
Steve Walsh
Military and Veterans Reporter, Norfolk, VirginiaSteve Walsh is the military and veterans reporter at WHRO in Norfolk.
Before joining WHRO, Steve covered military issues for KPBS radio and television in San Diego, hosted a daily public affairs show on Lakeshore Public Radio, and was an original host and producer for the storytelling project Vocalo.org at WBEZ in Chicago. His work often is heard on NPR. He also authored the podcast Free the Pendleton 14.
At KPBS, Steve won numerous awards from the Society Professional Journalists San Diego Chapter and the San Diego Press Club. In 2022, the Military Reporters and Editors Association awarded him "Best Audio Series" for his coverage of the Marines halting efforts to integrate women at boot camp. As a print reporter, Steve embedded twice with the Indiana National Guard during the Iraq War.
Steve is a graduate of Indiana State University.
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Each threatened shutdown can lead to stress in the military community about missing paychecks and losing access to federal programs.
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A lack of barracks space - as well as poor living conditions in some barracks buildings - are contributing to complaints about sailors' quality of life.
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A Pentagon report finds that troops' suicides are often preceded by legal or administrative troublesAbout a quarter of all suicide deaths occur among troops caught up in legal or administrative battles - sometimes for minor infractions.
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The deaths among Washington crewmembers occurred during a six-year period when the carrier remained in the shipyard for maintenance.
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A worldwide joint training exercise simulated a major battle with adversaries like China and Russia.
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The law passed last year makes millions of veterans eligible for new benefits, including post 9/11 vets who were exposed to burn pits.
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The Pentagon has put in place "The Brandon Act" - named after a Navy sailor who died by suicide in 2018. It allows service members to go outside their chain of command to seek confidential mental health treatment.
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The Navy is building more on-base childcare centers and launching new programs to help sailors and their families. But advocates and parents say it’s not enough.
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While still a small percentage of the total veteran population, the number of veterans committing extremist violence has risen sharply, according to a Congressional report.
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Though military suicide has been a problem for decades, critics say the Pentagon hasn’t come to terms with the fact that anyone can potentially be at risk.