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

Navy Athletics Released Its NASA-Themed Uniform for the 2022 Army-Navy Game

Every year, both the Army Black Knights and the Navy Midshipmen don special football uniforms for the Army-Navy Game.

U.S. Marine Sgt. Gabriela Justice puts in ear protection in preparation for an M-240B machine gun range aboard the Wasp-class amphibious assault ship USS Essex. (U.S. Marine Corps/Cpl. Francisco Diaz)

A New 'Polytherapeutic' App Shows Significant Improvement in Treating Tinnitus

Tinnitus, that ringing, buzzing, hissing, whistling noise in your ear that only you seem to be able to hear, is a condition...

10 Lesser-Known Military Charities for Your Giving Tuesday Consideration

Giving Tuesday is almost here, so charities and nonprofits will be competing for your attention and your donations.

The Ultimate Military Gift Guide 2022

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

1st Lt. Bryton Vanderloop, an executive officer with 65th Brigade Engineer Battalion, in the Anheuser-Busch warehouse in Hawaii. Vanderloop is currently participating in the Career Skills Program and is an intern with Anheuser-Busch Hawaii. (U.S. Army/Staff Sgt. Melissa Parrish)

The Army's Official Nonprofit Is Offering Grants and No-Interest Loans for Soldiers in Transition

Most critical for soldiers who are retiring or separating from the military is Army Emergency Relief's support for the Army's...

Travis Gardner (left) and Tucker Burns are Air Force and Army veterans (respectively) who founded The Charge Stately Apparel in 2021. (Courtesy of The Charge)

Veterans Are Escaping Economic Uncertainty by Starting Their Own Businesses

A new report shows that 10.7% of all new business owners in America were veterans, a 100% increase from the last year data...

The Bomber Restaurant, originally a service station founded by Art Lacey in Milwaukie, Oregon, went out of business during the COVID-19 pandemic. (B-17 Alliance Museum)

A World War II Flying Fortress Was Made into the ‘Gas Station Bomber’ on a $5 Bet

For 60 years, a World War II-era B-17 Flying Fortress sat atop an Oregon service station, serving as a canopy for customers...

Part of the hull of the capsized USS Oklahoma is seen at right as the battleship USS West Virginia, center, begins to sink after suffering heavy damage, while the USS Maryland, left, is still afloat in Pearl Harbor. (National Archives)

A US Sailor Showed Japan How to Attack Pearl Harbor

American admirals first showed how vulnerable Pearl Harbor was, nine years before the United States entered World War II.

Tech. Sgt. Harlasung Kang secures a heavy expanded mobility tactical truck inside a C-17 Globemaster III, operated by the Hawaii Air National Guard at at Ramstein Air Base, Germany. ((U.S. Air National Guard/Senior Airman John Linzmeier)

Hawaii May Not Be Protected Under Article 5 of the NATO Treaty

There's one notable exception to the areas protected by the original NATO agreement. It seems to have forgotten about what...

U.S. Marines with 11th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, prepare to fire a trebuchet during a field meet at Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, California. The field meet was held to celebrate Saint Barbara, who is honored every year as the patron saint of field artillerymen. (U.S. Marine Corps/Cpl. Joseph Prado)

Why Army and Marine Corps Artillery Celebrate Saint Barbara's Day

Saint Barbara might be one of the more obscure saints in Catholic and Orthodox legend, but she's venerated by U.S. military...

LinkedIn Data Found the 10 Places Where Veterans Are Most Successful in Civilian Careers

It's probably no surprise that most of the cities where veterans are seeing the most success in their civilian careers versus...

Returning Fire: Marines from A Company, 1st Battalion, 1st Marines fire from a house window during a search and clear mission in the Battle of Hue. (U.S. Marine Corps/Sgt. Bruce A. Atwell)

Listen to a Vietnam Veteran Describe the Reality of Deploying to Vietnam for the First Time

"I knew if I were still alive on March 5, 1968, I could get on the plane in Da Nang we used to call the 'Freedom Bird.' I...

Clint Eastwood in "Kelly' Heroes." (Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer)

Famous Veterans: Clint Eastwood Funded a Mission to Rescue Vietnam War POWs

After being drafted into the Army during the Korean War, Clint Eastwood was discovered while volunteering as a lifeguard at...

In case you thought the military was above that sort of thing. We are not. (U.S. Navy/Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Alonzo Martin-Frazier)

6 Training Tips from Competitive Eaters for Your Veterans Day Free Food Marathon

Every Veterans Day is a tactical thanksgiving, a time of year when America's chain restaurants open their doors to give away...

Chuck Norris visited Marines at Camp Taqaddum, Iraq in 2006. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Ben Eberle)

Don't Believe It: Chuck Norris Is Not Dead

Chuck Norris puts the coronavirus in isolation.

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Most Popular Military News

Navy SEAL Wins Appeal of Sentence in Soldier’s Hazing Death

Tony DeDolph was one of four American service members — two SEALs and two Marines — who were charged in the death of Army...

Richard Fierro talks during a news conference outside his home about his efforts to subdue the gunman in Saturday's fatal shooting at Club Q.

Army Veteran Who Pistol-Whipped Club Q Shooter with His Own Gun Says He 'Tried to Finish Him'

The U.S. Army veteran who stopped the active shooter at Club Q in Colorado Springs on Saturday night said he wasn't thinking...

Former Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard loads ammo before taking part in the 2021 Celebrity Tactical Challenge at the U.S. Army John F. Kennedy Special Warfare Center and School's Miller Training Complex.

