David Chrisinger learned to treat a writer’s words with the proper care before publication after a student veteran was pushed to the brink of suicide.
David Chrisinger
David Chrisinger is the director of writing seminars at The War Horse. To date, he has led five cohorts of veterans and military spouses to share their stories of service and resilience. He is also the executive director of the Harris Writing Workshop at the University of Chicago. Before joining Harris, David worked at the U.S. Government Accountability Office as a senior communications specialist. He is an award-winning author of many books, including “The Soldier’s Truth,” a forthcoming definitive biography of Ernie Pyle, America’s most famed combat correspondent. David is a graduate of the University of Chicago’s M.A. Program in the Social Sciences and the recipient of the 2022 George Orwell Award for Distinguished Contribution to Honesty and Clarity in Public Language.
Posted inReflections
Learning the Power of Connection and Companionship
David Chrisinger grapples with his guilt about not having served and draws on his own experience of feeling powerless to connect with a friend who did.
Posted inReflections
Talking With a 9/11 Witness Helped Him Connect With History
David Chrisinger wondered if he was intruding on sacred ground when he visited the museum at Ground Zero. A conversation with a witness changed that.
Posted inReflections
Losing the Fear That He Abandoned His Men
War stories can sometimes read like confessionals. David Chrisinger encourages a student Marine Veteran to confide in the reader instead.
Posted inReflections
Guns, Booze, and Suicide: How “Stupid” Saved A Life
He couldn’t kill himself before tee time with his father. He put the pistol down. David Chrisinger describes a Veteran’s struggle with thoughts of suicide.
Posted inReflections
Trapped in the Amber of this Moment
David Chrisinger felt the urge to serve his country in the Marines during the Iraq War. He reflects on his choices on the fifteenth anniversary of 9/11.
Posted inReflections
The Redemptive Power Of Lying
David Chrisinger teaches a writing course for veterans at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point. His students tell him their stories—some are true, some are lies, and some are worse.
