Blake Stilwell

About Blake Stilwell

Blake Stilwell is an associate editor covering military entertainment, veteran employment and entrepreneurship and military history.

He is a former U.S. Air Force combat cameraman with degrees in Graphic Design, Television and Film, International Relations, Public Relations, Business Management and Middle Eastern Affairs. After leaving the military, he began working in film and television production in New York and Los Angles, work that includes ABC News, NBC Olympics, and HBO. After spending two years in Washington with White House Communications, he joined the Near East Foundation as its Media Officer for the Middle East and Africa. Based in the Palestinian Territory, he coordinated strategic communications between eight country offices, international media and government partners. He began a career focused on writing and editing in 2015, and joined Military.com in 2019.

Blake’s work has been seen on CBS News, Fox News, CBC, The Chicago Tribune, Business Insider, Task & Purpose, Coffee or Die, Recoil Magazine, Skillset Magazine, We Are The Mighty, American History Magazine, MHQ and was shockingly even used in a Supreme Court argument. He is an avid traveler and small business owner in his native Ohio. He spends most of his energy fixing up a very old house.

Expertise

2001 - 2007: Combat Photojournalist, United States Air Force
2007: Intern, ABC News, Longform Documentary
2008: Assistant Editor, NBC Olympics
2008-2009: Media Manager, HBO
2009-2011: Technician, White House Communications Agency
2013-2015: Media Officer, Near East Foundation
2015-2019: Managing Editor, The Mighty Networks
2019-Present: Associate Editor, Military.com

Education

2002: AA, Audiovisual Production, Community College of the Air Force
2004: BFA, Graphic Design, American Intercontinental University
2008: MA, Television, Radio, Film, Syracuse University
2013: MS, Public Relations, Syracuse University
2013: MA, International Relations, Syracuse University
2013: Certificate of Advanced Study, Middle Eastern Affairs, Syracuse University

Connect with Blake

Email: blake.stilwell@military.com
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/blakestilwell

Latest Articles

Anthony Mackie and Danny Ramirez visited Nellis Air Force Base, where Captain America himself joined Pararescuemen from the 58th Rescue Squadron for an unforgettable jump out of an Air Force HC-130J Combat King II. (Marvel Studios)

Watch Air Force PJs Teach Anthony Mackie to Fly Ahead of the 'Captain America: Brave New World' Release

It's probably no surprise that Captain America loves the troops.

Lt. Col. (ret.) Harry Stewart, an original Tuskegee Airmen and World War II veteran, during the renaming of Birch Street to “Tuskegee Airmen Way” at Selfridge Air National Guard Base in February 2018. (U.S. Air Force/Master Sgt. David Kujawa)

Tuskegee Airman and Legendary World War II Fighter Pilot Harry Stewart Dies at 100

Harry Stewart Jr. would survive World War II as one of only four Tuskegee Airmen with three air-to-air victories in a single...

"Surviving Black Hawk Dawn," a three-part documentary series, starts streaming on Feb. 10, 2025. (Netflix)

New Netflix Documentary 'Surviving Black Hawk Down' Interviews Both Sides of the Battle of Mogadishu 32 Years Later

Though both U.S. Army leaders and journalists have meticulously documented how the Battle of Mogadishu unfolded decades ago...

"The Death of General Warren at the Battle of Bunker's Hill" by John Trumbull.

Ken Burns Returns to PBS with New Documentary 'The American Revolution'

An era-appropriate melody plays as photographs move slowly across the screen and a voice reads heartfelt letters written...

'Brothers After War' premieres Feb. 28, 2025. (Perseverance Productions)

'Brothers After War': A Filmmaker Teams Up with Gary Sinise to Reunite Iraq War Veterans 20 Years Later

Jake Rademacher's new film, "Brothers After War," sees the filmmaker reconnect with the American troops with whom he embedded...

Battle of the USS Kearsarge and the CSS Alabama. (Library of Congress)

'Kidnapped at Sea' Dispels the Old 'Sea Story' of a Black Sailor in the Confederate Navy

“Kidnapped at Sea: The Civil War Voyage of David Henry White” tells the tale of a free Black man captured during one of the...

