“It’s fire-resistant but not bulletproof, and was developed with help from eighteen thousand female soldiers.”
military
Posted inEditor's Pick
A Few Good Men
“Jordan Neely’s killer and the racist violence at the heart of the American imperial project.”
Posted inEditor's Pick
Why Did Walter Springs Die?
“In time, it was almost as if he had never existed at all.”
Posted inUncategorized
‘How Did This Man Think He Had the Right to Adopt This Baby?’
“Army Rangers killed her parents. A Marine is raising her in America. But her Afghan family says she was taken under false pretenses.”
Posted inCuration, Nonfiction, Top 5
The Top 5 Longreads of the Week
This week, our editors recommend stories by Seth Harp, Alanna Mitchell, Cezary Podkul, Alex Vuocolo, and Loren Grush.
Posted inEditor's Pick
‘These Kids Are Dying’ — Inside the Overdose Crisis Sweeping Fort Bragg
“A staggering total of 109 soldiers assigned to Fort Bragg died in 2020 and 2021. Dozens have lost their lives there to drug overdoses. Now, their families are demanding answers — and accountability.”
Posted inEditor's Pick
As the World Moves On, Veterans of the Afghanistan Withdrawal Struggle to Join Them
“‘I feel like I’m still there,’ a Marine told me. ‘I feel like everything that happened, happened five minutes ago.’” Reporting for Task & Purpose, Haley Britzky spoke to 15 soldiers, Marines, and airmen who were part of the Afghanistan withdrawal mission in August 2021. It’s a difficult read, but also a raw and visceral account […]
Posted inEditor's Pick
The Unseen Scars of Those Who Kill Via Remote Control
A devastating, well-reported story on the drone program of the U.S. Air Force and the lack of mental-health support for drone operators. Because they were not deployed, they seldom got the same recovery periods or mental-health screenings as other fighters. Instead they were treated as office workers, expected to show up for endless shifts in […]
Posted inEditor's Pick
Breathe In
“It wasn’t until after I returned from Iraq that I found out what all was tossed into those burn pits at The Dump.”
Posted inEditor's Pick
The Billion Dollar Question
“Why can’t the military fix its violence against women problem?”