Blackwater employees were “integral” to rebuilding Iraq, but with limited oversight, contractors had “no ethical obligation” to the country’s citizens.
Iraq
Posted inReflections
An Army Interrogator, His Grandfather, and a Bond Across Two Wars
“My parents, like most Chinese immigrants, valued education as the ultimate achievement,” writes veteran Hunter Lu. “The military was for dumb people.”
Posted inReflections
A Journalist’s Favorite Image Mirrors a Loss
A journalist learns of death that paralleled the moment he took his favorite picture.
Posted inNewsroom
“It’s so inaccurate”—How the VA Is Failing to Track Veterans Burn Pit Claims
VA figures show an astonishingly low rate of approval of burn pit claims: Of the 10,588 claims, 2,360 veterans had their benefits granted and 8,228 were denied.
Posted inReflections
Hellfires and “Half-Smashed Bugs” in Sadr City
As a platoon searched for bombs, the enemy tried to attack them. It didn’t end well.
Posted inReflections
“I Thought I Was Going to Die”—Explosions and an Easter Sunday Service in Iraq
A combat Army officer reflects on what it means to be at war for your country and search for spiritual meaning.
Posted inReflections
Finding My Calling While Treating a Casualty Inside Friendly Lines
He saw gore and death, but he also saved lives. There are certain things a former corpsman will never forget or take for granted.
Posted inReflections
The Stories I Share as a Woman Veteran
A former Army photojournalist and combat medic grapples with how much people should know about war.
Posted inReflections
The Suicide Bombing of December 21 and What Came After
A reporter’s journey through war, trauma and healing
Posted inReflections
From One Battle to Another. “A New Fight I Never Expected.”
A gunnery sergeant grapples with his love of deployments during a time when his family needs him at home.
Posted inReflections
Letters From War and Drawing “The Line Between Respect and Caution”
A former Army soldier grapples with an unresolved confessional to her late mother.
Posted inReflections
My Battle Buddy Was Always Smiling Before Losing His War to Suicide
J.P. Lawrence thought he knew his happy-go-lucky friend from deployment until he learned that Belland had struggled with addiction and died by overdose.
