Blake Stilwell

Blake Stilwell is a former Air Force combat photographer with degrees in Graphic Design, Television and Film, International Relations, Public Relations and Middle Eastern Affairs. Instead of using those, he (eventually) became a writer. His work has appeared on Business Insider, Military Times, We Are The Mighty, Fox News, ABC News, NBC Sports, HBO Boxing, and at the White House. Blake is based in Los Angeles but is often found elsewhere.

Email: Blake.Stilwell@Military.com

Latest Articles

Famous Veteran: Kris Kristofferson

"I want you to know I'm an Army brat; I was a captain in the Army and my brother was a jet pilot in the Navy."

Famous Veterans: Johnny Carson

The king of late-night TV for over three decades, Johnny Carson enlisted in the U.S. Navy on June 8, 1943.

Famous Veterans: What Adam Driver’s Marine Corps Career and Acting Have in Common

Adam Driver's time in the Marine Corps "was one of the things I'm most proud of having done in my life," the actor said.

Famous Veterans: Leonard Nimoy Was a Taxi Driver Before Making It Big

Leonard Nimoy, who died on February 27, 2015, may be widely known for playing Spock, but he also served in the Army Reserve.

Famous Veteran: Steve McQueen

"One day I suddenly felt bored with hanging around and went and joined the Marines," said Steve McQueen, Marine Corps veteran...

Colin Powell during Operation Desert Shield

That Time Colin Powell Saved Crash Victims by Tearing Burning Metal With His Bare Hands

When he found one passenger trapped under a mass of twisted, burning fuselage, Powell tore away the burning metal with his...

Famous Veterans: Chuck Norris

Chuck Norris, U.S. military veteran, and martial arts superstar began honing his skills in Korea while serving in the Air...

Lorraine Vogelsang, a Women’s Army Corps veteran, poses with an official photo of her from her time in the service, at her home in Cincinnati, Ohio Aug. 19, 2021. (U.S. Air Force/Wesley Farnsworth)

A World War II Veteran Recalls Her Service in the Women's Army Corps at Age 100

Her parents weren't thrilled when she joined the Army, but she stayed in through World War II.

A Marine May Have Brought a Wild Cougar Back to His Barracks

Not that kind of cougar. Well, probably also that kind of cougar, but this time it was a mountain lion.

The Veterans Breakfast Club Brings Veterans from All Eras to Share Stories from Their Service

What started as a book discussion has become a weekly, international event.

How a Championship Swimmer’s Athletic Ability Saved Him in the Civil War

It was a good thing for many Union soldiers that Norwood Penrose Hallowell was a strong swimmer.

Fort Riley Soldiers Will Get Access to Free, Data-Driven Job Training and Placement

The program takes the soldiers' interests, skills and education into account when placing them in new jobs.

How a Live Coyote Became an Army Air Forces Mascot In World War II England

Bill Crump found a coyote pup while in flight school and then he took it to war.

R.Riveter Handmade Accessories Brings Mobile, Flexible Income to Military Spouses

Two military spouses had trouble getting work, so they founded their own company -- and hire other military spouses.

Postcard view of the German ships Kronprinz Wilhelm and the Prinz Eitel Friederich outboard of one another along the Elizabeth River bank with the “German Village” on Navy Yard property beside them. (Portsmouth Naval Shipyard Museum Collection)

German Commerce Raiders Built a Village in America's Most Important Shipyard During WWI

After plundering allied shipping for months, German sailors decided to homestead on the Virginia coast.

Military News

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Most Popular Military News

A pharmacy is set up to fill prescriptions

Walmart Out, CVS In: Changes Coming to Tricare's Pharmacy Network

Walmart's contract is expiring and won't be renewed, according to Express Scripts, the pharmacy benefit manager for the...

A gate guard stands vigil at the main gate at Yokota Air Base, Japan

Air Force Offers Former Army Spouse $50K Settlement After Towel Left Inside Her During C-Section

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Mossad's New Boss Is a Gadget-Loving Killing Machine

David Barnea is going to walk softly and carry a big stick -- or so he's been saying to Mossad's workforce and alumni.

A U.S. Army soldier receives an x-ray absorptiometry scan

Goodbye Tape Test? The Army Is Reviewing Body Composition Assessments, Standards

A high-tech study, rolled out at Fort Bragg this week, seeks to examine the relationship between fat and fitness.

