Blake Stilwell

Blake Stilwell is a former Air Force combat photographer with degrees and experience in Graphic Design, Television and Film, International Relations, Public Relations and Middle Eastern Affairs. Instead of using any of that, he (eventually) became a writer. His work has appeared in Recoil Magazine, Military Times, Coffee or Die, Skillset Magazine, and more. Blake is based in Ohio but is often found elsewhere.

Email: Blake.Stilwell@Military.com

Latest Articles

Gemini and Apollo Astronaut Jim Lovell discusses how he became a naval aviator and astronaut. (American Veterans Center

A Poor Kid from Milwaukee Became the First Man to Fly to the Moon Twice

Jim Lovell spoke to the American Veterans Center about joining the Navy, becoming an astronaut and the rescue of the ill...

The Fight for Tetris Was a Real-World Cold War Video-Game Battle

“Tetris” almost never escaped the Iron Curtain, because Western game companies thought no one would want a product made in...

FedEx founder Frederick Smith, a Marine Corps veteran who kept the company afloat by any means necessary. (Courtesy of FedEx)

The 5 Principles of Effectuation: A New Way of Problem-Solving for Veteran Entrepreneurs

Effectuation is a method of problem-solving that involves using available resources and networks rather than setting a future...

The four Cs of Mothering: Cooking, Cleaning, Children, Civil War.

How Civil War Moms Inspired the Creation of Mother's Day

Ann Reeves Jarvis and Julia Ward Howe, sick of sons and fathers dying, wanted to remind people of the true cost of war.

Actress Audrey Hepburn is seen on the cover of Life magazine, Dec. 7, 1953. (AP Photo)

How Audrey Hepburn Aided the Dutch Resistance During World War II

Audrey Hepburn didn't talk much about her experiences during World War II, but one biographer was listening.

How Troops Can See Free 'Guy Ritchie’s The Covenant' Advance Screenings

Now that it's safe to go to the base theater again, The Exchange Reel Time Cinema and MGM are giving military members...

A World War I-era draft lottery. (National Archives)

The Top 5 Reasons Americans Were Unfit for Military Service During World War I

Here are a few of the most common things that would have kept an American out of the trenches.

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...

Daylight Saving Time Was Originally Part of America’s All-Out World War Efforts

The U.S. believed that springing forward one hour would give more time for work while saving on energy costs.

A McDonald's employee gives a customer food at the drive-thru window at a McDonald's restaurant in San Francisco

Old Army Uniform Regs Gave the World the First McDonald's Drive-Thru

In the mid-1970s, one McDonald's did a solid for soldiers at a local Army base. It was so popular, it became a mainstay at...

Pop a Top to the Newest Member of NATO with Finland's New Alliance-Inspired Beer

The worst has come true for Russia, as Finland is formally welcomed into NATO, a global alliance designed just to fight...

Mark Hamill in “The Force Awakens.” (Lucasfilm)

Luke Skywalker Is the New Voice of Ukraine's Air Raid Warning App

Hamill has been an outspoken supporter of Ukrainian resistance in the face of Russian aggression.

"Secret Invasion" debuts on June 21, 2023. (Marvel)

Army Vet and Spymaster Nick Fury Returns in 'Secret Invasion'

Samuel L. Jackson is returning as Fury, along with Cobie Smulders as former S.H.I.E.L.D. agent Maria Hill, Martin Freeman as...

An early sketch of Serge Obolensky from the cover of his book, "One Man in His Time: The Complete Memoirs of Serge Obolensky."

How A Russian Prince Became a US Paratrooper and Liberated Sardinia in World War II

When Lt. Col. Serge Obolensky left the U.S. military after World War II, his transition was like many other Americans leaving...

Vietnam Veterans bow their heads during the invocation during the 50th Anniversary Vietnam War Commemoration ceremony at the New Jersey Veterans Memorial Home in Vineland, N.J., May 20, 2016. (U.S. Army/ Master Sgt. Mark Olsen)

4 Important Things to Know About Vietnam Veterans

Vietnam veterans served during one of the most tumultuous times in American history.

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U.S. Army trainees assigned to Foxtrot 1st Battalion 34th Infantry Regiment conduct push-ups for corrective training in the barracks on the first day of basic combat training at Fort Jackson, S.C.

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Marine Corps Pfc. Harold Gonsalves. (U.S. Marine Corps)

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(Kambra Blackmon/Naval Supply Systems Command FLC Bahrain photo)

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(Robb Lingley/U.S. Air Force photo illustration)

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Illustration by Hrisanthi Pickett of The War Horse

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Latest Military Videos

Drop 1 Minute off your 500yd CSS Swim Test

Consider skipping the double arm pullout.

Prepare for Air Force Special Warfare as a Non-Swimming Athlete

These three questions came from one of the LIVE QA sessions I do on Mon / Tues each week...

Swimmer Critique with Stew Smith

Every Monday and Tuesday 9am EAST we do a live QA on the topic of tactical Fitness and preparation...

Fix My Kick Please (Streamline and Kick Power)

There are two propulsion methods for swimming: the arm pulls and the kick.

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Army Capt. Jeremy Kuykendall and his wife Kate, cradle their daughter

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North Korean leader Kim Jong Un visits a shipyard.

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The main gate at Naval Air Station Pensacola on Navy Boulevard in Pensacola, Fla., March 16, 2016. (U.S. Navy photo/Patrick Nichols)

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An F16-D Fighting Falcon pilot from the 40th Flight Test Squadron demonstrates proper flare technique during a training mission near Eglin Air Force Base, Florida.

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Massachusetts Air National Guardsman Jack Teixeira, right, appears in U.S. District Court

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U.S. Marine Corps Col. Peter Eltringham gives remarks during the designation ceremony of 12th Littoral Combat Team on Camp Hansen Okinawa, Japan.

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