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

Test pilot Tom Attridge was at the controls of a F11F Tiger when he accidentally shot down his own plane on Sept. 21, 1956.

The Navy Test Pilot Who Shot Down His Own Fighter Jet

Not every military test pilot can set records like Chuck Yeager, but what happened to Tom Attridge on Sept. 21, 1956, was...

Hedy Lamarr autographs the cement court at the United Service Organizations (USO) Hollywood Canteen as servicemen surround the movie actress on Dec. 13, 1942.

Hedy Lamarr’s Invention Changed Communications. Here’s Why the Navy Rejected it During WWII

Along with a composer named George Antheil, Lamarr developed the technological concept of frequency hopping to address a...

Sixteen years before she founded the American Red Cross, Clara Barton established the Missing Soldiers Office in 1865.

How Red Cross Founder Clara Barton Helped Expose the Truth of a Notorious Confederate Prison

Two decades before founding the American Red Cross, Clara Barton was a humanitarian without a cause.

Artist Junius Brutus Stearns depicts the United States’ first president, George Washington, on his deathbed in 1799.

A Medical Mystery Almost as Old as America: What Actually Killed George Washington?

Anecdotal evidence and empirical data show that Americans are infatuated with true crime, from cold-case television shows to...

Thanks in part to the recollections of former slave James Parks, Arlington House was restored to how it looked at the start of the Civil War.

Cradle to Grave: The Only American Both Born and Buried at Arlington National Cemetery

Two days after his death, James Parks was laid to rest on Aug. 23, 1929, in what is now Section 15, Grave 2 at Arlington...

An American Signal Corps pigeon struts before his quarters at Tebessa, Algeria, on May 13, 1943, after flying from Gafsa, Tunisia, with the message that reported that U.S. troops had stormed and taken Gafsa.

How a German Homing Pigeon Who Served in 2 World Wars Became an American Hero

Less than a month before the guns of World War I fell silent, American soldiers from the 28th Infantry Division overtook a...

Army Maj. Gen. Abner Doubleday poses for a portrait during the Civil War.

'His Best Day During the Civil War': How Abner Doubleday Helped the Union Win at Gettysburg

Doubleday's name resonates today widely as the supposed inventor of baseball. While that contention has been largely debunked...

'Did I Make the Right Decision?' How to Take the Guesswork out of Army Basic Training

The goal of basic training is to transform a recruit into a soldier. It's as much about constructing the proper mindset as it...

A self-portrait by former Army and professional football player DeWitt 'Tex' Coulter.

The Last First-Round NFL Draft Pick from a Service Academy Was Also a Respected Artist

A self-portrait of the last player from a U.S. service academy to be drafted by an NFL team in the first round is for sale by...

Pvt. Henry Johnson, shown circa 1919, was nicknamed 'Black Death' after surviving 21 wounds, killing 4 Germans and injuring 10-20 others during an encounter in the Argonne Forest in France during World War I.

How the Story of This Medal of Honor Recipient Wounded 21 Times Was Almost Lost to History

Henry Johnson's discharge papers contained no mention of his heroic actions or injuries, depriving him of any awards or...

Army Brig. Gen. George Owen Squier, also a notable inventor and aviation enthusiast, is shown in his military uniform.

Before He Founded Muzak, This General Brought Innovation to the Army

Looking to improve the military's long-range communications, George Owen Squier tested his theories on whatever resources...

Vets2Industry founder Brian Arrington participates in a Feeding the Homeless event on Thanksgiving in 2019.

How a 'Mad' Former Airman Is Helping Transitioning Service Members

Vets2Industry (V2I) compiles information about military transition resources onto one website to support service members...

Facilitator Christina Kim prepares to record Nancy St. Claire and her husband, Tom Garcia, as part of StoryCorps’ Military Voices Initiative tour in Nashville, Tennessee.

You Can Record With StoryCorps' Military Voices Initiative in 2023 in These States

In 2020, former Army cavalry scout and sniper Garett Reppenhagen spoke with StoryCorps -- a nonprofit that chronicles the...

Former Air Force flight nurse Jim Lorraine is the president and CEO of America's Warrior Partnership, a nonprofit that partners with communities to try to prevent veteran suicide.

Former Flight Nurse's Nonprofit Takes Community Approach to Combat Vet Suicide

During his 22-year military career, first as an Air Force reservist and then on active duty, Jim Lorraine tended to service...

Marine Corps Reserve Sgt. Kolton Lehman, left, is on the field at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas with other finalists for the USO/NFL Salute to Service Showdown Madden tournament in November.

How the USO's Focus on Gaming Is Sending 2 Service Members to the Super Bowl

As Kolton Leyman advanced in the USO/NFL Salute to Service Showdown video-gaming tournament, he could not contain his...

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Most Popular Military News

Rep. Mike Bost, R-Ill., smiles as he speaks to supporters during an election night rally at the Elks Lodge in Murphysboro, Ill.

