Annotated+Bibliography

"A Year at War." //The New York Times//. The New York Times, 23 Sept. 2010. Web. 24 Sept. 2010. . Rodieck, Matthew. "An Aid Worker Writes From Afghanistan." //At War//. The New York Times, 16 Sept. 2010. Web. 30 Sept. 2010. .

Annotated Bibliography The author of this article, Matthew Rodieck, is an American raised humanitarian aid worker who was born in Britain. Rodieck’s credentials as far as qualifications are concerned include training with public health as well as managing health care settings and health services in the United States and United Kingdom for 20 years. Graduating from John Hopkins University, Rodieck has experience as a health planner for the National Guard Health Affairs, as well as a manager position from 2005-2007 at Bristol Dental Hospital. Rodieck managed as well as developed a public hospital for an international non governmental organization while living and stationing in Afghanistan for two years. Currently, Rodieck is still making trips to and from Afghanistan and the UK while managing numerous victim assitance programs in a few provinces of Afghanistan for Clear Path International. The article posted by the New York Time’s Blog //At War// supplies an informational report and account of the conditions of aid workers located in Afghanistan. Rodieck is an expert in the field of management and medicine as he resides in Afghanistan as well, living the events he describes. Matthew Rodieck’s thesis of his article basically states that despite living in the fear and danger, that evolves as being an aid worker and/or soldier in Afghanistan, successfully accomplishing obstacles and making a difference in a place that needs so much help is truly worth it and makes people continue to to reach out and go back over and over again. He states evidence that Afghanistan has “deteriorated” over the summer, and the turmoil was affecting him greatly as well as made him worry. The main arguments of his article describe that pain and loss of losing friends and aids while there provides fear and uncertainty for continuing to travel back to a country that is in severe need of help. He describes how his friends and colleagues were killed in Badakhshan Province on August 5. Rodieck also describes the transition from being in Europe or the United States to somewhere that seems like it is another universe and how hard it is to make a decision to leave or stay. He provides evidence on how family members cause a bias opinion by being worried that their loved ones are going to be abducted or killed, as well as the safety that he and others are leaving behind as they go into a territory where for long periods of time you must live in a risk calculation that you must constantly solve. Another argument he shows concern in is the feelings of accomplishment of obstacles he faces and how he feels so positively about them. Rodieck explains that even t hough he doesn’t have much control on the security and corruption of a place like Afghanistan, his career elsewhere in the United States and the United Kingdom does not give him the satsfied moments of being effective anymore. He needs to be somewhere where he feels as though he’s making a difference. Evaluating this source, I believe the work is true and well researched because it is a true event account written by a man who lives the events he writes about every day. The topic at hand, mainly being aid workers in Afghanistan but can also relate to soldiers as well, has been addressed and gives insight to what these people do, how they feel, and their feelings on an emotional level. The author takes somewhat of an objective stance, but only towards himself and his colleagues. He provides explanation as to why aid workers and soldiers do the things that they do, because some people do not understand why people put themselves in place where danger is near and happening. He motivates why his colleagues make their decisions to offer reasoning and effectiveness. Reflecting on this source, I believe it was a positive and informationally based article that gave me more insight on how aid workers and soldiers think while they are in Afghanistan and what they believe when they return. This supports my essential question on taking a deeper look into the lives of soldiers and what they face while overseas as well as the issues that they take home with them after their return. The article better supported my previous ideas that Americans need to be understanding to the fact that we do not fully know what soldiers and aid workers go through every day while they live in fear. Soldiers and aid workers constantly need feelings of security and stablitiy in order to keep them at peace with their lives. Just because we know facts, doesn’t mean we know the truth, and I think this article helps to develop that thought.

Katz, Matt. "Big Task, Tiny Victories."//Philadelphia Inquirer// 3 Oct. 2010: n. pag. Web. 3 Oct. 2010. .

