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Tom Philpott has been breaking news for and about military people since 1977. After service in the Coast Guard, and 17 years as a reporter and senior editor with Army Times Publishing Company, Tom launched "Military Update," his syndicated weekly news column, in 1994. "Military Update" features timely news and analysis on issues affecting active duty members, reservists, retirees and their families. Tom's freelance articles have appeared in numerous magazines including The New Yorker, Reader's Digest and Washingtonian.
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His critically-acclaimed book, Glory Denied, on the extraordinary ordeal and heroism of Col. Floyd "Jim" Thompson, the longest-held prisoner of war in American history, is available in hardcover and paperback on Amazon. |
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![](http://images04.military.com/sites/default/files/styles/thumbnail_large/public/2025-10/full_size_6356_x_4673.jpg?itok=prPcSAsU "U.S. Air Force personnel stand guard at an Alaska airbase during the Cold War in this painting by Mort Kunstler. Operation Washtub trained 89 civilian Alaskans as stay-behind agents to gather intelligence if Soviet forces invaded the territory between 1951 and 1959. ("Guardians of the North" by Mort Kunstler, courtesy National Guard Bureau)")
