war

On Saturday, 30 poets and other artists will gather at Western Connecticut State University for a day-long rally against gun violence. It is part of a larger international day of protests called 100,000 Poets for Change.

President Obama is winning some Republican support for military action against Syria. But judging by response from Connecticut's congressional delegation, he won't have an easy time with members of his own party.

"The authorization document that the President has submitted to Congress is insufficiently limited in defining our objectives and strategy," Senator Richard Blumenthal told WNPR's Where We Live. He said the authorization the President is asking congress for is far too broad in its scope, and he wants more information on the long-term objectives.

"Our national security has to be one of the predominant factors that we consider," he said.  

Today we’ll talk to two veterans of the Iraq war. Brian Castner served three tours of duty in the Middle East, two of them as the commander of an Explosive Ordnance Disposal unit in Iraq. His book, The Long Walk, chronicles his ‘story of war and the life that follows.’ When veteran Kevin Powers returned from Iraq, he turned his experiences there into The Yellow Birds, a novel about two young privates trying to stay alive at war. Castner and Powers join us for the full hour.

Private Loren Goodrich was at a camp in Western Maryland when he wrote home to family and friends.  He and his comrades in the 14th Connecticut Volunteer Infantry had just been in a major battle in the small Pennsylvania town of Gettysburg. That battle was fought 150 years ago, from July 1-3, 1863. The 14th was one of five infantry regiments from Connecticut to take part. Of the 1300 Nutmeggers at Gettysburg, sixty-nine were killed and 291 were wounded, captured or missing.

Agent Garbo: The Brilliant, Eccentric Secret Agent Who Tricked Hitler and Saved D-Day
by Stephen Talty

There'a a push among federal legislators to award a Congressional Gold Medal to the last segregated Hispanic unit in the U.S. military. 

There'a a push among federal legislators to award a Congressional Gold Medal to the last segregated Hispanic unit in the U.S. military. 

Memorial Day originated in the years following the Civil War, as a way to honor those Union and Confederate soldiers who died in that conflict. A large collection of photographs of Connecticut Civil War soldiers in the Connecticut Historical Society’s collection recalls the origins of the holiday and displays the pride and determination of those men who were prepared to give their lives in the service of their country.  Over 5000 Connecticut soldiers died in service.  Over 2000 of them were killed in battle. Even those who survived the war are now among the long-dead.

On Thursday, May 23, the photo of U.S Army Captain Andrew Pedersen-Keel will be added to the State of Connecticut's Wall of Honor, a tribute to servicemembers who died while serving in Iraq and Afghanistan. 

On Thursday, May 23, the photo of U.S Army Captain Andrew Pedersen-Keel will be added to the State of Connecticut's Wall of Honor. It's a tribute to service members who died while serving in Iraq and Afghanistan. 

Pedersen-Keel was killed March 11 in what the military calls a green on blue attack. An Afghan policeman shot him and another Special Forces soldier and wounded several others. WNPR's Lucy Nalpathanchil sat down with Pedersen-Keel’s mother, Helen, who tells us in her own words about her son.  Click on the audio link to hear Helen Pedersen-Keiser. 

Some veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars are closely watching the immigration reform bill as it moves to the U.S Senate for a vote. The bill calls on extending a visa program for the people servicemembers often relied upon while in combat.

President Obama is on an historic visit to Israel and the West Bank, as Palestinian militants fire rockets out of Gaza into an Israeli border town.

The President spoke of “unbreakable bonds” with Israel, and a red line on nuclear arms with Iran.  Meanwhile another “red line” in the region is fuzzy at best - as the Syrian government and opposition forces trade accusations that the other used chemical weapons in their long and bloody war.

If you had to tell the story of 10 years ago today, the story of our invasion of Iraq and its aftermath, what story would you tell? How hard would it be to assemble a narrative?

Today we'll look at that story through the lens of collective (or collected) memory, a fascinating branch of history that looks at the way people and societies assemble and preserve factual narratives.

 We'll also look at one high school history teacher's attempt to teach the Iraq War even as it hovers on the cusp that separates contemporary issues from history.

Today marks the 10-year anniversary of the start of the Iraq war. Throughout the day, we're looking back at what has changed over the last 10 years both there and here at home. It was a war that cost trillions of dollars and more importantly, thousands of lives.

The war in Iraq has had a profound effect on Connecticut’s economy in the last decade. As WNPR’s Harriet Jones reports, it has vastly increased the importance of the defense industry.

Connecticut has always had a strong reliance on the Department of Defense, but Pentagon spending here acquired a new importance in recent years.

“You’ve seen about a threefold increase since  2003. That’s an enormous number and it’s an enormous part of our state’s GDP.”

The state's Commissioner of Veterans Affairs is applauding news that the military is ending its ban on women serving in the infantry and other ground combat. WNPR's Lucy Nalpathanchil has more from Vietnam veteran Linda Schwartz.

Do people care about their own history?

Movie box office reports would suggest that they care about vampires approximately three times as much as they care about Lincoln and the end of slavery. Most people in Connecticut, I'm convinced, know almost nothing about the history of Connecticut and can only be persuaded to care by great exertions -- such as the one we're about to make.

But writer Robert Sullivan offers a novel approach. If you really want to connect with history, figure out where it happened, and go there, and have your own adventures.

Roman Baca entered the U.S. Marine Corps in 2000 and was eventually deployed to Iraq. He returned to Connecticut and struggled to adjust to civilian life. He finally found purpose in his life...in dance. Baca started the Exit 12 Dance Company and is the artistic director there. He’s getting ready to embark on a trip back to Iraq later this month where he will teach dance to local children there.

Iran is back at the top of the news, over its nuclear program, a death sentence, and a raft of rescued sailors.

Families who have lost a loved one killed while serving their country were honored today at the State Capitol. It's the second year for the ceremony organized by the Connecticut Fallen Heroes Foundation 

Last month, President Barack Obama announced the U.S. will withdraw troops from Iraq by the end of 2011. 100,000 troops have already been removed and the latest withdrawal will bring the last 40,000 home. Today, where we live, as we celebrate Veterans Day a conversation about the transition from military life to civilian life for the thousands of Veterans who have and will return from Iraq and Afghanistan.

As we get ready to consider an end to the war in Afghanistan, it's not just soldiers who've paid the price in American wars.

American society is just beginning to seriously consider the emotional trauma of fighting war. But what about reporting it?  The deaths of two photojournalists in Libya this year sparked fresh conversation about the emotional and psychological — and not just physical — health of reporters and photographers who cover conflict.

Last Friday marked the 60 day mark of U.S. military involvement in Libya. That's significant because without Congressional authorization for the military presence in Libya, President Obama is in violation of the War Powers Act. We talked to the Washington Correspondent for the Connecticut Mirror, Deirdre Shesgreen. 

Read CT Mirror Article:

Some in Congress growing restive over U.S. involvement in Libya 

Just a few days ago, the First Two Ladies on the United States, Michelle Obama and Jill Biden announced a national initiative called Joining Forces. The idea is to combine as many elements of society as possible -- communities, individuals, nonprofits and businesses -- to make life a little less stressful for military families.