Local Journalism Lives! Must Read

By On July 31, 2009 · 7 Comments · In A Big Something, Interviews, Local Journalism

On today’s Big Something, we’re recommending the incredible investigative series that Dave Phillips wrote for the Gazette about the brutal and terrifying effects that Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is having on soldiers, their families and, in turn, our entire community. If you haven’t read it yet, we strongly encourage you to do so as a matter of public awareness and safety. The war in Iraq may have been fought by an all volunteer military in a country that few of us will ever visit, but it is increasingly clear that we will all have to face and deal with the psychological fallout our soldiers are just now beginning to experience for decades to come. As Phillips describes, young men who’ve spent multiple tours in Iraq are coming home knowing little of adult life outside fear, adrenaline and killing.

The series, “Casualties of War,” is divided into two parts that total 15,000 words. Part I is HERE, and Part II is HERE.

The series is rightly getting a great deal of national media attention and rumors of a Pulitzer nomination have been circulating. You can watch Phillips talking about the series in the YouTube video from CNN above. And you can listen to his interview with Amy Goodman on Democracy Now! last night HERE.

You can also listen to a brief interview we conducted with Dave Phillips in the player below:

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

 
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7 Responses to Local Journalism Lives! Must Read

  1. Matt H says:
    July 31, 2009 at 9:15 am

    FWIW, Eastridge is wearing Green which means he is a Trustee, or that he was dressed up for the interview. Trustee is what they call long term inmates on their very best behavior behind the big door. Felons wear Orange at CJC.

    I have a lot more to say about this but this is not the place…

    Reply
  2. pj douglas says:
    July 31, 2009 at 9:15 am

    We as a family of a Vietnam veteran suffering from severe, chronic PTSD for the last 38 years are glad to see public awareness raised about the subject but wish it could be in a kinder light. Not every vet suffering the debilitating affects of PTSD is a crazed killer. More often than not they are living under a bridge or hiding in their bed. Due to gross misconceptions about this disorder the vets are shunned by society and in many cases family. Those of us who have hung in there for the long haul bear our own scars. It would serve a better purpose if less sensationalism was attached to PTSD and more compassion.

    Reply
  3. Matt H says:
    July 31, 2009 at 9:31 am

    That crazy lady, at 5:09 started asking a question that turned into 6 questions and then became a nonquestion and it all took 40 seconds. Is this journalism? Is it, “If I can keep the camera on me for 40 seconds, its a good day at work”? Sheesh!

    Reply
  4. Noel Black says:
    July 31, 2009 at 2:56 pm

    I certainly wasn’t vouching for the CNN reporter. – Noel

    Reply
  5. Matt H says:
    July 31, 2009 at 5:33 pm

    I guess i’m spoiled by Terry Gross and other NPR interviewers that ask a single question and allow the subject to answer. I base my KRCC pledges on how much I don’t spend on cable tv.
    -Noel, its clear you weren’t vouching for anything. Its also clear that i’m sometimes a little cranky in the mornings.

    Thanks, see you Monday
    -MH

    Reply
  6. brad flora says:
    July 31, 2009 at 11:00 pm

    The Wartime sentiment expressed in the invasion of Iraq, and documented in the Article, of “Shoot First, and Ask Questions Later,” seems to me to be one of the chief philosophies that needs to be reexamined within the American Ethos.

    The Chaos that is War is a scary thing, and usually there is not time to Ask questions before some one is shooting at You; which is exactly what our Soldiers are trained to do, kill quickly before someone kills you, without rationalizing or questioning the situation.

    I believe that we, as a community, should extend a hand of friendship and support, on an individual level, as a way to help these troubled Veterans and there process of integration back into our society.

    The easiest way for any of us to do this is to recognize that they, the Veterans diagnosed with PSTD, are as much the victims of the Iraq War, and the Bush administrations misleading policy, as anyone.

    They may not have died over there, but they still sacrificed there old life for our Country.

    If the Army will continue to not show enough compassion for our soldiers, maybe members of the community should step in, even if it’s only in a small way.

    Reply
  7. Louise C says:
    August 1, 2009 at 7:41 pm

    Sad; scary; so much is wrong with the military mentality that pervades our culture. Why aren’t we protesting the wars?

    Reply

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