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Editorial Writer & Columnist

Brandon Lingle

Brandon Lingle is an editorial writer and columnist with the San Antonio Express-News. He joined the paper’s business desk in 2020 as a Report for America fellow. Before that, he spent 20 years in the Air Force with assignments in Iraq, Afghanistan, Korea and teaching in the Air Force Academy’s Department of English and Fine Arts. A native of Lompoc, Calif., Lingle graduated from the U.S. Air Force Academy, University of Texas at San Antonio and Sierra Nevada University.

Stories By Brandon Lingle

Lingle: Aspiring storytellers take flight

The airmen and guardians (Space Force members) came from bases around the globe for a storytelling workshop. We salute their work. Brandon Lingle

Lingle: ‘Top Gun’ relaunch is propaganda that hits its target

“Top Gun” is an adventure story full of competition, romance, intrigue — it’s also propaganda. By Brandon Lingle

Lingle: Amid COVID delays, life keeps moving

The delay between her death and service made the loss feel close and yet far away. By Brandon Lingle

Lingle: Center for the Intrepid eases darkness of war

A place of 360 healing, the CFI has also dampened the trauma of war that echoes through generations. That is a light in a dark world. By Brandon Lingle

Lingle: Don’t look away from war’s horrors

A photo of a bike rider, killed in the war in Ukraine, burns into our minds and hearts. Don’t look away. By Brandon Lingle

Lingle: A border sheriff cuts through the politics

In Del Rio, immigration politics and rhetoric meet reality with a constant flow of immigrants and asylum seekers. By Brandon Lingle

Lingle: Burn pit vets can’t wait, yet Congress dithering

If we cared about the big picture, America would have already honored its “sacred obligation,” as President Joe Biden has said, to care for its veterans and their families. By Brandon Lingle

Lingle: A snapshot of Operation Lone Star in Del Rio is murky

A fence with holes. Border residents who sometimes feel more secure. Guardsmen watching and waiting. By Brandon Lingle

Lingle: Drawn to this ‘fundamental moment for Liberty’ in Ukraine

The former Air Force officer with experience in Afghanistan called the war “a fundamental moment for Liberty.” By Brandon Lingle

Lingle: Taking risks to share the horror in Ukraine

Martin Kuz, a former Express-News reporter, is in Ukraine, covering the war for the Christian Science Monitor. By Brandon Lingle

Lingle: Dropkick Murphys took me to a different time and place

By my count, I’ve attended at least 8 Dropkick concerts. Emotions and memories tied to the old songs jabbed me, but the simple, bold gesture of solidarity with Ukraine was a gut-punch. By Brandon Lingle

Lingle: After the battlefield, vets left battling toxic exposures

The full effects of war take years to comprehend, let alone care for. By Brandon Lingle

Lingle: Ukraine’s story may inspire; still, it’s one of horror

We may not comprehend the specifics of the unfolding trauma, but we can all agree Putin’s invasion is obscene and evil. By Brandon Lingle

Lingle: As invasion looms, lessons go unlearned

Beneath the rhetoric and posturing, each country is enmeshed in deception and efforts to reveal the other’s next move before they make it. By Brandon Lingle

AF general goes viral for tweet about mental health

In sharing with the world his own mental health appointment, Gen. Mike “Mini” Minihan has sparked conversations across the military. By Brandon Lingle

Lingle: Searching for a battlefield and finding camaraderie

As with much history, my mind wrestles with the scale and senselessness of the violence. By Brandon Lingle

Lingle: At Endeavors, the promise of wellness for veterans

“I mean, if it wasn’t for them, I’d still be on the streets,” one veteran said. By Brandon Lingle

Lingle: Vets unaccompanied, yet they’re not alone

During the brief ceremony, and forever after, those in attendance became the dead’s family, friends and loved ones. By Brandon Lingle

Lingle: DOD bombshell a clear warning to Russia

Let’s pause a beat and consider the Defense Department’s comments Friday on how the Russians are poised to stage a fake attack to ignite war with Ukraine? By Brandon Lingle

Lingle: Khruangbin played for San Antonio, and the burden eased

For two nights in December the universe smiled on San Antonio as the band Khruangbin mesmerized audiences at the Tobin Center. By Brandon Lingle