John Ismay
John Ismay is KPCC's Veterans And Military Issues Reporter.
Ismay spent a decade in the U.S. Navy as an Explosive Ordnance Disposal Technician and Special Operations Officer. He completed multiple overseas deployments, including a combat tour to Iraq in 2007.
His work as a writer began that same year. He became a specialist on different kinds of weapons used by insurgents, created hundreds of reports on their use, and developed countermeasures that saved American lives.
When he left the Navy four years ago as a Lieutenant Commander, he turned to journalism. The choice was inspired, in part, by the work he did with the New York Times on an award-winning investigative series about the discovery of chemical weapons in Iraq.
John continued his work at the Times, writing for the At War Blog, while attending Columbia Journalism School, where he focused on long term investigative projects and data analysis.
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Groups like the American Legion and Veterans of Foreign Wars have served former service members for a century. But declining membership threatens to...
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To commemorate Veterans Day, the American Homefront Project talks with former service members about their time in the armed forces.
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As more military jobs are opened to women, Congress may face the question of whether to require women to register for the Selective Service.
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The last American was drafted in 1973, but the U.S. maintains an elaborate infrastructure to re-activate the draft if Congress ever decides it's needed.
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A federal program provides housing vouchers to help veterans pay their rent. But in cities with expensive housing markets, many landlords won't accept...
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The recent hack of data held by the U.S. Office of Personnel Management has raised concerns that the identities of undercover intelligence officers...
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Only four Iraq veterans have received the Medal of Honor, and some service members say the Pentagon has become stingy in recognizing valor.