House Approves Wide-Ranging Veterans Bill After Bipartisan Compromise Reached

A wide-ranging veterans policy bill that would bolster home caregiver programs and support for homeless veterans, among other...

U.S. Army Reserve Officer Training Corps instructor arrives at the ROTC building on a university campus

Kings of Campus: How Some Army Instructors Use Their Clout to Prey on College Cadets

To the young students in the Army Reserve Officers' Training Corps (ROTC), the officers who run the programs on college...

Sgt. Jacqueline Speights, from 175th Surgical Detachment, 531st Hospital Center, prepares a sample for COVID-19 testing while Spc. Samuel Mawanda, from 626th Brigade Support Battalion, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), records data at Blanchfield Army Community Hospital’s COVID-19 sample processing section within the hospital’s Department of Pathology, Jan. 24, 2022. (Maria Christina Yager/Army)

Tricare Changes are Coming in 2025. Here’s What Beneficiaries Need to Know Right Now

Tricare beneficiaries need to be aware of changes taking place in both the East and West regions and may need to take action...

Gay pride flag flies during Pride Observance Month

Naval Academy Graduate Charged with Hate Crime After Pride Flag Ripped from Annapolis Shop

A Naval Academy graduate was charged with a hate crime after a tattoo shop in Annapolis reported its LGBTQ Pride flag had...

Who Is Doug Collins? A Look at Trump's Pick to Head the VA

The former Georgia congressman is a Southern Baptist minister and Air Force colonel.

Squad live fire exercise at Schofield Barracks

Thousands of Women Serve in Combat Roles. Pentagon Nominee Hegseth Says They Shouldn’t.

Pete Hegseth has made clear, in his own words, that he is critical of military service by women and more specifically opposes...

Latest Military Videos

Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower's D-Day Message

Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower began drafting his Order of the Day for June 6, 1944, in February. It was...

French Military Training Ukrainian Troops Ahead of Battlefield Deployment

A French military task force with a festive name — “Champagne” — is wrapping up a mission that's no...

Ukraine Soldiers Focus on Keeping Russian Advances at Bay but Brace for Trump Taking Over in US

Ukrainian soldiers on the front know the re-election of Donald Trump in the U.S. will change their lives, but...

US Military Releases Video Said to Show Impact of Drone Strike on Houthi Rebels

The U.S. military on Wednesday said it had conducted several days of strikes targeting Yemen's Houthi rebels. (Nov. 14)...

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

Sign welcomes visitors to Fort Carson, Colorado

Fort Carson Unveils Largest, First-of-Its-Kind Chemical Battery Installed on a DoD Site

A large new chemical battery at Fort Carson will help ensure the base can keep functioning during power outages and provide...

Sig Sauer Ordered to Pay $11 Million to Army Veteran Wounded by Pistol that Went Off By Itself

A Philadelphia jury has awarded $11 million to a man whose holstered Sig Sauer pistol went off by itself while he was going...

Navy News

Malaysian fugitive Francis Leonard Glenn, known as Fat Leonard

'Fat Leonard' to Appeal Sentence, While Retired Navy Captain Will Seek a Reduced Charge

The prison term imposed by U.S. District Judge Janis Sammartino at the Nov. 5 sentencing hearing was more than three years...

Cher's more formal look in her 1989 music video, "If I Could Turn Back Time," filmed aboard the battleship USS Missouri. (Criteron Studios)

How Cher's 'Turn Back Time' Music Video Made Even the Navy Blush

A video featuring Cher singing to a rowdy group of American sailors would have been no trouble for anyone involved -- if it...

Air Force News

Privately owned vehicles wait to enter through the Dale Mabry gate at MacDill Air Force Base.

MacDill Airman Gets 5 Years Of Probation in 'Undead Apes' Blockchain Fraud

U.S. District Judge William Jung sentenced Devin Rhoden to five years’ probation, a reflection of Rhoden’s substantial...

Two Air Force Special Operations Command CV-22B Ospreys fly low and fast in formation on a training range

The Osprey's Safety Issues Spiked over Five Years and Caused Deaths. Pilots Still Want to Fly It

The Osprey is back in the air after being grounded for months following a crash last November that killed eight U.S. service...

Space Force News

A Falcon 9 rocket carrying Starlink 4-36 payload launches

Pentagon Silent on Elon Musk and Starlink Risks as Military Use Expands

In the past year, U.S. news outlets have reported that Musk, who oversees the satellite internet provider, has developed a...

The flag of the U.S. Space Command is unfurled at the White House

Colorado Could Lose US Space Command. Trump Is Expected to Move It to Alabama.

Trump's original decision to place Space Command -- the combatant command tasked with military operations in space that was...

Marine Corps News

Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln

Marine Corps F-35C Was Used in Combat for First Time to Strike Houthis, Military Confirms

Traveling at speeds of 1,200 mph, the F-35C can carry Joint Direct Attack Munitions, or JDAMs, air-to-air missiles and other...