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

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...

Peter Thorn was caretaker of the Evergreen Cemetery in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, until he joined the Union forces during the Civil War. After he left, his pregnant wife, Elizabeth, replaced him as caretaker.

'The Angel of Gettysburg' Buried Union Soldiers While 6 Months' Pregnant

The stench of decomposing bodies was overpowering, the terrible smell made all the more repugnant by the stifling July heat...

Cornelia Fort was a civilian instructor pilot at an airfield near Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, when the Japanese attacked on Dec. 7, 1941.

How the First Female Pilot to Die on Active Duty with the US Military Cultivated Her Love of Flying

Women Airforce Service Pilots, created in August 1943 after WAFS and WFTD merged, flew at 126 military bases, handling 80% of...

Vietnam War veterans (from left) Paris Davis, Melvin Morris and Clarence Sasser are the only living Black Medal of Honor recipients.

How the 3 Living Black Medal of Honor Recipients Embody the Military’s Top Award

On Jan. 10, 1968, Private 1st Class Clarence Sasser was part of a reconnaissance mission in southern Vietnam when his...

A Peacekeeper Rail Garrison car is on display at the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force in Dayton, Ohio.

The US Military Almost Deployed Nuclear Missile Trains on American Railroads During the Cold War

The Cuban Missile Crisis was two decades in the rearview, but in the early 1980s, Cold War tensions between the United States...

President Franklin Delano Roosevelt almost did not make it to the Tehran Conference in 1943 – his first-ever meeting with Soviet Union Premier Joseph Stalin, left, and British Prime Minister Winston Churchill – because of a mishap involving a U.S. battleship and an accidentally launched torpedo.

How a Navy Destroyer Almost Killed FDR with a Torpedo

A year and a half before President Franklin D. Roosevelt died of a cerebral hemorrhage in Warm Springs, Georgia, his life was...

The USS Akron flies off the Panama Canal Zone on March 15, 1933, with the airship's training plane suspending in her hangar opening.

The Navy’s Short-Lived Plan to Dominate the Skies with Flying Aircraft Carriers

Developed by the Navy's lighter-than-air program, the Akron and its sister ship, the USS Macon, were filled with helium and...

Based on official reports and eyewitness accounts, this artwork by USS Borie Warrant Boatswain Hunter Wood shows the battle between the destroyer and the German submarine U-405 on Nov. 1, 1943.

That Time a Navy Destroyer Landed Atop a German Sub in WWII

The USS Borie landed on the German submarine U-405's foredeck during World War II, locking the ships together for an...

A previously unseen photo of author J.D. Salinger is displayed at the University of New Hampshire in Durham, N.H.

How JD Salinger's World War II Service Shaped His Writing

J.D. Salinger was so devoted to his goal of becoming a published writer that not even the deadliest war in world history...

Eugene Ely flies his Curtiss pusher biplane from the USS Birmingham in Hampton Roads, Virginia, on Nov. 14, 1910, the first time an airplane took off from a U.S. warship.

The First Time an Aircraft Took Off from a Navy Warship

Eugene Ely's daring and fortitude paid off, and he eventually ushered in the age of U.S. naval aviation by successfully...

The 8 members of the USS Barb’s demolition squad pose with the submarine’s battle flag at Pearl Harbor in August 1945.

That Time a Navy Sub Took Out a Locomotive During WWII

On the USS Barb's penultimate patrol during World War II, the Navy submarine executed a daring nighttime surface attack...

Taylor Swift co-wrote the song 'Epiphany' in 2020 to honor of the memory of her grandfather, Archie Dean Swift Jr., who served as a Marine Corps medic during World War II and was at the Battle of Guadalcanal.

This Taylor Swift Song Is a Tribute to Her Marine Grandfather's Service at Guadalcanal

Written during the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, "Epiphany" explores the similar emotions experienced by soldiers...

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Most Popular Military News

Soldiers were recently served toast and lima beans for dinner at Fort Carson

For Soldiers at Fort Carson, Food Is Scarce

As Americans gather for Thanksgiving feasts, soldiers at Fort Carson, Colorado, are contending with a far less festive...

U.S. Army 1st Lt. Romello Christian, an infantry platoon leader assigned to B Company 2nd Battalion, 27th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division, kneels behind cover with his platoon during a simulated assault as part of the Joint Pacific Multinational Readiness Center-Exportable (JPMRC-X) exercise at Fort Magsaysay, Philippines.

The Army Needs Hundreds of Officers to Leave Combat Arms

Lieutenants currently branched in armor, infantry, combat engineer and field artillery can apply between Jan. 7 and Feb. 17...

The USS Zumwalt at the Huntington Ingalls shipyard in Pascagoula, Mississippi.

