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

Sometimes called, Zheng Yi Sao or "Wife of Zheng Yi," she's known to history as Ching Shih for what she accomplished once he died.

A Chinese Woman Led the Largest and Most Successful Pirate Fleet in History

While Caribbean pirates like Blackbeard could boast a handful of ships and hundreds of men. Ching Shih commanded an entire...

A soldier standing guard on the corner of 7th & N Street NW in Washington D.C. with the ruins of buildings that were destroyed during the riots that followed the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr. (Warren K. Leffler/Library of Congress)

6 Times the Military Was Used for Riot Control in the US

When local law enforcement can't restore law and order, the US military gets the call.

Coca-Cola is the most widely-distributed product on Earth.

Coca-Cola Was the Result of a Wounded Soldier Trying to Ease His Own Pain

In trying to cure his addiction, Lt. Col. John Pemberton created not only a $260 billion business but an entire global...

The first Taco Bell. It was saved from destruction and moved to Taco Bell headquarters in Irvine, California. (Taco Bell)

A Marine Corps Cook Spread the Gospel of Tacos Throughout America

Glen Bell engineered a way to pre-make hard-taco shells in large quantities, with less mess and faster, like hamburgers were...

Sh' That's Hot founder Shane Christensen (left) says hustle, good products and cooperation is the key to success. (Courtesy of Sh' That's Hot)

Veteran Businesses Can Thrive When Vets Help Each Other Get Started

Everyone needs help sometimes, and veteran entrepreneurs are in a position to help one another thrive.

Valery Sablin's mutiny and attempted revolution aboard the Soviet missile frigate Storozhevoy did not end well for Sablin.

'The Hunt for Red October' Is Based on This Real Soviet Mutiny

In the 1990 film "The Hunt for Red October," a Soviet Navy captain who is disenchanted with the Soviet system defects to the...

(U.S. Navy/Chief Petty Officer Diana Quinlan)

The 10 Highest-Paying Jobs for Veterans in Video Games Right Now

The best way to make a lot of money in video games is probably to be either a professional esports player or become an...

Josefina "Joey" Guerrero delivered critical information on Japanese defenses in Manila to the United States.

A Woman with Leprosy Was the Most Important Spy in the Fight for the Philippines

For here exploits, Josefina Guerrero received the Medal of Freedom with Silver Palm, a decoration created by President Harry...

Paramarines fought with Raiders at the Battle of Edson's Ridge, also known as the Battle of the Bloody Ridge on Guadalcanal, in 1942. (U.S. Marine Corps)

'Paramarines': The Marine Corps Paratroopers of World War II

The U.S. Army might have perfected the use of airborne troopers, but it wasn't the first branch to try out the tactic.

WWII Veteran and Nike Co-Founder Made His First Training Shoe with a Waffle Iron

Before it was even called Nike, the company was made up of just University of Oregon track coach Bill Bowerman and his former...

Coast Guard Capt. Earl Fox, 80, salutes during a ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery. Fox is the only veteran of World War II still on active duty. (U.S. Navy/Petty Officer 1st Class Pete Milnes)

The Last WWII Veteran on Active Duty Served for Nearly 55 Years After the War

Dr. Earl Russell Fox joined the Navy during World War II, stayed in the Naval Reserve after the war and then joined the Coast...

Mary Jane Richards provided critical information to the Union from the highest levels of the Confederacy. (National Battlefield Trust)

A Black Union Spy in the Confederate White House Almost Burned It Down In Her Escape

In recognition of her intelligence contributions, Mary Jane Richards was inducted into the U.S. Army Intelligence Hall of...

Budae Jjigae is a delicious stew with a dark past. (Park Dong-sik)

In the aftermath of the Korean War, necessity created an enduringly popular fusion of Korean vegetables and spices with shelf...

There are no National Defense Medals in World War I Serbia.

The Most Decorated Female Soldier in the History of Modern Warfare

Milunka Savić probably didn’t know she was about to set out on a seven-year rampage of destruction across two continents in...

Some would say it's human error. Those of us who know will blame apricots. (Montana National Guard)

5 Bizarre Superstitions US Troops Believe About Their Rations

U.S. military personnel deal with matters of life and death, so it's hard to judge them for being more superstitious than a...

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Most Popular Military News

The Next Generation USID military spouse ID card

Renewed Military ID Cards Can Be Sent by Mail in New Pilot Program

Active-duty troops can now log in to renew their family members' military ID cards in a pilot program allowing the IDs to be...

