Richard Sisk

Richard Sisk has more than 45 years of journalism experience in reporting and editing in the U.S. and abroad for United Press International, the N.Y. Daily News and now for Military.com. He has covered police beats, the courts, transportation and politics in New York City and Washington, D.C., and had numerous assignments in the Mideast, Europe and Latin America. He has covered six presidential campaigns and since 2016 has been Military.com’s Pentagon reporter. Sisk is a Vietnam veteran who served with the 2nd Battalion, Fourth Marines, in 1967-68.

Latest Articles

Lt. James Crotty as lieutenant junior grade aboard a Coast Guard cutter. (U.S. Coast Guard)

POW Hero: Coast Guard’s Jimmy Crotty Came Home After 77 Years

Jimmy Crotty’s courage under fire and in captivity became legendary — a story of sacrifice, endurance and homecoming.

The Little-Known Role of Jimmy Doolittle in Nagasaki Atomic Bombing

Lt. Col. James H. "Jimmy" Doolittle famously led the first U.S. strike against the Japanese homeland during World War II, and...

A help-wanted sign is displayed at a live music and blues club in Chicago.

Veterans Unemployment Rate Drops, But Trump Fires BLS Commissioner After Weak Overall Jobs Report

President Donald Trump ordered the firing of the Bureau of Labor Statistics commissioner Friday following a weak jobs report...

Author Guy Gugliotta’s book, ‘Grant’s Enforcer,’ tells the story of how President Ulysses S. Grant picked a little-known postwar official in Georgia named Amos T. Akerman (above) to become his attorney general and fight the Ku Klux Klan.

Ulysses S. Grant Picked a Confederate Slave Owner to Take Down the KKK

Amos T. Akerman was a curious case to become President Ulysses S. Grant's attorney general, as depicted in Guy Gugliotta’s...

Scientists and other workers rig the world's first atomic bomb.

Trinity Test Fallout Victims in New Mexico Finally Get Compensation After 80 Years

Congress earlier this month finally got around to making New Mexico fallout victims of the first test of an atomic bomb and...

Four Chaplains Day

Feb. 3 marks the anniversary of the sinking of the United States Army Transport Dorchester and the selfless acts of four Army...

President Harry Truman holds up a handful of pens

Presidents Sometimes Use 4th of July Celebrations to Unveil Major Policies. Most Times, They Don't.

The past offered little guidance for President Trump on whether to make a major policy announcement on the Fourth of July...

Smoke rises from the building of Iran's state-run television

Air Force's Bunker-Buster Bomb Could Take Out Iran Nuclear Facility, But Israel Hints at Other Options

The Israeli campaign to prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons will be considered a failure if the centrifuges deep...

U.S. Coast Guard landing barge at Normandy, France during D-Dy invasion.

Coasties Braved Withering German Fire to Put Troops Ashore on D-Day

The role played by Coast Guard personnel who crewed the Higgins boats was critical to the success of the D-Day landings in...

What Ike Remembered When Returning to the Beaches of Normandy 20 Years After D-Day

In the early morning hours of June 6, 1944, the paratroopers of the 101st Airborne Division tried to ease the concerns of...

President Donald Trump speaks during an event

White House Says Trump’s Proposal to Rename Veterans Day Has Been Scrapped

The White House has backed off President Donald Trump’s stunning social media proposal to change the name of Veterans Day to...

Helicopter aboard the USS Blue Ridge pushed into the sea off the coast of Vietnam

Frantic Refugees, Helicopters Pushed Overboard: Memories of the Fall of Saigon 50 Years Later

Fifty years later, the surreal images of U.S. sailors and Marines scrambling to push, drag and muscle helicopters overboard...

Colonial militia reenactors prior to the Boston Marathon

British General Gave Order 250 Years Ago that Sparked Revolution in What Became America

The anniversary of the outbreak of the Revolutionary War precedes a slew of planned celebrations when the United States marks...

Secret Recordings Show President Roosevelt Debating Military Desegregation with Civil Rights Leaders

More than a year before Pearl Harbor, President Franklin D. Roosevelt heard arguments from the civil rights leaders of the...

Modular housing for homeless veterans in Los Angeles

Appeals Court Wary of Supreme Court Reversal on Case Calling for Housing LA Homeless Veterans

The appeals hearing was the latest in a legal battle between veterans and the VA on whether the campus in LA will be cleared...

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Most Popular Military News

Ex-Navy SEAL Robert O'Neill sued a pair of podcasters for $25 million, claiming that they have tarnished his reputation going back to the raid, killing of Osama bin Laden. (Robert O'Neill website)

The Latest in Ex-Navy SEAL Robert O'Neill's $25 Million Defamation Lawsuit

The $25 million defamation lawsuit by ex-Navy SEAL Rob O'Neill could be decided by a jury in state or federal court.

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem speaks about the impending winter weather during a news conference at Federal Emergency Management Agency headquarters, Saturday, Jan. 24, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)

Government Shutdown Risk Grows as Jan. 30 Funding Deadline Nears: What We Know

With a Jan. 30 funding deadline approaching, Congress faces a familiar standoff. Here’s when a shutdown could begin, what a...

A veteran in a wheelchair exits a van to a crowd waving American flags.

Veterans Can Now Get VA Auto Grants Every 10 Years. Here's What Changed

A disabled veteran who received a Department of Veterans Affairs automobile grant decades ago can now apply for another one.