Airman stocks shelves the commissary on Wright-Patterson

Pentagon Abandons Its Support for Merging the Commissary and Exchange Systems

A new cost analysis has determined that the 2018 calculations for a projected $1.7 billion in savings no longer apply.

Blackhawk pilot Michael Durant at Veterans Day memorial service

'Black Hawk Down' Pilot Durant Enters Alabama Senate Race

Durant joins a crowded GOP field vying for the Republican nomination to the seat being vacated by retiring U.S. Sen. Richard...

Latest Military Videos

Coast Guard Opening Facility to Research How to Protect Great Lakes

Research performed at the Coast Guard National Center of Expertise in Sault Ste. Marie will be critical to protecting...

N. Korea Confirms Submarine Launch of New Missile

North Korea test-fired a new, smaller ballistic missile from a submarine, state media confirmed on Wednesday, a move that...

Roadside Bombs Hit Military Bus in Syrian Capital, Kill 14

Two roadside bombs exploded near a bus carrying military troops in Damascus, killing 14 people and wounding others, Syrian...

Army News

US Military Says it Killed al-Qaida Leader in Drone Strike

A spokesman for U.S. Central Command, said in a statement that Abdul Hamid al-Matar was killed by a drone strike.

A combat medic holds a dosage of COVID-19

Army Expects Guard Soldiers to Get the Vaccine by December If They're Going to Deploy

Any National Guard soldier mobilized on federal orders after Dec. 15 must be fully vaccinated, according to the memo dated...

Sgt. Maj. Michael Grinston, center, gets feedback from soldiers about their concerns at Fort Hood

Army Hiring Criminal Investigators to Improve Case Work

A review late last year found CID was understaffed and badly organized, with too few experienced investigators.

Navy News

U.S. District Courthouse where Jonathan and Diana Toebbe had their hearing

Woman Charged in Submarine Spy Case to Remain Locked Up

Lawyers for Diana Toebbe had argued for her release during a detention hearing Wednesday.

FBI: Cash, Shredded Papers Seen at Couple's Home in Submarine Spy Case

The couple pleaded not guilty in federal court to espionage-related charges that carry life in prison.

amphibious assault ship USS Bonhomme Richard (LHD 6) at Naval Base San Diego

Navy Brass Expects Captains to Ask for Help After Bonhomme Richard Fire

The responsibility for preventing future calamities will rest largely with ship commanders, officials said.

Air Force News

Air Force Offers Former Army Spouse $50K Settlement After Towel Left Inside Her During C-Section

In 2020, DoD hospitals reported 17 instances of a foreign object being left inside a patient after surgery, according to an...

A gate is closed at an ICBM facility in the countryside outside Minot, N.D.

Air Force Veterans Who Are UFO True Believers Return to Newly Attentive Washington

Through the years, the government remained indifferent to decades-old reports of saucer craft toying with the world's most...

Air Force General Is Second Woman to Lead a Top US Command

Air Force Gen. Jacqueline Van Ovost has became only the second woman to lead one of the Pentagon’s 11 so-called combatant...

Marine Corps News

Lt. Col. Stu Scheller leaves court-martial.

Anger over Afghanistan and the Imperfect Example of Stu Scheller

Lt. Col. Stu Scheller has become a symbol in some military and political circles of a need for military accountability and...

Marines rest after building bridges in Afghanistan.

Settlement Spurs Navy to Take Another Look at 'Bad Paper' Discharges of Traumatized Vets

The U.S. Navy has agreed to review more than nine years’ worth of “bad paper” discharges given to thousands of Iraq and...

Marine Who Became a Social Media Star for Questioning Afghanistan War Found Guilty, Awaits Sentencing

After Hines accepted both Scheller's guilty plea and the deal both sides agreed to, the defense called a host of character...

Coast Guard News

Officials release birds after they were treated for oiling Huntington Beach, Calif.

Coast Guard Had Earlier Notice About California Oil Spill

The Coast Guard received multiple reports of a possible fuel spill off the Southern California coast earlier than previously...

Workers in protective suits clean the contaminated beach in California

Coast Guard: 1,200-Foot Ship Dragged California Oil Pipeline

Still undetermined is whether the impact caused the October leak, or if the line was hit by something else at a later date.

Coast Guard: Wreck Found in Atlantic Is Storied Cutter Bear

The legend of the Bear is so ingrained in Coast Guard lore that the sports teams at the Coast Guard Academy are named the...