My Most Rewarding Reporting Projects
For more than a decade, I have served local communities and national audiences by publishing multimedia features and investigative reporting that have resulted in nearly-immediate changes to military and federal policy and law. I have held top fellowships in journalism and national security, and my journalism has been highlighted on the front page of The New York Times and Esquire. My work has been recognized with two Fourth Estate Awards, three Edward R. Murrow Awards, the Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights Journalism Award, and the Lt. Gen. John A. Lejeune Award for Exemplary Leadership.
Publishing November 2024 — Crossing Fran: 20 Years Later, Marines Recall Operation Phantom Fury
This multimedia feature follows my squad through the largest battle of the US invasion of Iraq, and will be published in partnership with Mother Jones, the Center for Investigative Reporting, The American Veterans Center, and PBS Newshour.
How “Sugar Daddy Deals” And A “Black Book” Deny Service members Justice
This four-part investigation resulted in a pro bono federal lawsuit against the Marine Corps to compel the full release of a database archiving decades of officer misconduct that has been hidden from lawmakers and the public. The exposé relied on interviews with more than two dozen active and retired attorneys, judge advocates, former public affairs officers, junior and senior enlisted personnel, and legal experts from three separate branches and the private sector. Following publication, the Marine Corps did not challenge the accuracy of any details included in the series. “Your article you wrote—spot on,” wrote a Marine public affairs officer who worked at Marine Corps headquarters and later resigned their commission after Marine leadership made them ignore journalists and cover up wrongdoing. “I was exhausted from seeing behind the curtain and seeing the inherent, deep hypocrisy happening everywhere, especially at senior ranks.”
“Lost Trust and Confidence” — How the Military Covers Up Misconduct and Why That’s Harmful to Democracy
This investigation explored how, for decades, the Defense Department has hidden officer misconduct from public scrutiny and retaliated against whistleblowers. In nearly 130 known cases across the armed forces, the military released no information about why the senior officers were relieved and are more concerned with restricting public access to information and skirting accountability than publicly addressing the systemic issues. Multiple senior officers heralded the reporting, which was summed up by a revered journalist as “secrecy that serves no purpose except to protect wrongdoers,” and received positive feedback from the Corps, who said the reporting “definitely gave everyone something to reflect on as we continue forward.” Read this investigation, which inspired my Black Book series.
Point of Impact: An Untold Story of Escape From the Pentagon on 9/11 and the Forever Wars That Followed
This award-winning multimedia project was published in partnership with WBUR’s On Point and PBS NewsHour to commemorate the 20th anniversary of 9/11 and profiles Robert Hogue, a civil servant who survived a direct impact to his office at the Pentagon. Following the reconstruction, Hogue served as the counsel for six commandants of the Marine Corps and led the service through its most transformational changes since its founding. The feature included exclusive interviews with Marine generals and senior enlisted leaders that helped to explore the sacrifices of service members and their families throughout the global war on terror. The project was awarded the national Edward R. Murrow Award for Excellence in Writing. Hogue deeply appreciated the reporting. “Thanks for helping bring some of this into focus for me. Your insightful questioning and personal experiences have proven cathartic,” he said. “You were true to your word. You told the larger story, and for that I am grateful.” Read Hogue’s story.
Gag Order: How Marine Corps Culture Silenced a Survivor of Sexual Assault
A “troubling, deeply investigated” exposé on how military culture silenced a rape survivor that was told through exclusive access to an active court martial, and traversed shield laws while safeguarding access to case documents and the mental health evaluations of a mentally ill Marine. Two interviews were conducted with the Marine accused of rape and exclusive access to privileged NCIS reports was obtained. The former director of mental health at the Department of Veterans Affairs described the investigation as “a powerful story, scrupulously investigated.'' Journalism school educators heralded the project as “a story that needed to be told” and “a deep investigation, beautifully done.” Upon reading the investigation, the family said, “She deserves compassion. You gave her that outlet through this article.” The reporting was awarded the prestigious Edward R. Murrow and Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights Journalism Awards. Explore this reporting project.
Hundreds of Marines Investigated for Sharing Naked Photos of Colleagues
This multiple award-winning investigation into the orchestrated stalking and the deliberate collection of photographs of active duty and veteran women resulted in nearly-immediate congressional and federal investigations. The reporting was published with Center for Investigative Reporting and in 2018, a bill to criminalize the sharing of non-consensual images was unanimously passed. Hundreds of Marines came under investigation over ties to the group. More than 100 were eventually punished. The reporting has influenced changes in military law and sparked global debate on gender discrimination and revenge pornography, giving voice to countless survivors of sexual violence. Read this award-winning investigation.
Inside the Painstaking Recovery Process of a Medal of Honor Marine
On November 21, 2010, Lance Corporal Kyle Carpenter suffered grievous wounds after shielding another Marine from a grenade blast in Afghanistan. Somehow, he survived. This award-winning multimedia package was described as, “A piece that Vanity Fair is proud to have run, and that it exemplifies the highest values both of journalism and of national service.” Kyle also valued the reporting, he said. "The story was raw, emotionally charged and captivating, just like my recovery. I've never seen my story told with such detail and accuracy. I've never read my own story as if I didn't know the end but with this I did." Explore the story of Kyle’s remarkable recovery.
Unsettled at home, veterans volunteer to fight isis | The New York Times
This multimedia feature appeared on the front page of The New York Times and followed a U.S. Marine veteran as he travelled to Iraq and fought ISIS alongside the Kurdish Peshmerga. “I may not be enlisted anymore, but I’m still a warrior,” said Mr. Maxwell, who left the Marines with an honorable discharge in 2011 after serving as a presidential security guard. “I figured if I could walk away from here and kill as many of the bad guys as I could, that would be a good thing.” The reporting was featured in the print edition of International New York Times, on the NYT homepage, U.S. and Politics, and NYT Videos. Explore the reporting project.
Shooting Ghosts: A U.S. Marine, A Conflict Photographer, and Their Journey Back From War
“A majestic book that describes the parallel tracks of a warrior and a photo journalist from different continents, who meet in the hell of Afghanistan and then, separately and together, find their tortuous journeys home. Beautifully written, reminiscent of All Quiet on the Western Front, and What It Is Like to Go to War, Shooting Ghosts ultimately is a hopeful book that shows that recovery always involves a pilgrimage of rediscovering community and reconnection.” —Bessel van der Kolk, MD, New York Times bestselling author of The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma. Order your copy today.
Furloughs To Impact Mental Health Treatment | The Daily News, Jacksonville NC
This investigation was conducted as a local reporter covering Camp Lejeune and explored the effects of government sequestration in 2013 on the military mental health care system. The reporting revealed that a large number of furloughed government mental health care workers was having a dramatic and harmful impact on service members access to mental health resources. Following publication and the attention of a Congress, the Secretary of Defense exempted mental health workers from the furlough and restored treatment of personnel back to full capacity across the Department of Defense. The reporting project was recognized by the American Legion with the Fourth Estate Award.
New York Times At War Blog | 2011-2015
As a recurring contributor, I published stories about military life and culture that explored moral injury, mental health, and traumatic brain injury. By sharing my experiences in uniform during the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, I began to heal and discovered my passion for military reporting. The response to these stories—from veterans and civilians alike—and the way they bridged the military and civilian divide, inspired me to use my GI Bill to study investigative reporting at Columbia University’s Graduate School of Journalism. In 2013, my contributions to At War were recognized by the Dart Center for Journalism and Trauma. Read my body of work for At War.