U-486 at sea, the submarine sank the SS Léopoldville, causing the largest loss of life for an American division in a ship incident during WWII. (Armed Conflicts)

A U-Boat Killed 763 American Soldiers on Christmas Eve in 1944. The Army Kept It Secret for 50 Years

Howard woke up around midnight in a hospital in Cherbourg, France. He was among the lucky ones. On that Christmas Eve in 1944...

An Airman fills out tax forms, Feb. 9, 2017, at Malmstrom Air Force Base, Mont. (U.S. Air Force photo/Daniel Brosam)

Free and Discounted Tax Preparation for Military

Military personnel and their families have access to a variety of tax preparation and filing services for free.

HL7442, the aircraft involved, pictured in 1980 with a previous livery. (Wikimedia Commons)

In 1983, the Soviets Shot Down a Passenger Plane and Killed a US Congressman

The 48-year-old Democrat was arguably the most anti-communist voice in Congress. He had introduced legislation to ban all...

Latest Military Videos

Taiwan Navy Simulates Repelling Sea Invasion in Combat Readiness Drill

Taiwan Navy simulates repelling sea invasion in combat readiness drill.

Still Photos Show Aircraft Carrier USS Abraham Lincoln Operating in the Indian Ocean

Still photos show aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln operating in the Indian Ocean.

North Korea Tests New Multiple Rocket System

North Korea tests new multiple rocket system and Kim talks about nuclear deterrent.

Venezuela President Rodriguez Confirms Cordial Relations with US

Venezuela President Rodriguez confirms cordial relations with US.

Investigations and Features

In One of the Marines' Most Iconic Jobs, a Stunning Pattern of Suicide

Marine Corps drill instructors are a national symbol of discipline. But for some, their imposing persona belies a dark...

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...

Army News

Families of 67 Killed in US Aircraft Crash Remember Loved Ones and Call for Reforms

Families of the 67 people who died in an aircraft collision last January gathered to mark the first anniversary, just one day...

Army veteran Keith McCarter works out at the Madison, Wisconsin VA hospital. (Submitted photo)

Heart Transplant Saves Ailing Iraq War Veteran

After finding out his heart was failing at age 25, Army veteran Keith McCarter finally found the path to get healthy again.

Navy News

US Aircraft Carrier Arrives in the Middle East as Tensions With Iran Remain High

The aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln and three accompanying warships have arrived in the Middle East.

Yemen Rebels Threaten New Red Sea Attack as US Aircraft Carrier Heads Toward Iran

Yemen’s Iranian-backed Houthi rebels threatened new attacks on ships traveling through the Red Sea corridor, likely trying to...

Air Force News

Iran's Revolutionary Guard Commander Warns the US, Says His Force Has its 'Finger on the Trigger'

Gen. Mohammad Pakpour, warned the United States and Israel “to avoid any miscalculation.”

U.S. Marine Corps Sgt. Paul A. Millis, crew chief assigned to Marine Aerial Refueler Transport Squadron (VMGR) 252, raises a lift in preparation for a Flight In Support of a Deployed Unit (FISDU) at the Shannon Airport, Ireland, March 12, 2015. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Koby I. Saunders/Released)

Irish Lawmaker Wants Legislation Requiring US Military Aircraft Inspections

Conor Sheehan, an Irish Labour Party politician, called Ireland's lack of aircraft inspections "troubling."

Space Force News

Space Force basic training candidates undergo inspection.

Space Force Education Programs: What Guardians Need to Know

The Space Force offers guardians multiple education pathways, from automatic enrollment in the Community College of the Air...

President Donald Trump holds top a signed executive order as Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth watches in the Oval Office of the White House, Friday, Sept. 5, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

How Trump’s 2025 'War' Agenda Rewired the Pentagon

Trump’s 2025 executive actions reshape how the current administration defines national security.

Marine Corps News

U. S. Marine Corps officer Captain William H. Dabney (VMI Class of 1961) during the Vietnam War. While in Vietnam, he commanded India Company, 3rd Battalion, 26th Marines, on Hill 881S during the Battle of Khe Sanh, for which he was awarded the Navy Cross in 2005. (Virginia Military Institute)

This Marine Married Chesty Puller’s Daughter and Was Recommended for the Medal of Honor at Khe Sanh

In 1967, Vietnam, Capt. Bill Dabney chose the Marine unit closest to the enemy—an instinct that soon put him and his men at...

Michael D'Angelo is a Marine Corps veteran turned comedian. (Submitted)

‘Combat Comedian’ Boosts Marine Corps Morale Through Laughter

After being forced to leave the Marine Corps with an injury, comedian Michael D'Angelo ignited a new passion by bringing much...

Coast Guard News

Coast Guard Cutter Neah Bay breaks ice on Lake Erie in February 2015.

Coast Guard Battles Winter Ice on Great Lakes

Two Coast Guard cutters — the Mackinaw and the Neah Bay — broke ice so other ships could continue moving or reach safe harbor...

A U.S. Coast Guardsman, a member of Port Security Unit (PSU) 308, mans a Browning M2HB heavy machine gun while on patrol near South Padre Island, Texas, Nov. 2, 2025. PSU 308 was deployed to South Padre Island in support of Operation River Wall, the Coast Guard’s response to increased drug and human trafficking along the Rio Grande River. (U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 3rd Class Cheyenne Basurto)

Station South Padre Island Receives Record $200M Facelift From Coast Guard

Multi-million-dollar renovations near the U.S.-Mexico border will deter illegal migrants in southern Texas, officials said.