After Pushing Conspiracies, Tulsi Gabbard Lectures Special Ops Students on Avoiding Disinformation

Former Democratic congresswoman and conservative-media pundit Tulsi Gabbard gave a guest lecture to students at the Army's...

T-38 Training Jet's Landing Gear Fails in Mississippi, Marking Second Incident This Month

An Air Force pilot's landing gear failed at Columbus Air Force Base forcing the airman to skid the belly of the T-38C Talon...

U.S. Marine Corps Col. Nathan “MOG” Marvel, commanding officer of Marine Aircraft Group (MAG) 39, 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing (MAW), lands the final AH-1Z Viper produced for the Marine Corps on Marine Corps Air Station Camp Pendleton, California.

Marines Get Last Delivery of Iconic H-1 Helicopter. But Don't Call It the 'End of an Era' Yet

A Marine unit at Camp Pendleton took delivery this month of its last new H-1 helicopter, 60 years after the service ordered...

North Carolina Residents Sue County and Company over Threat of Military Training Site

Nine members of the Hoffman and Marston, N.C., communities have filed suit over a military training center that has created...

Latest Military Videos

Master Class: Secrets of Recruiters

If you are looking for a job following military service, you are probably missing out on one of the...

2022 Army-Navy Spirit Video: Army Cyber Center of Excellence

The U.S. Army Cyber Center of Excellence and Fort Gordon Commanding General, Maj. Gen. Paul T. Stanton, discusses the...

2022 Army-Navy Spirit Video: Fort Sill

Featuring Artillery Cannon crew members of the 2nd Battalion, 2nd Field Artillery Regiment firing a M119 Howitzer and the...

2022 Army-Navy Spirit Video: 3rd Infantry Division

3rd Infantry Division's Army vs. Navy video submission 2022. (U.S. Army/Sgt. 1st Class Jason Hull)

Investigations and Features

They Said the Rise in Military Suicide Is a Mystery. Traumatic Brain Injury May Be an Answer.

Veterans who have had a head injury are at higher risk for suicide, but these deaths can be prevented, experts say.

Trump supporters try to break through a police barrier at the Capitol

What Happened to Members of the Military Accused of Storming the Capitol on January 6?

At least five service members allegedly were part of the deadly pro-Trump mob that assaulted the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6.

Army News

Army Sergeant Charged with Stealing Machine Gun Parts, Smoke Grenade After Brigade-Wide Search

The charges, filed last month, allege that Sgt. Christopher Shepler stole an M2 .50-caliber machine gun receiver and an M240...

'I Am Vanessa Guillen' Is a Damning Indictment of Fort Hood Culture

A documentary film examines the death of a soldier and her family's efforts to change the way the Army handles sexual assault...

Navy News

Memorial to the victims of a shooting at a Colorado Springs nightclub.

Sailor Who Heroically Intervened in Club Q Shooting Recovering in the Hospital

The Navy has confirmed that a sailor was among the 18 injured in the Colorado nightclub shooting on Nov. 19 that also left...

A master chief petty officer pinning ceremony.

The Navy Begins Major Revamp of Promotions, Starting with Master Chiefs

Navy officials say the change will not only benefit the service, it will also give sailors more control and transparency over...

Air Force News

An Air Force Ground Liaison Officer coordinates a flyover before the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl.

A Behind-the-Scenes Look at How Stadium Flyovers Happen at Alabama Football Games

As you might imagine, each flyover comes with a lot of preparation before you see, hear and feel that whoosh overhead.

Army & Air Force Exchange Service store online order pickup station.

Sacramento's Only Base Exchange to Close, Angering Area Shoppers

Sacramento-area veterans now will have to travel an hour north to Beale Air Force Base or an hour southwest to Travis Air...

Space Force News

Kaena Point Space Force Station, Hawaii.

Space Force Moves Guardians to the Pacific Amid Rising Threats from China

The service announced that 21 civilians and Guardians will be stationed in Hawaii with U.S. Indo-Pacific Command.

The Boeing-built X-37B Orbital Test Vehicle is shown at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center.

Unmanned, Solar-Powered US Space Plane Back After 908 Days

The X-37Be has now flown over 1.3 billion miles and spent a total of 3,774 days in space.

Marine Corps News

A Marine walks through an opening in a concertina wire obstacle during training.

The Military Pledged to Remove Unexploded Bombs From This Island. Native Hawaiians Are Still Waiting.

The Waikoloa Maneuver Area is a 185,000-acre site that was used by the U.S. military for live-fire training in the 1940s.

A platoon of Marines conduct military funeral honors at Arlington National Cemetery.

The First Woman in the Marines' Silent Drill Platoon and the Family History That Led to Her New Command

Capt. Kelsey Hastings was selected for her "tireless work ethic and high standard of performance."

Coast Guard News

Coast Guard Cutter Escanaba crew members search for people in the water near Rodriguez Key, Florida.

‘This Is Obscene’: Haitians Angered by Babies Being Sent Back After Reaching Florida Keys on Boat

The 190 individuals — 89 men, 55 women and 46 children — were returned to Haiti aboard the cutter Escanaba.

U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Oliver Berry conducts a Living Marine Resources Patrol in South Pacific.

Coast Guard Cutter Oliver Berry Returns Home Following 7,000-Nautical-Mile Patrol in South Pacific

The Coast Guard has increasingly focused on fishery enforcement missions as illegal fishing runs rampant.