Sword and Pen

On this episode of the Sword and Pen, join host Devon Lancia and guest Anthony Dyer as the two discuss long-form writing, memoir composition, and how writing as a medium can help veterans heal. A former U.S. Air Force special missions aviator from the mountains of North Carolina with over a decade of experience in special operations aviation, Anthony works to break the stigma surrounding mental he...

On this episode of the Sword and Pen, host Devon Lancia sits down with guest Benjamin Goldhagen for a conversation on the art of creating war documentaries that tell the human perspective. As the son of a Holocaust survivor, Benjamin’s personal history fuels his work, currently focused on showing the human cost of war from the lense of the conflict in Ukraine. During this conversation, he discusse...

On this episode of the Sword and Pen, join host Devon Lancia and guest David Kendrick for a conversation on mental health in veterans coverage. Using his experience as a Purple Heart veteran during the troop surge in Iraq, David tells his own story and those of veterans across the country to help bridge the military-civilian divide and give audiences a better understanding of what veterans need in...

On this episode of the Sword and Pen, listen in as host Devon Lancia speaks with former Army officer and veteran empowerment leader Chris Marvin about his story, his advice for fellow storytellers, and his tips for firearm violence coverage. As the veteran engagement lead with Everytown for Gun Safety, Chris and his fellow veterans from all walks of life and backgrounds are helping shape the conve...

On this episode of the Sword and Pen, listen in as we honor this year's Top Ten Veterans in Journalism awardees. Hear each speak about the stories they were selected for and their career experiences from our Top Ten Veterans in Journalism spotlight panel at #MVJ25 on July 8, 2025. Since 2021, MVJ has acknowledged and celebrated the outstanding contributions of veterans who are excelling in the...

On this episode of the Sword and Pen, MVJ Partnerships Director Devon Lancia sits down with Drew F. Lawrence, Marine Corps reporter at Military.com, host of the Fire Watch and Army veteran. Listen in as Drew discusses his own career journey, his advice for learning as much as possible early on, and the importance of readiness and taking care of yourself before - and after - becoming a journalist....

On this episode of the Sword and Pen, host Caron LeNoir-Kelly discusses women veterans issues and considerations with Ginger Baine Miller, the CEO of Women Veterans Interactive Foundation. Listen in as the two talk about WVIF's efforts to build community for women veterans. Sword and Pen is a Military Veterans in Journalism production.

On this episode of the Sword and Pen, MVJ Partnerships Director Devon Lancia sits down with Sara Samora, MVJ Advisory Board member, Manufacturing Dive journalist and Marine Corps veteran. Tune in to learn about Sara's journey to get to where she is today and her advice for fellow vets looking to get started in business coverage. Sword and Pen is a Military Veterans in Journalism production.

On this episode of the Sword and Pen, host Caron LeNoir-Kelly sits down with Dr. Kortni Alston Lemon, journalist, happiness scholar and co-chair of NABJ's Wellness Task Force, to discuss her efforts to support mental health in newsrooms. Listen in as the two discuss the value of journalists and newsrooms seeking ways to maintain stability and seek happiness in the churn of the news cycle. Swor...

On this episode of the Sword and Pen, host Caron LeNoir-Kelly honors Black history and Black military history while looking back at the Military Veterans in Journalism community in 2024. Listen in as LeNoir-Kelly and MVJ Board Member Zack Baddorf talk about what MVJ accomplished over the past year, what the future holds, and the importance of including veteran voices in journalism. Sword and Pen i...

Military Veterans in Journalism board members Lucy Bustamante and Zack Baddorf start off the year talking about the value of vets in covering the new administration, plus some tips on how to jumpstart your career in media. Sword and Pen is a Military Veterans in Journalism production.

On this episode of the Sword and Pen , host Lori King speaks with navy veteran, MVJ member and NPR radio producer Jason Burrows . Burrows broke into radio onboard the USS Abraham Lincoln by volunteering for the ship's radio station, KRUZ-FM. After ETSing from the navy, he landed his first radio gig as the "Jack of all Trades" at 96.5 Jack-FM, where he served for 15 years. Burrows, a...

On this episode of  Sword and Pen , host Lori King speaks with army broadcast journalist Lance Milsted, a former Defense Information School instructor. Milsted, the chief of production services at DoD's Defense Media Activity (DMA) talks about his belief that everyone has a story to tell, and an important part of journalism is to tell those stories, to make people feel something, to get to kno...