Stealth Destroyer to Be Home for 1st Hypersonic Weapon on a US Warship

Hypersonic weapons travel beyond Mach 5, five times the speed of sound, with added maneuverability making them harder to...

Vietnam veterans sing during a Vietnam Veterans Day celebration at the Veterans Association of North County, Oceanside

Here Is the 2025 Pay Raise for Disabled Veterans and Military Retirees

Military retirees and disabled veterans will receive 2.5% increases to their monthly paychecks for 2025, thanks to the annual...

Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump

Trump's Picks for Key Positions in His Second Administration

Some of his choices could face difficult confirmation fights in the Senate, even with Republicans in control, and one...

14 Rarely Seen Photos that Reveal the Horror of the Attack on Pearl Harbor

On the morning of December 7, 1941, the surprise attack on Pearl Harbor marked a pivotal moment in history, drawing the...

Latest Military Videos

Master Class: Positioning for Power Jobs in Management and Leadership for Veterans

When you reflect on your military career, was being in a leadership role the best part? Would you like...

Zelenskyy and Scholz Visit Wounded Ukrainian Soldiers at Military Hospital

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz visited a military hospital in Kyiv on Monday. (Dec. 2)...

What to Know About Sudden Rebel Gains in Syria's 13-Year War and Why It Matters

The 13-year civil war in Syria has roared back into prominence with a surprise rebel offensive that captured Aleppo...

Biden Pardons His Son Hunter Despite Previous Pledges Not to, AP Explains

US President Joe Biden pardoned his son, Hunter, on Sunday night, sparing the younger Biden a possible prison sentence...

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

Maj. Gen. Chris Donahue, commander of the U.S. Army 82nd Airborne Division, XVIII Airborne Corps, boards a C-17 cargo plane at the Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul, Afghanistan. Maj. Gen. Donahue is the final American service member to depart Afghanistan.

General Known as Last Soldier in Afghanistan Gets Promotion Approved After Republican Ends Delay

A promotion for the general who became known as the last U.S. soldier out of Afghanistan was approved by the Senate after a...

live-fire exercise during the Joint Readiness Training Center 25-02 rotation at Fort Johnson

Why Would You Enlist? Fort Carson Soldiers Share Journeys.

In recent years as the Army has struggled to meet its recruiting goals, the average age of those enlisting has crept up.

Navy News

The USS Oregon (SSN 793) transits the Thames River after returning from routine operations in route to Naval Submarine Base New London in Groton, Conn.

Congress Faces Competing Plans to Cover Submarine Construction Labor Cost

When Congress returns to Washington this week, members will again face the multibillion-dollar question of how to ramp up...

Stealth Destroyer to Be Home for 1st Hypersonic Weapon on a US Warship

Hypersonic weapons travel beyond Mach 5, five times the speed of sound, with added maneuverability making them harder to...

Air Force News

Staff Sgt. Jacob Galliher, 24, died during a training mission aboard a CV-22 Osprey when it crashed on Nov. 29, 2023.

Family of Airman Killed in Japan Osprey Crash Files Wrongful Death Lawsuit

Scrutiny of the military's Osprey aircraft is ramping up as family members of an Air Force special operations airman who was...

Lockheed Martin manufactures the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter in west Fort Worth, Texas.

Elon Musk, Charged with Cutting Federal Spending, Calls the F-35 a Waste of Money

Billionaire Elon Musk, the man behind Tesla and SpaceX, said on Tuesday on X (formerly Twitter) that the U.S. should pull the...

Space Force News

Does the Military Need Social Media Influencers?

New military influencers are popping up daily talking about military life -- the good, the bad and the ugly.

Members of the National Space Defense Center stand at attention during the Space Delta 15 activation ceremony at Schriever Space Force Base, Colorado.

Colorado Springs Named Permanent Home for 250 Delta 15 Space Force Guardians, Ahead of Possible Space Command Fight

The Air Force announced last week 250 Space Force guardians with Delta 15, dedicated to protecting and defending operations...

Marine Corps News

New contracted barracks managers across Marine Corps Installations East-Marine Corps Base (MCB) Camp Lejeune attend a training session on MCB Camp Lejeune, North Carolina.

Marine Corps Brings in Civilians to Tackle Barracks Management, Repairs in Decades-Old Housing

The Marine Corps is expanding its plan to put civilians in its barracks manager program, a move intended to improve decades...

Daniel Penny leaves the courtroom for a lunch break

Self-Defense or Too Much Force? That's the Question for Jurors as Veteran's Subway Chokehold Trial Wraps

A defense lawyer asked jurors to put themselves in the shoes of frightened subway riders as closing arguments began Monday in...

Coast Guard News