1st Lt. Alexander Nininger fought a superior Japanese force with a bag of grenades and a captured enemy machine gun.

The First Medal of Honor Recipient of WWII Was Basically a Modern-Day Berserker

To look at Lt. Alexander R. "Sandy" Nininger when he began his plebe year at the U.S. Military Academy, one might never have...

Russian Troops Get the Worst Food Issued by Any Military Ever

Russia’s mothers posed a question to the Russian government: “If the dog food was really purchased for the base’s dogs, why...

A recent episode of Newsweek's "Unconventional" went behind the scenes of a mountain rescue at 14,000 feet. (Newsweek/Unconventional)

Watch How Air Force PJs Make a Daring High-Altitude Rescue on Mount Rainier

Naveed Jamali, a veteran and former spy, hosts Newsweek's ongoing web series, "Unconventional," taking a behind-the-scenes...

(Ford Motor Company/Stellantis North America)

Hal Sperlich, Navy Seabee and Engineering Pioneer of the Mustang and Minivan, Dies at Age 95

Whether you’re a junior enlisted service member buying your first Mustang at 25% APR or you have a minivan to get your kids...

Kerry Washington in 'The Six Triple Eight.' (Netflix)

Hear Firsthand Accounts from 'The Six Triple Eight' in a Free Online Documentary Screening

The trailblazing soldiers depicted in the Netflix film are featured in a free virtual screening of an informative documentary...

“Vietnam: The War That Changed America,” premieres globally January 31, 2025 on Apple TV+..

A New Vietnam War Documentary Series from Apple TV+ Gets Personal with Veterans and Civilians

In commemoration of the final end of the Vietnam War and the fall of Saigon, Apple TV+ will premiere a new documentary that...

Bob Uecker greets the crowd at Miller Park stadium in Milwaukee before a game between the Milwaukee Brewers and Arizona Diamondbacks in October 2011. (Department of Defense/Courtesy of Steve Paluch)

Bob Uecker, Army Veteran and Longtime Baseball Announcer, Dies at 90

Before becoming a Baseball Hall of Famer, Uecker played the sport in high school and in the Army before landing a gig in the...

Before January 10, 2025 this display of pregame patriotism was actually against Defense Department policy. (U.S. Marine Corps/ Sgt. Lillian Stephens)

Service Members Are No Longer Banned from Displaying the American Flag Horizontally at Major Events

It might come as a surprise, but U.S. service members weren't technically allowed to unfurl giant U.S. flags at major events...

Prisoners held by North Vietnam returning to the United States aboard a C-141 Starlifter during Operation Homecoming. (U.S. Air Force)

The Largest White House Party Ever Was in Honor of Returning Vietnam POWs

The event had a total guest list of more than 1,300 that included movie stars Bob Hope, John Wayne and Jimmy Stewart, along...

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

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U.S. Marines inspect a destroyed Japanese tank in the Gilbert Islands, 1943.

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Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth speaks during a ceremony at the Pentagon

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Air Force News

U.S. Air Force Airmen with the 66th Training Squadron’s Pre-Team 26-02 carry the American and POW/MIA flags during the annual POW/MIA memorial ruck march through Fairchild Air Force Base’s main gate during a memorial ruck march

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Maj. Michelle Curran, United States Air Force Air Demonstration Squadron ‘Thunderbirds’ lead solo pilot, takes a photo with a fan after performing at the Great Tennessee Air Show in Smyrna, Tennessee.

How This Female Pilot Beat the Odds and Flew for the Air Force Thunderbirds

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A painting of a Defense Support Program satellite from the Air Force Art collection. DSP provides a variety of national security capabilities. Its flagship mission of launch detection was made famous during the Cold War. (U.S. Air Force image)

Clearing The Orbits: Space Force Partnerships In Orbital Cleanup

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U.S. Marines with II Marine Expeditionary Force (II MEF) participate in the wargame “Down Range” at Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune, North Carolina (DVIDS, photo by Cpl Marc Imprevert)

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In warfare, outthinking the enemy is a critical component to outmaneuvering them. In order to best tip the scales of victory...