Blake Stilwell

Blake Stilwell is a former Air Force combat photographer with degrees and experience in Graphic Design, Television and Film, International Relations, Public Relations and Middle Eastern Affairs. Instead of using any of that, he (eventually) became a writer. His work has appeared in Recoil Magazine, Military Times, Coffee or Die, Skillset Magazine, and more. Blake is based in Ohio but is often found elsewhere.

Email: Blake.Stilwell@Military.com

Latest Articles

Cher's more formal look in her 1989 music video, "If I Could Turn Back Time," filmed aboard the battleship USS Missouri. (Criteron Studios)

How Cher's 'Turn Back Time' Music Video Made Even the Navy Blush

A video featuring Cher singing to a rowdy group of American sailors would have been no trouble for anyone involved -- if it...

There Will Be Only One Army-Navy Game This Year as Usual, Thanks to Tulane

The now-No. 20 Green Wave defeated the Midshipmen in a 35-0 shutout, dashing Navy’s hopes for an AAC Championship Game berth.

Russell Crowe's Gen. Maximus Decimus Meridius wasn't real, which is a shame because someone needs to lead Rome. (DreamWorks)

The Best Real-Life Military Leaders in the ‘Gladiator’ Movies, Ranked

Ridley Scott’s two “Gladiator” movies aren’t exactly real history, but they are based on real history.

Chairman Frank Church, D- Idaho., the Senate Intelligence Committee, holds up a poison daft gun as co-chairman John G. Tower, R-Texas looks at the weapon during a session the panel's probe of the Central Intelligence Agency Tuesday, Sept. 17, 1975 in Washington.

The CIA's 'Heart Attack Gun': A Cold War Weapon for Targeted Assassinations

Of all the Central Intelligence Agency secrets revealed to the world by the so-called Church Committee of the 1970s, perhaps...

Evan Thompson and his flag at his home in Beatty, Nevada, in the new film "The Real American." (I.F. Productions)

The Air Force's Biggest Supporter Gets a Spotlight from Gary Sinise in 'The Real American'

There aren't a lot of folk legends in America anymore, but pilots at Nellis Air Force Base who flew missions for the past...

The Ultimate Military Gift Guide 2024

If you're looking to support veteran-owned businesses, there's no better way than buying from them. That's why we put...

Major Gen. Kamal Abdul-Sattar Barzanjy, Iraqi Air Force commander, presents the Iraq flag to Gen. and Mrs. Hussam Abass Ali, the parents of Capt. Ali Hussam Abass Alrubaeye, during a funeral held at Arlington National Cemetery for the captain and four U.S. Airmen who died May 30 in an aircraft accident in Iraq. (U.S. Air Force/Staff Sgt. Amber K. Whittington)

Why a British Field Marshal and 74 Other Foreign Nationals Are Buried in Arlington National Cemetery

When John Dill died on Nov. 4, 1944, it shook the upper echelons of the United States military, right up through Army Chief...

The History Channel's 'The American Soldier' Documents the Evolution of the US Army

From the earliest settlers and the Revolutionary War, American soldiers have been a transformative force shaping history.

A sailor competes in a wing eating contest.

Here's How to Maximize Your Free Veterans Day Food Deals

If you fail to plan, you plan to fail.

Danny Pudi and Denis Leary in "Going Dutch." (Fox Entertainment)

Denis Leary Plays an 'Arrogant Loudmouth' Combat Officer Exiled to a Peacetime Command in Fox's 'Going Dutch'

Denis Leary will portray “arrogant loudmouth” Quinn, a highly decorated combat commander who has served in every recent...

Sketch of Tun Tavern during the Revolutionary War. (National Archives)

What Happened to the Original Tun Tavern, Birthplace of the Marine Corps

The original Tun Tavern in Philadelphia was the birthplace of the Marine Corps and was almost as old as the city itself.

John Krasinski as Jack Ryan in Amazon MGM's 'Jack Ryan.' (Amazon MGM)

Amazon's 'Jack Ryan' Series Is Jumping to the Big Screen Instead of a 5th Season

Fans who didn't enjoy the underwhelming ending to Amazon's "Jack Ryan" television series are in luck: The series is on its...

An artist's rendition of the V1 Flying Bomb.

'The Man Who Calculated Death': A Journalist Explores Her Hidden Ties to the Creator of Nazi Germany's V1 Flying Bomb

When the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq began in March 2003, journalist Suzanne Rico was at the anchor desk of KCBS in Los Angeles...

Air Force Catches Stray in Ongoing Prank War Between Army and Navy

Army pranksters pulled off a prank for the ages that knocks not only the Air Force Academy and its struggling football squad...

Sylvester Stallone in 'Rambo III.' (Tri-Star Pictures)

The Best Military Movies and Shows Streaming Right Now on Amazon Prime Video

If you're looking for the best war movies on Amazon's Prime Video service, our list can help you cut through the chaff and...

