Newest first: Mark Benjamin’s story about a Camp Lejeune psychiatrist who was booted after going public with concerns about PTSD treatment practices. In one instance last April, for example, Manion warned Cmdr. Robert O’Byrne, head of mental health at the Camp Lejeune Naval Hospital, of “immediate concerns of physical safety” due to mistreated Marines teeteringContinue reading “Two medical whistleblower stories today”
Category Archives: Iraq
“His emotions were always on the rocks”
When I heard about this — first, from Paul Rieckoff of IAVA on Facebook — a simple Google search turned up quickly what felt like two determinative facts: that Joshua Hunter had just spent 15 months in Iraq, and that Fort Drum, where the shooting occurred, is in the process of mobilizing for the newContinue reading ““His emotions were always on the rocks””
p.s. I am totally stopped by this.
That was what I first put up on Facebook when I got the news of the Fort Hood shooting. Today, I’m still watching twitter feeds and news reports try to figure out what happened. (I did catch myself wishing Hasan had called the GI Rights Hotline.) I have my own theories and worries, some ofContinue reading “p.s. I am totally stopped by this.”
Maxine Hong Kingston’s sangha speaks
This coming Monday, with “Veterans Day Sales” all over the newspapers, most Americans observe Veterans Day with flags and parades, honoring men and women who have gone to war for the United States. These days, few recollect that the original name of the holiday was Armistice Day, in honor of the November 11, 1918 endContinue reading “Maxine Hong Kingston’s sangha speaks”
Someone else’s billion-dollar FUBAR?
Foreign Policy notes that $500 million for a new U.S. embassy in Baghdad has yielded a literal house of cards: Among the most shocking problems still present at the embassy: The walls are in danger of cracking; the “safe areas” for emergencies aren’t safe; the fire protection systems might not protect from fires; and oh,Continue reading “Someone else’s billion-dollar FUBAR?”
“because you can’t live that way and keep anything inside you”
That was my original title for the Guernica piece, a quote from All Quiet on the Western Front. I’m reminded of it now, as I’ve started to get letters from families of soldiers that tear at my heart.One, in particular, wrote that someone they loved …did two tours in Iraq and was nearly killed byContinue reading ““because you can’t live that way and keep anything inside you””
“It’s about the demilitarization of society.”
Via Stephen Funk, who was the very first U.S. soldier I interviewed for the book three years ago. I’m so heartened to see it: while Iraq Veterans Against the War argued out a nonviolence resolution, these guys see it simply: “It’s about the demilitarization of society.” Among demilitarizations tasks they include eradicating sexism, which mattersContinue reading ““It’s about the demilitarization of society.””
I Ain't Marching Anymore 