U.S. Army soldier motivates spur candidates before the ruck march.

How the War in Iraq Changed the Military for Women

Some 2,200 active-duty women out of roughly 40,000 are serving in infantry, cavalry, armor and field artillery roles.

VA Hospital Employee Sentenced to 6 Months in Prison for Accepting Thousands of Dollars in Kickbacks

A former manager at the Philadelphia Veterans Affairs Medical Center was sentenced to six months in federal prison for...

Georgia Army National Guard begin the two-mile run event of the Army Combat Fitness Test

Guardsman Dies After Fitness Test

A junior enlisted National Guard soldier died earlier this month after a physical fitness test during a drill weekend...

Iraqi civilians and U.S. soldiers pull down a statue of Saddam Hussein in downtown Baghdad

The First Casualty of War Is Truth: Iraq 20 Years Later

Four months prior to the invasion of Iraq, I found out that the George W. Bush administration was selling the war to the...

Ai Force in-flight relief system for women.

Female Air Force Pilots Would Be Able to Safely Pee In-Flight During Long Missions with New Tech Being Tested

Female pilots at Seymour Johnson Air Force Base in Goldsboro, North Carolina, are ground testing a new bladder relief method.

Latest Military Videos

Astronauts Discuss 5-Month Mission to the International Space Station

Following a five-month stay aboard the International Space Station, the four members of NASA’s SpaceX Crew-5 mission are back...

US Military Video Shows Black Sea Drone Incident

The Pentagon has released footage of what it says is a Russian aircraft conducting an unsafe intercept of a...

Blinken Starts Africa Tour With Coffee in Ethiopia

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken met Ethiopian Foreign Minister Demeke Mekonnen in Addis Ababa on Wednesday. (Mar 15)...

Clashes as Pakistan Police Try to Arrest Imran Khan

Supporters of former Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan threw bricks at police who fought back with clubs and tear...

Investigations and Features

Trading on Patriotism: How Extremist Groups Target and Radicalize Veterans

The issue of extremist groups has gained attention after the riot on Jan. 6 aimed at preventing the peaceful transfer of the...

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.

Army News

Employees make "Fort Barfoot" signs to replace existing "Fort Pickett" signs.

This Week, Fort Pickett Will Replace Its Confederate Name, a First for an Army Base Following Renaming Commission

Fort Pickett will be redesignated Fort Barfoot, honoring Col. Van T. Barfoot, a World War II Medal of Honor recipient with...

Fort Bliss Sergeant Major Loses Top Enlisted Job Over Alleged 'Misuse of Resources'

Sgt. Maj. Samuel Rapp was set to replace Command Sgt. Maj. Michael Williams as the top NCO for the 1st Armored Division.

Navy News

a tour at Red Hill Bulk Fuel Storage Facility (RHBFSF), Halawa, Hawaii

Pearl Harbor Families Drank Antifreeze, Not Just Jet Fuel in Water, Department of Health Memo Reveals

The compound in the antifreeze, diethylene glycol, is used in aviation fuels to help prevent the formation of ice crystals.

Red Hill Bulk Fuel Storage Facility (RHBFSF) Stakeholder Safety Walkthrough in Halawa, Hawaii

Another Toxic Red Hill Spill, Only Recently Disclosed by the Navy, Affected Soil

The Navy said a spill of up to 1,500 gallons of toxic fire suppressant containing so-called "forever chemicals " at Red Hill...

Air Force News

One of the Historic Brick Quarters homes at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base Ohio

29 Houses at Wright-Patterson Waiting on 'High'-Cost Renovation After Contractor Protest

Historic residential housing of the kind slated for significant remodeling at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base is rare in the...

Female Air Force Pilots Would Be Able to Safely Pee In-Flight During Long Missions with New Tech Being Tested

Female pilots at Seymour Johnson Air Force Base in Goldsboro, North Carolina, are ground testing a new bladder relief method.

Space Force News

U.S. Air Force Airmen and Space Force Guardians marching.

125% Increase to Space Force Bonuses Part of 2024 Budget Request that Would Grow Ranks

The Space Force wants to grow the number of Guardians by nearly 10% and hopes to offer almost $5 million in new bonuses to...

Chief of Space Operations Gen. Chance Saltzman.

'Go Get Screened': Space Force Chief Urges Missileers to Get Tested as Cancer Study Underway

The Air Force School of Aerospace Medicine said last month it is conducting a study examining a potential link between...

Marine Corps News