What are immediate and long-term effects of experiencing combat firsthand? In this conversation we probe this question as Chris Hedges, a veteran war correspondent, and Anthony Swofford, a former U.S. Marine Corps sniper, describe memories they would each rather forget. The truths they report are often hidden from public view, for they profoundly challenge the romantic mythology of war. The truth of war makes clear the sacrifice demanded of those sent to fight. Soldiers, their families, caregivers, and taxpaying citizens should not to be deceived about what awaits those caught in a military process that brings them face-to-face with incomprehensible violence. How might knowledge of the truth of war help to heal war’s wounds? Related Themes: Iraq, violence, war

In this first conversation, journalist Marjorie MIller of the Los Angeles Times will interview Washington Post reporter Anthony Shadid, 2004 winner of the Pulitzer Prize for International Reporting and author of Night Draws Near: Iraq’s People in the Shadow of America’s War, on the effects of the war on Iraqi institutions and civilians.

 

 

Related Themes: Iraq, justice, war