Stephen Ruiz

Stephen Ruiz is an associate editor and content writer for Military.com. He previously worked for more than 30 years as a copy editor, writer and online producer for various newspapers. Stephen enjoys running, spending time with his girlfriend, Audrea, and dog, Holly, and rooting on his favorite sports teams, including his alma mater, LSU.

Email: stephen.ruiz@military.com.

Latest Articles

Periodontist Theresa Cheng founded Everyone for Veterans in 2017, about a decade after she first began providing free dental care to eligible veterans and their caregivers.

This Dental Nonprofit Will Fix Veterans’ Teeth for Free

Since 2008, nearly 900 veterans and their spouses have had their oral issues through the efforts of Cheng and then E4V.

Shelton 'Ivan' Ware, one of the original Tuskegee Airmen, retired as a lieutenant colonel after 32 years of military service.

How This 101-Year-Old Tuskegee Airman Helped Keep the 'Red Ball Express' Running During WWII

Nearly 75% of soldiers assigned to the Red Ball Express were Black, and collectively, they did yeoman's work until the...

Several leis hang around the neck of Elvis Presley after his arrival on March 25, 1961, for a concert to benefit the USS Arizona Memorial Fund.

How Elvis Presley Revitalized Efforts to Build a Pearl Harbor Memorial

Support for a USS Arizona memorial received a huge boost on March 25, 1961, when Elvis Presley performed a benefit concert at...

Most people know Julia Child, here showing off a salade nicoise on Aug. 21, 1978, for her culinary skills, but she also served in the Office of Strategic Services during World War II.

How Julia Child Helped the Navy Develop a Shark Repellent During World War II

While Child was not one of the driving forces behind the U.S. Navy's quest to develop a shark repellent during World War II...

In this image circa 1944, Lt. Archie Williams (2nd from left in front row), who won the 400-meter gold medal at the 1936 Olympics in Berlin, was part of the Tuskegee Weather Detachment that served with both the 332nd Fighter Group and 477th Bombardment Group.

How Jesse Owens' Olympic Teammate Kept the Tuskegee Airmen Safe During World War II

Because of their groundbreaking service in World War II, the Tuskegee Airmen were awarded eight Purple Hearts, 14 Bronze...

Mildred Fish-Harnack, a native of Milwaukee, was guillotined on Feb. 16, 1943, by the Nazis for spying.

Why the Only American Killed on Hitler’s Direct Order ‘Couldn’t Turn Her Back on Germany’

When Mildred Fish-Harnack was guillotined on Feb. 16, 1943, she became the only American killed on a direct order from the...

Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Paul Skenes, who played 2 seasons of college baseball for the Air Force Academy, throws during the 4th inning of a baseball game against the Brewers in Milwaukee.

How the Air Force Academy Molded Paul Skenes into the Biggest Story in Baseball

Coming from a military family, Paul Skenes had a pretty good idea of what awaited him at Basic Cadet Training before his...

Brig. Gen. Charles P. Stone's military career suffered greatly after the Union's humiliating defeat at the Battle of Ball's Bluff in Virginia on Oct. 21, 1861, during the Civil War.

How This 'Most Unfortunate' Civil War General Helped Give America the Statue of Liberty

Charles Pomeroy Stone served as the statue’s chief engineer, and in that capacity, he was in charge of overseeing shipments...

Coast Guard Academy graduate Andre Douglas, shown in a portrait taken on Dec. 3, 2021, was among 10 selected for NASA's 2021 Astronaut Candidate Program.

From the Coast Guard to NASA: How Andre Douglas Became a Rarity Among Astronauts

Since NASA introduced its first group of astronauts, the so-called “Mercury 7,” in 1959, Douglas' selection marked only the...

World War II correspondent Ernie Pyle, shown on March 1, 1945, at an unidentified location, endured himself to U.S. military service members because of his knack of writing about the common soldier.

'The Advantages Were All Theirs': What Famed War Correspondent Ernie Pyle Saw on D-Day

Ernie Pyle was the United States' most well-known war correspondent during World War II, serving as the de facto eyes and...

Landing craft put troops ashore on Omaha Beach on D-Day, June 6, 1944.

What 'D-Day' Actually Stands For

What the "D" in D-Day actually stands for has been a source of debate almost from the time that the Allies first landed on...

Journalist Martha Gellhorn vacations in Sun Valley, Idaho.

How Martha Gellhorn Became the Only Female Journalist at D-Day

As a female war correspondent, Martha Gellhorn was not allowed to accompany the Allied invasion force that stormed the...

The images of, from left, former presidents George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt and Abraham Lincoln are shown on Mount Rushmore in South Dakota.

The Wild and Controversial Life of the American Sculptor Behind Mount Rushmore

In late 1924, a rare opportunity presented itself to Gutzon Borglum.

The Coast Guard cutter Campbell's crew is shown with its shipmate and mascot, Sinbad, in the North Atlantic in 1943.

One of the Most Popular Coast Guardsmen in History Was This Beloved Dog

Sinbad’s unlikely journey to becoming the Coast Guard cutter Campbell’s mascot for more than a decade made him the subject of...

Brig. Gen. Daniel Butterfield not only earned a Medal of Honor while serving in the Union Army during the Civil War, but he also is responsible for the bugle call we know as taps.

Taps: How a Medal of Honor Recipient Gave America its Most Famous Military Bugle Call Ever

The central role that Daniel Butterfield played in taps was largely unknown until the late 19th century, only coming to light...

