Tom Bowman
Tom Bowman is a NPR National Desk reporter covering the Pentagon.
In his current role, Bowman has traveled to Syria as well as Iraq and Afghanistan often for month-long visits and embedded with U.S. Marines and soldiers.
Before coming to NPR in April 2006, Bowman spent nine years as a Pentagon reporter at The Baltimore Sun. Altogether he was at The Sun for nearly two decades, covering the Maryland Statehouse, the U.S. Congress, the U.S. Naval Academy, and the National Security Agency (NSA). His coverage of racial and gender discrimination at NSA led to a Pentagon investigation in 1994.
Initially Bowman imagined his career path would take him into academia as a history, government, or journalism professor. During college Bowman worked as a stringer at The Patriot Ledger in Quincy, Mass. He also worked for the Daily Transcript in Dedham, Mass., and then as a reporter at States News Service, writing for the Miami Herald and the Anniston (Ala.) Star.
Bowman is a co-winner of a 2006 National Headliners' Award for stories on the lack of advanced tourniquets for U.S. troops in Iraq. In 2010, he received an Edward R. Murrow Award for his coverage of a Taliban roadside bomb attack on an Army unit.
Bowman earned a Bachelor of Arts in history from St. Michael's College in Winooski, Vermont, and a master's degree in American Studies from Boston College.
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Iran has launched more than a dozen missiles against U.S. and coalition forces in Iraq. Initial damage assessments are being conducted.
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Defense Secretary Mark Esper says U.S. troops will be repositioned in Iraq, but will not leave the country. His comments come after a letter from the U.S. military suggested a withdrawal.
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Following the U.S. airstrike in Iraq that killed the top Iranian general, the U.S.-led military coalition fighting ISIS said it's temporarily stopping that fight to brace for retaliation from Iran.
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The U.S. has killed Iran's top military leader in a strike on Baghdad airport. The Pentagon says the general was actively developing plans to attack American diplomats and service members in Iraq.
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The Navy is letting three Navy SEALs accused of wrongdoing keep their coveted Trident pins. The move comes after President Trump demanded that a convicted SEAL, Eddie Gallagher retire with his pin.
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Navy Secretary Richard V. Spencer has been forced out by the Secretary of Defense Mark Esper.
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It's official. All Marines can now carry umbrellas while wearing the service or dress uniform. This brings to an end a revered — for some — tradition of toughing it out in the rain.
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U.S. forces fighting ISIS could leave northeast Syria in just days. They are caught between two opposing armies: the Turkish military and Syrian Kurdish forces.
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Gen. Mazloum Kobani Abdi confirms that he's moved fighters to the border to protect Kurdish interests. He also denounced President Trump's claim that Turkey could lead the fight against ISIS.
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Two U.S. officials tell NPR that military leaders involved in countering ISIS were surprised by President Trump's sudden policy shift — pulling support for Kurdish allies from Northern Syria.