Jasper Craven

On the edge of a goat farm in Vermont's Northeast Kingdom sits Luke's Military Museum, an aluminum trailer that serves as a loving testament to the nation's veterans.

While Hegseth's rhetoric on the post-9/11 wars often reflects mainstream Republican talking points, his zeal indicated something deeper.

Jasper Craven, an investigative journalist covering the military and veterans’ issues, is the author of the new book God Forgives, Brothers Don't: The Long March of Military Education and the Making of American Manhood. His writing has appeared in Harper’s, Politico, The Intercept, the Boston Globe, and the New York Times. He is also a fellow at the Veterans Healthcare Policy Institute.

Military service, Hegseth figured, would imbue him with some much needed and previously missing manliness.

Earlier this year, President Donald Trump surveyed his top military brass on the prospect of making war in Iran. Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff

The party has a chance to win back disaffected voters. But realignment is “messy.”

How does military education help explain our current political moment?

In September 2025, I received word from a trusted source that Valley Forge Military Academy was closing after 98 years.

How military schools warp American manhood

Valley Forge Military Academy bills itself as a school that breaks down young cadets and builds them back better. It succeeds at one of those things.