Ryan Thomas LaBee

About Ryan Thomas LaBee

Ryan Thomas LaBee is an entertainment and culture writer for Military.com, where he covers film, television, gaming, streaming, and pop culture through the lens of military life and veteran experience. His work helps bridge the gap between service and storytelling, spotlighting how military themes, values, and representation show up across today’s media landscape.

A U.S. Air Force veteran with a decade of service, Ryan brings a unique perspective to his writing, combining firsthand military experience with years of professional work in arts journalism and creative media.

Ryan’s writing has appeared in major outlets such as CinemaBlend, Fast Flesh Literary Magazine, Flash Fiction Magazine, and Night Picnic Journal, as well as across creative publications he’s founded and edited, including Pyre Magazine.

Beyond journalism, Ryan is a photographer, filmmaker, and fiction writer with a focus on Southern Gothic and horror storytelling. He lives in southwest Missouri with his family and a lively mix of pets.

Expertise

Entertainment and streaming coverage for audiences (2023–present)
U.S. Air Force veteran with 10 years of service (2007–2017)
Arts, culture, and genre journalism (2019–present)
Creative writing and horror fiction (2015–present)

Professional Roles

Writer and contributor, Military.com
Freelance features writer, CinemaBlend
Founder & Editor-in-Chief, Pyre Magazine
Contributor, Fast Flesh Literary Magazine, Night Picnic Journal, and Flash Fiction Magazine

Education

MFA in Creative Writing, Lasell University (in progress; expected 2026)
BA in English & Creative Writing, Missouri State University

Achievements

Published author of the horror novella Killing My Flesh Without You and The Halloween Party: and Other Tales of All Hallows’ Eve Terror
Developed and led community-based creative writing workshops focused on horror and genre fiction

Publications

Featured in CinemaBlend
Featured in Fast Flesh Literary Magazine
Featured in Five on the Fifth
Featured in Micro Fiction Monday Magazine
Founder and editor of Pyre Magazine

Connect with Ryan

Email: ryan.l@military.com
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ryan-labee/

Latest Articles

Private Benjamin (1980) – Capt. Doreen Lewis (Eileen Brennan) inspects gear with Sgt. L.C. Ross (Hal Williams) as Judy Benjamin (Goldie Hawn) looks on. Credit: Warner Bros. Pictures.

Boot Camp Movie Scenes Ranked by Real Military Experts

The yelling, the sweat, the thousand-yard stares — these movies either nailed the chaos or missed it. Every service member...

George Takei smiles with his arms outstretched while speaking onstage at Fan Expo Vancouver 2019

‘We Were Behind Barbed Wire’: George Takei on Fighting for a Country That Imprisoned Their Families

In a powerful new talk in Tokyo, Star Trek legend George Takei revisits his childhood behind barbed wire in U.S. World War II...

Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade Turkey Float (2024)

Top 10 Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade Mishaps That Made History

From flaming cats to flying moose, these balloon blunders prove that gravity always wins. Every November, millions tune in to...

Christopher Nolan’s ‘Odyssey’ Taps Into the Oldest Story Troops Know: Trying to Get Home After War

Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey reimagines Homer’s epic as the ultimate post-deployment story: Matt Damon’s Odysseus fights...

Gentleman in a library listening to an audiobook on a tablet with headphones. Photo credit: Kampus Production, image made available under creative commons and fair use.

Free Audiobooks for Troops and Vets: How to Use Libby, Hoopla, and the DoD MWR Library

If you’re still paying full price for audiobooks while you’re in uniform, you’re probably leaving money on the table. Between...

The 2025 Holiday Gaming Guide: 13 Big Releases That Belong on Your Christmas List

From Metal Gear Solid Delta to Elden Ring: Nightreign, this year’s biggest titles deliver nostalgia, adrenaline, and next-gen...

Rockstar Delays ‘GTA 6’ Again, Here’s What Fans Need to Know

After more than a decade of anticipation, Rockstar Games has officially delayed Grand Theft Auto VI once again — this time...

CBS's Ghosts, Planes, Shanes and Automobiles SeasonS.5EpisodeEp.6Airdate: 11/20/25

Your 2025 Holiday TV & Streaming Watch Guide: Specials, Family Movies & Streaming Picks

It’s the most wonderful time of the year, and one of the busiest for your watchlist. From the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade...

Adam Driver as Kylo Ren in Star Wars: The Last Jedi

The Military Roots of Hollywood’s Toughest Stars — From Adam Driver to Ice-T

Before they were household names on screen, they wore a uniform. Hollywood is full of tough guys — actors who play war heroes...

Camera operator films a line of Revolutionary War reenactors for Ken Burns’ PBS docuseries The American Revolution.

Ken Burns’ The American Revolution: 10 Big Takeaways From the Directors (Exclusive)

Ken Burns’ new PBS docuseries The American Revolution is a six-part, 12-hour series that puts troops, camp followers, and...

Cinematographer Buddy Squires shoots on-location, Ken Burns The American Revolution, photo credit: Mike Doyle

How Hollywood Has Rewritten the American Revolution: A Century of Film & TV Portrayals

We take a look at how Hollywood has depicted the American Revolution over the last 100+ years, from silent films to HBO's...

Russell Crowe as Hermann Göring in Sony's Nuremberg (2025), The real life Hermann Göring from archival footage.

Russell Crowe Stars as Nazi Leader Hermann Göring in New WWII Film About the Nuremberg Trials

Eighty years after the Nuremberg Trials brought the top Nazi leadership to justice, Nuremberg, a new film from Sony Pictures...

Michael Shannon and Matthew Macfadyen in Netflix’s Death by Lightning, a historical political drama about President James Garfield’s assassination.

Netflix Brings President James Garfield’s Forgotten Assassination to Life

Netflix’s Death by Lightning revisits the life, legacy, and tragic assassination of President James Garfield — America’s...

Ed Earl Official Image, Credit: D. Sandifer

Country Roots, Military Boots: How Ed Earl Is Honoring Veterans Day With a Song Straight from the Heart

We spotlight rising country artist and Navy reservist Ed Earl, whose upcoming single, “Honky Tonk Degree,” blends his...

Washington Crossing the Delaware. Painting by Emanuel Leutze, 1851. Credit: The Metropolitan Museum of Ar

How Ken Burns’ Revolutionary War Series Reveals the War Within

Ken Burns’ new PBS series, The American Revolution, reframes the founding war as a brutal, chaotic conflict fought on...

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Sen. Jacky Rosen, D-Nev., arrives at the chamber.

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