Celebrating US Memorial Day…Military-themed Markets

Many groups and cities lay claim to founding Memorial Day in the United States, but it was officially proclaimed and observed in 1868 in a ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery, honoring the Union and Confederate soldiers who died during the Civil War. Although the May 30th holiday was observed by all northern states by 1890, the South did not acknowledge it until after WWI when its purpose was changed to honor all American soldiers who died fighting in all wars. In 1971, Memorial Day was designated to the last Monday in May when Congress passed the National Holiday Act. It is now observed by all states. (source: USMemorialDay.org)

Are military-themed magazines open for any contributor or just military people?

Of the ones listed below, all are open to any contributor in most departments. Most guidelines say to read back issues to get a solid feel for the type of stories they want and who the readers are.

Can you sell military-themed stories to non-military markets?

Yes. History magazines often print stories about wars. Some aviation enthusiast magazines will consider stories about military planes or pilots while general interest magazines will look at profiles or first-person narratives from or about individuals in the military. Of course, news magazines and newspapers also will print military-related stories. Military stories, if angled to the demographic, can fit in almost any magazine. Study the market and learn about both the readers and the editors before submitting an idea.

Where are most military magazines published?

I can't answer that one with any authority. Most of the magazines I found were in the US, but there are others among the ones listed below from Canada, Australia, and the United Kingdom. I found one other in Pakistan, but I didn't include it because the website had no information on editors or writer's guidelines.

Markets for Military-themed Articles (click names to go to their websites)

Air & Space Magazine - The Smithsonian Institute - it is a general interest magazine about flight, break-in as a first-time contributor with one of the departments.
Airforce Magazine - this is a Canadian magazine, seeking news and feature articles as well as historical articles on military and civilian aerospace topics as well as the Canadian Air Force and Royal Canadian Air Cadets, website doesn't have guidelines for writers, but there is a contact page with the editor's name/email, phone and mailing address.
AirForces Monthly - Key Publishing Group - this magazine is published in the United Kingdom but the latest issue features US, Russian, German and English stories, extensive guidelines are on the website.
Airman - Air Force News Agency - this is the official magazine of the US Air Force, it is downloadable in pdf files from the website, there are no guidelines on the website, but it is open to contributors.
Flightpath - Yaffa Publishing Group - this is an Australian magazine aimed at devotees and owners of antique, classic and ex-military airplanes, seeks stories about restoration and recovery of antique and vintage planes, and on Australian aviation heritage,
History Magazine - seeks feature stories about events, occasions and achievements rather than profiles; break-in as a first-time contributor with a "trivia piece," e-queries preferred.
Military Officers Magazine - Military Officers Association of America - this is a general interest magazine for officers, families and surviving spouses of the Army, USMC, USN, Air Force, Coast Guard, Public Health Service ad the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, plus the National Guard and Reserve servicemen, NO reprints, e-submissions ok.
Naval History - US Naval Institute - seeks articles, pictorials and book reviews, e-queries and e-submissions ok.
Proceedings - US Naval Institute - general interest magazine for members of the US Navy, Marines, Coast Guard and Merchant Marines, among others, seeks submissions in several departments plus feature length articles, e-submissions and e-queries ok.