and in that capacity, he was in charge of overseeing shipments...

Coast Guard Academy graduate Andre Douglas, shown in a portrait taken on Dec. 3, 2021, was among 10 selected for NASA's 2021 Astronaut Candidate Program.

From the Coast Guard to NASA: How Andre Douglas Became a Rarity Among Astronauts

Since NASA introduced its first group of astronauts, the so-called “Mercury 7,” in 1959, Douglas' selection marked only the...

World War II correspondent Ernie Pyle, shown on March 1, 1945, at an unidentified location, endured himself to U.S. military service members because of his knack of writing about the common soldier.

'The Advantages Were All Theirs': What Famed War Correspondent Ernie Pyle Saw on D-Day

Ernie Pyle was the United States' most well-known war correspondent during World War II, serving as the de facto eyes and...

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Most Popular Military News

Gen. Charles Hamilton, Army Materiel Command commanding general, provides keynote remarks during the Association of the U.S. Army Global Force Symposium in Huntsville, Alabama.

Army Secretary Fires 4-Star General Who Meddled in Promotion of Unfit Subordinate

Army Secretary Christine Wormuth -- in a dramatic and rare move -- on Tuesday fired one of the service's top generals...

Self-Directed Credentialing Assistance has been added to the Army Credentialing Program.

The Army is dramatically scaling back one of its most generous education benefits, the Credentialing Assistance program known...

Rear Adm. Kavon Hakimzadeh, Commander, Carrier Strike Group 2 (CSG-2) visits USS Trayer at Recruit Training Command (RTC).

Navy Cuts Length of Boot Camp Amid Rise in Recruiting Totals

The Navy says that, starting next month, it will shorten the length of its Basic Military Training program -- commonly known...

The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center is shown in Portland, Ore.

VA Health System Remains on Federal 'High Risk' List Due to Oversight Shortfalls

The VA medical system has been a concern to government auditors for the past decade but has seen vast improvements, according...

Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force David Flosi greets airmen preparing to depart for Exercise Agile Reaper at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii.

Congress Shaves Beard Pilot Program for Air Force, Space Force from Must-Pass Defense Legislation

Congress has decided to pass on ordering the Department of the Air Force to establish a pilot program examining whether...

Pete Hegseth is President-elect Donald Trump's nominee to be defense secretary.

Military Leaders Are Rattled by a List of 'Woke' Officers That a Group Urges Hegseth to Fire

The list compiled by the American Accountability Foundation includes 20 general officers or senior admirals and a...

Latest Military Videos

Pentagon Weighs in on Multiple Drone Sightings in Skies over New Jersey

The Pentagon is weighing in on a number of drone sightings in the skies over New Jersey. (Dec. 12)...

Apartment Block in Ruins after Russian Strike on Ukrainian City of Kherson

A 50-year-old woman was injured as a result of a Russian strike on the Ukrainian city of Kherson Thursday...

Netanyahu Hosts US National Security Adviser as Israel Advances into Syria

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met with U.S. national security adviser Jake Sullivan in Jerusalem on Thursday. (Dec. 12)...

Israeli Military Releases Videos It Claims to Show Strikes on Syria, Including Latakia

The Israeli military on Tuesday released several videos it claimed to show strikes on Syria, including the port of...

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

The Army and Navy collegiate debate teams hold an exhibition before the annual Army-Navy football game. (U.S. Navy)

The Best Showdown of the Army-Navy Game Actually Takes Place Away from the Gridiron

The respective military service academy's debate teams have met every year at the Army-Navy Game since 2012, performing an...

The U.S. Air Force Air Demonstration Squadron ‘Thunderbirds’ perform at the California Capital Air Show in Mather, Calif.

Do Air Shows Really Help Military Readiness and Recruiting? Congress Plans to Find Out.

Lawmakers want the secretary of defense to brief Congress on how sending military aircraft to air shows affects recruiting...

Navy News

The Best Showdown of the Army-Navy Game Actually Takes Place Away from the Gridiron

The respective military service academy's debate teams have met every year at the Army-Navy Game since 2012, performing an...

Do Air Shows Really Help Military Readiness and Recruiting? Congress Plans to Find Out.

Lawmakers want the secretary of defense to brief Congress on how sending military aircraft to air shows affects recruiting...

Air Force News

Do Air Shows Really Help Military Readiness and Recruiting? Congress Plans to Find Out.

Lawmakers want the secretary of defense to brief Congress on how sending military aircraft to air shows affects recruiting...

(Photo by Airman 1st Class Shelby Kay-Fantozzi)

Transgender Troops, Confronting Shifting Policies of Acceptance, Just Want to Serve

Transgender troops' right to serve -- perhaps even to fight and die for a nation they volunteered to defend -- has been...

Space Force News

Transgender Troops, Confronting Shifting Policies of Acceptance, Just Want to Serve

Transgender troops' right to serve -- perhaps even to fight and die for a nation they volunteered to defend -- has been...

Vandenberg Air Force Base is renamed Vandenberg Space Force Base.

Chinese Citizen Arrested After Allegedly Flying Drone, Taking Photos of Space Force Base

Federal investigators arrested a 39-year-old man this week after accusing him of flying a drone and taking pictures of...

Marine Corps News

Transgender Troops, Confronting Shifting Policies of Acceptance, Just Want to Serve

Transgender troops' right to serve -- perhaps even to fight and die for a nation they volunteered to defend -- has been...

Meredith Berger, assistant secretary of the Navy for energy, installations and environment and chief sustainability officer, speaks with members of the community while removing invasive plant species at the at the Kanehekili Heiau in Hawaii.

Navy, Marines Team Up with University of Hawaii on Resource Management

The University of Hawaii and the Department of the Navy have signed an unprecedented 10-year agreement aimed at safeguarding...

Coast Guard News

Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., speaks during a news conference on Capitol Hill, Feb. 1, 2022, in Washington.

US Senator Says Mysterious Drones Spotted in New Jersey Region Should Be 'Shot Down, if Necessary'

“We should be doing some very urgent intelligence analysis and take them out of the skies, especially if they’re flying over...

Transgender Troops, Confronting Shifting Policies of Acceptance, Just Want to Serve

Transgender troops' right to serve -- perhaps even to fight and die for a nation they volunteered to defend -- has been...

Stephen Ruiz

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