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Most Popular Military News

Hegseth Paid Woman Who Accused Him of Sexual Assault over Fear for His Fox News Job, Lawyer Says

More details are emerging about an alleged 2017 sexual assault involving Pete Hegseth, President-elect Donald Trump's nominee...

Sgt. Jacqueline Speights, from 175th Surgical Detachment, 531st Hospital Center, prepares a sample for COVID-19 testing while Spc. Samuel Mawanda, from 626th Brigade Support Battalion, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), records data at Blanchfield Army Community Hospital’s COVID-19 sample processing section within the hospital’s Department of Pathology, Jan. 24, 2022. (Maria Christina Yager/Army)

Tricare Changes are Coming in 2025. Here’s What Beneficiaries Need to Know Right Now

Tricare beneficiaries need to be aware of changes taking place in both the East and West regions and may need to take action...

U.S. Army Reserve Officer Training Corps instructor arrives at the ROTC building on a university campus

Kings of Campus: How Some Army Instructors Use Their Clout to Prey on College Cadets

To the young students in the Army Reserve Officers' Training Corps (ROTC), the officers who run the programs on college...

Squad live fire exercise at Schofield Barracks

Thousands of Women Serve in Combat Roles. Pentagon Nominee Hegseth Says They Shouldn’t.

Pete Hegseth has made clear, in his own words, that he is critical of military service by women and more specifically opposes...

Veterans Affairs Officer Hit Man with Baton 45 Times as He ‘Screamed in Pain,’ Feds Say

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Who Is Doug Collins? A Look at Trump's Pick to Head the VA

The former Georgia congressman is a Southern Baptist minister and Air Force colonel.

Latest Military Videos

Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower's D-Day Message

Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower began drafting his Order of the Day for June 6, 1944, in February. It was...

French Military Training Ukrainian Troops Ahead of Battlefield Deployment

A French military task force with a festive name — “Champagne” — is wrapping up a mission that's no...

Ukraine Soldiers Focus on Keeping Russian Advances at Bay but Brace for Trump Taking Over in US

Ukrainian soldiers on the front know the re-election of Donald Trump in the U.S. will change their lives, but...

US Military Releases Video Said to Show Impact of Drone Strike on Houthi Rebels

The U.S. military on Wednesday said it had conducted several days of strikes targeting Yemen's Houthi rebels. (Nov. 14)...

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

Arthur Frommer, 83, and his daughter, Pauline Frommer, 46, pose among tourists

Arthur Frommer, Army Vet and Travel Guide Innovator, Has Died at 95

Travel writer Arthur Frommer, who revolutionized leisure travel for ordinary Americans with his guidebook “Europe on 5...

President-elect Donald Trump speaks at the House GOP conference

Trump Backs 'Emergency' Plan to Use Military for Mass Deportations

Trump made mass deportation a major plank of his successful presidential campaign and has claimed more than 15 million...

Navy News

How Cher's 'Turn Back Time' Music Video Made Even the Navy Blush

A video featuring Cher singing to a rowdy group of American sailors would have been no trouble for anyone involved -- if it...

A view of Naval Medical Center Portsmouth, which is across the Elizabeth River from Norfolk, Virginia.

Navy Shutters Premier East Coast Substance Abuse Program Amid Staffing Shortages

The program, in an aging building at Naval Medical Center Portsmouth in Virginia, has struggled to retain employees.

Air Force News

Privately owned vehicles wait to enter through the Dale Mabry gate at MacDill Air Force Base.

MacDill Airman Gets 5 Years Of Probation in 'Undead Apes' Blockchain Fraud

U.S. District Judge William Jung sentenced Devin Rhoden to five years’ probation, a reflection of Rhoden’s substantial...

Two Air Force Special Operations Command CV-22B Ospreys fly low and fast in formation on a training range

The Osprey's Safety Issues Spiked over Five Years and Caused Deaths. Pilots Still Want to Fly It

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Space Force News

A Falcon 9 rocket carrying Starlink 4-36 payload launches

Pentagon Silent on Elon Musk and Starlink Risks as Military Use Expands

In the past year, U.S. news outlets have reported that Musk, who oversees the satellite internet provider, has developed a...

The flag of the U.S. Space Command is unfurled at the White House

Colorado Could Lose US Space Command. Trump Is Expected to Move It to Alabama.

Trump's original decision to place Space Command -- the combatant command tasked with military operations in space that was...

Marine Corps News

Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln

Marine Corps F-35C Was Used in Combat for First Time to Strike Houthis, Military Confirms

Traveling at speeds of 1,200 mph, the F-35C can carry Joint Direct Attack Munitions, or JDAMs, air-to-air missiles and other...