war

When you "pull a Benedict Arnold," you sell out your side to join the stronger side of a situation out of fear, not honor.  Needless to say, that's not a compliment.

More than 230 years after America secured independence from Britain, this skilled warrior and confidante of George Washington is remembered as a traitor and coward for defecting to the British side.

But it's not that easy.  

My mom would take me and my brothers to the beach on summer days when I was a little kid. I couldn't yet swim but I could stand in Long Island Sound when the tide was low and my brothers were close enough to save me if I fell. I loved it. On the way home, we'd pile into the back of our station wagon, roll down the windows and stop at the donut shop for a dozen sugar-coated jelly donuts.  We'd eat them with our heads out the window and I'd end up with my hair stuck in the jelly on my face by the time I got home. Mmmm donuts. 

In 2075, Florida and New Orleans are under water, South Carolina is under quarantine, and America is fighting a bloody and brutal Second American Civil War over the continued use of fossil fuels. This is where American War, ​a new novel by Omar El Akkad begins.

Of all the crimes defined by law, only one is mentioned in the U.S. Constitution: Treason! This distinction, however, was not meant to deter dissent, but rather to protect it. Knowing well how England had levied the charge against those whose voices they found subversive, our founders sought to ensure the citizens of their newly formed nation would always be free to disagree with the government.

They're in the books we read, the shows we watch, and the art we hang on our walls. They conjure notions of might, magic, romance, and more. Castles, perhaps as much as any other architectural structure in history, define the landscape of our fantasy and imagination.

Connecticut U.S. Marine Michael Zacchea had a job to do in 2004: train and lead the first Iraqi Army battalion after the U.S. disbanded the country’s military post invasion.

This hour, we revisit our conversation with Zacchea, and co-author Ted Kemp about their book The Ragged Edge which details the challenges Zacchea faced leading a diverse group of Iraqis. 

Herbert Hoover realized early in the 20th century that food was as important as bullets to win a war. After witnessing Belgians starve under the harsh treatment of Germany before World War I, he determined to never let that happen in America. So, when the men marched off to war in both World War I and again in World War II, the women marched out to the fields. 

April 6, 2017 marks 100 years since the United States officially entered the First World War — igniting the journey for thousands of young men to the deadly trenches of Europe.

This hour, we learn about the soldiers and hear how Connecticut was one of just a few states with records that explained how some of these men viewed their service.