James Lecher is a retired U.S. Army officer, freelance journalist, and correspondent for the U.S. television network Newsmax. He served for 27 years in the U.S. Army in infantry and special operations units. He participated in six wars, beginning with Somalia in 1993 — the conflict depicted in the movie Black Hawk Down. His book With My Shield describes his experiences in that battle. He also served in Iraq, Afghanistan, Israel, and Bosnia. His experiences in Iraq are mentioned in the books A Chance in Hell and A Soldier’s Dream. The movies American Sniper and Warfare depict some of the dramatic battles in Ramadi in which he participated during the Iraq War.
With the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Jim joined Newsmax as a war correspondent. From March 2022 through 2023, he covered nearly every major battle on the ground in Ukraine. Together with his colleague Oleksandr Koolik, he has produced numerous important reports and documentaries for Newsmax about the war.
He has written about the war in Ukraine and other military-technical subjects for many publications, including The Washington Times, Soldier of Fortune, and SOFX. He has also been featured in numerous documentaries for his military and technical expertise, including Fallen Angel and Culture Wars.
In both the United States and Ukraine, Jim uses his experience to work in the defense industry, particularly in unmanned aerial systems (UAS), counter-UAS, and a variety of other modern military-technical fields. He holds a master’s degree in history and teaches history as a professor at Liberty University in Virginia. His home is in South Carolina.