On this episode of  Sword and Pen , host Lori King speaks with investigative reporter and former marine infantryman James LaPorta, who, after exiting the military, broke into journalism by cold calling editors and agreeing to work for bylines. You are about to hear an inspiring story of how LaPorta, with no journalism experience or degree, tenaciously built a journalism career working for multiple...

On this episode of  Sword and Pen , host Lori King speaks with journalism tool extraordinaire Mike Reilley , who just published his second book, The Journalist's Toolbox: A Guide to Digital Reporting and AI. Reilley has made it his mission since 1996 to continuously stock his trademarked online Journalism Toolbox with every kind of tool, resource and training you can imagine, including AI-driv...

On this episode of  Sword and Pen , host Lori King speaks with Air Force officer and filmmaker Allie Delury , who is celebrating her one-year anniversary of her production company, Work Our Way, on Dec. 30, 2023. Allie, who began her journalism and military career at the University of Minnesota, talks about her journey from tv reporter to business owner; what it was like going from social media ma...

On this special episode of  Sword and Pen , host Lori King spoke with four attendees during the 2023 MVJ Convention held Oct. 5-7 in New York City. First up at the mic was Dan Clare , a Marine Corps and Air National Guard veteran. He was a military public affairs officer for 17 years, and is now the director of communications for DAV, Disabled American Veterans, who sponsored the MVJ Career Fair....

On this episode of  Sword and Pen , host Lori King speaks with army veteran and freelance journalist Cyrus Norcross , one of MVJ's 2023 Top 10 Journalists of the Year. Cyrus, who was an army ranger for six years before pursuing journalism, talks about his Navajo Nation heritage, his winning entry that earned him the journalist of the year award, and his passion for telling stories about the In...

On this episode of  Sword and Pen , we bring back MVJ president and co-founder Russell Midori to promote the MVJ 2023 Convention in New York City in October. We also chat with MVJ Mentorship Program manager Simone Doroski and mentorship alumni Jordan Sartor-Francis about a powerful program that pairs our members with journalism experts in the field. Listen as the guests > talk about the what&#3...

On this episode of  Sword and Pen , we highlight the missions and roles of an Ohio Air National Guard public affairs office and its staff. The podcast was recorded out of 180th Fighter Wing Public Affairs Office during their monthly drill in June 2023. Representing the wing's PA office: Public Affairs Officer Maj. Matt Eck; Senior Master Sgt. Beth Holliker; and two public affairs specialists,...

On this episode of Sword and Pen , guest Anthony Vazquez talks about his transition from being a landing support specialist in the marine corps to a visual journalist at the Chicago Sun-Times , a newspaper that canned its entire photo staff for journalists using smartphones in 2013. If you are a photojournalist, a journalist who takes their own images, a student who wants to be a visualist storyte...

On this episode of Sword and Pen, navy and army veteran Caron LeNoir talks about her vast experience in journalism, business and activism. Baltimore native Caron comes from a family with deep artistic and political roots. She first takes us back to her childhood, and how her family of accomplished artists directly influenced her ability to tell stories through multiple formats. She started perform...

On this episode of Sword and Pen, MVJ member and retired Marine Corps officer Riccoh Player and acclaimed Oscar and Emmy nominated director and writer Frederick Marx talk about their passion for filmmaker and storytelling, and how they both share a mission to tell the stories of military veterans.  They zero in on veterans transitioning into successful civilian lives, so this podcast is dedic...

On this episode of Sword and Pen, guest Ben Kesling talks about his quick transition from being a marine corps combat veteran to a reporter at the Wall Street Journal and a published author. Listen in as Ben also reads a passage from his new book, Bravo Company: An Afghanistan Deployment and its Aftermath , a story of the war in Afghanistan through the eyes of the men of one unit, part of a combat...

In this special Veterans's Day episode of Sword and Pen, listen to nine one-on-one interviews featuring MVJ members who attended our first in-person 2nd annual MVJ Convention and Career Fair in Washington D.C. in October.  The interviews were conducted by Jeff Pierce , director of broadcast and media partnerships for that radio station. Jeff set up his remote radio station booth on the first...