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Most Popular Military News

Active-duty US military personnel sieving woodland soil for human remains

Airmen's Search for Remains Recalls Top Secret WWII Mission to Turn Planes into Flying Bombs

U.S. airmen in England assisted with an archaeological dig aimed at finding the remains of an Army pilot lost there during...

Vets with Rare Lung Disease Could Get Benefits More Easily Under Proposed Changes, VA Says

The Department of Veterans Affairs is taking steps to remove the specific challenges veterans with constrictive bronchiolitis...

The Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN 71) sails

US Aircraft Carrier in the Middle East Is Heading Home

The Pentagon's rare move to keep two Navy aircraft carriers in the Middle East over the past several weeks has now finished...

Officials break ground on an apartment complex on Edwards Air Force Base

Edwards Air Force Base Set to Get Service's First Commercial On-Base Apartment Complex

The base, home to the 412th Test Wing, has faced housing issues for its more than 10,000 military and civilian personnel...

Documents related to the sexual assault case against a CIA officer

New CIA Workplace Assault Case Emerges as Spy Agency Shields Extent of Sexual Misconduct in Ranks

A recent 648-page internal watchdog report that found systemic shortcomings in the CIA’s handling of complaints was...

A crew member walks up to a water-tight hatch in the narrow passageway of the submarine U.S.S. Alaska

The US Navy Is About to Launch a Submarine Built for a Mixed-Gender Crew, the First of Its Kind

The USS New Jersey "is the first Virginia-class submarine designed and built for a full gender integrated crew," according to...

Latest Military Videos

In a significant show of defiance against the United States, North Korea on Friday provided a rare view into a facility built to enrich uranium for nuclear bombs as leader Kim Jong Un called for a rapid expansion of nuclear weapons. (Sep. 13) AP

Clean up After Israeli Troops Withdraw From Tulkarem Refugee Camp After Raid

Israeli troops have pulled out of the Tulkarem refugee camp in the occupied West Bank, leaving behind a trail...

Dutch 'Adopt' US War Graves to Harbor Memories of the Country's Liberation 80 Years Ago

In the rolling hills of the southern Netherlands, locals have vowed to never forget the American and other Allied...

Biden and Harris Pay Respects at Pentagon on 9/11 Anniversary

US President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris made their final joint visit to all three 9/11 memorial...

US Announces $700 Million in Aid for Ukraine's Energy Grid and More

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced more than $700 million in aid for Ukraine during a visit to...

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

Gavel and American flag with scales of justice.

Two Colombians Get 35 and 30 Years After Pleading Guilty to Plot to Murder US Soldiers

Two Colombians were sentenced in Miami federal court to 35 and 30 years in prison for conspiring to murder U.S. soldiers in a...

Protesters, loyal to President Donald Trump, storm the Capitol

Feds Arrest Soldier at Schofield Barracks for Jan. 6 Assault on Police - a Day After He Was Booted

The Justice Department charged Alexander Cain Poplin with three misdemeanor offenses, including entering restricted grounds...

Navy News

Christening of the pre-commissioning unit Idaho submarine

Amid Struggle to Build Subs, Navy Gives Company Running Ads and Website a $1 Billion Contract

The contract, which has options that allow it to pay out as much as $980 million, went to a company called BlueForge Alliance...

US Aircraft Carrier in the Middle East Is Heading Home

The Pentagon's rare move to keep two Navy aircraft carriers in the Middle East over the past several weeks has now finished...

Air Force News

National Guard Moves Closer to Filling Leadership Vacuum with Key Senate Hearing

Lt. Gen. Steven Nordhaus, right now a top Air Force officer with the North American Aerospace Defense Command, breezed...

Haleakala Silversword, a highly-endangered plant on the island of Maui, Hawaii

Air Force Looks to Add Telescopes on Sacred Hawaii Volcano as Outrage Continues over Fuel Spill

A year and seven months after 700 gallons of fuel spilled at a Space Force observatory located atop a sacred Hawaiian volcano...

Space Force News

Air Force Looks to Add Telescopes on Sacred Hawaii Volcano as Outrage Continues over Fuel Spill

A year and seven months after 700 gallons of fuel spilled at a Space Force observatory located atop a sacred Hawaiian volcano...

Space Force Guardians assigned to the 1st Delta Operations Squadron, Detachment 1, receive their Space Force patch during a private ceremony April 24, 2024. Senior Master Sgt. Cody Brown, Senior enlisted leader, 1st Delta Operations Squadron, Vandenberg Space Force Station, California, was the guest speaker during the ceremony. (2nd Lt. Kate Anderson/Air Force)

Space Force Tuition Assistance

Space Force members take off-duty college courses under the Department of the Air Force's Military Tuition Assistance program...

Marine Corps News

Mishap drill at Marine Corps Base Hawaii

Hawaii Marine Detained in Case of Dependent Death Amid Separate Search for Soldier's Missing Wife

A Marine stationed in Hawaii remains in custody this week in connection to the death of a dependent, service officials told...

New Mortar and Rocket Training Simulators Could Shield Marines from Blasts Linked to Brain Injury

The Indoor Simulated Marksmanship Trainer, which is currently in use at five Marine Corps bases across the world, allows...

Coast Guard News

Cadets in T-shirts and ball are pictured in an activity with a sailing ship's masts in the background.

US Coast Guard Academy

The U.S. Coast Guard Academy prepares cadets for commissioning in the U.S. Coast Guard.

Ex-Employees of Titanic Submersible's Owner to Testify Before Coast Guard Panel

Former employees of the company that owned an experimental submersible that imploded on its way to the wreck of the Titanic...