Annotated Bibliography The article //Big Task, Tiny Victories//, Matt Katz is the author. Katz is a news reporter who works for the //Philadelphia Inquirer// who covers Camden, New Jersey, and the surrounding communities. He has worked at numerous different newspapers as a reporter and columnist as well as doing some multimedia duties and enterprise writing. Awards by the author include being a Pulitzer Prize finalist in 2005 for Newspaper Public Service, a Philadelphia Press Association Honorable Mention in 2006, as well as many other writing and education awards. This article is an informational report on a Philadelphia native stationed in Afghanistan, which explains the ties he had to the article. In //Big Task, Tiny Victories,// Katz’s thesis is mainly to showcase the life of the Provincial Reconstruction Team (PRT) in Afghanistan, and how they deal with everyday issues overseas as well as at home while still struggling to make a positive difference. Katz explains that Lt. Douglas Gugger as well as the rest of the US force called PRT and the medical staffis in Afghanistan on a mission to rebuild a province in a poor location, which included building police stations, wells, and roads. While the force team is there though, they struggle with leaving loved ones at home, missing out on their children’s life and growth, and worry about future relationships. These men need to find strength while they are away though, and for Lt. Gugger, his strength is found through seeing and helping Afghan children survive. The team is fully stocked with gifts, food, clothes, and school supplies for all of the hurt children they see, and it brings them closer to what they’re missing at home as well as what makes them feel positive while they are somewhere else. Having to live in every day danger also causes a lot to be bargaining for when it’s your life at stake. This article began as the staff was sitting down to a nice cigar night, and the next thing they knew, bombs were going off from the Taliban. As Gugger misses his nightly call with his wife, he makes up a lie about what he’s doing and prepares to take his place while being attacked. It’s a hard decision for soldiers to make the choice of lying to their loved ones to protect them from being as worried as they are. The life that they lead is completely strange and obscure to us Americans, and they know that just as much as we do. The lies and the fabrications are used to stop inflicting worry and fear, though we don’t want them to have to go through that alone. It’s a strange crossroads that everyone just needs to be aware of, because circumstances become much different when you’re stationed in a foreign country. Matt Katz’s work is logical and clearly researched with interviews of the force as well as detailed accounts of what these people go through, how they live, and what they see. The topic of addressing American soldiers in Afghanistan is thorough and he gives good explanation on how the force deals with the neighboring Taliban and what sort of issues it puts them through. The author has no particular bias towards this article, just states facts and showcases a story. This source was helpful to my research because it once again gives me more insight on how soldiers live and what they go through every day in Afghanistan. The article, located on the front page of the //Philadelphia Inquirer//, also caught my eye because it’s very opening paragraphs describe soldiers having “cigar night”. This made me smile and believe more in my cause and organization “Cigars for Soldiers.” Cigars really are used and appreciated there, and they unite the units they live in.  

Boehm, Azar. "Why Did I Survive?" //At War//. The New York Times, 8 July 2010. Web. 8 Oct. 2010. .

Annotated Bibliography This citation above showcases a post written by Azar Boehm. Boehm wrote this post on the //New York Times// blog, At War. The article is a commentary written by a soldier, which is Azar Boehm. Though he does not have necessary credentials as a journalist, he joined the Army at 18 as an infantryman and deployed to both Iraq and Afghanistan. Though he may not have any training in writing, he had the training of war in the truest sense, which makes him the purest candidate about war stories and informational reports concerning soldiers overseas. I would qualify him as an expert in the field of war because he lived it, so he’s very knowledgeable in that sense. Boehm’s thesis is stating that though many new experiences and lessons were learned through his deployment and going to war, it does not have to mean that your life is over after it is all said and done. You can still achieve anything that you want to, with or without a military title. Boehm explains how he joined the army at the young age of 18 without any college experience, and receiving the education of war, friendship, human suffering, and loss. Flashbacks still lead him to the thoughts of his friends being shot right beside him and beheaded Iraqi men right in front of him, images he’ll never forget and issues he struggles with because he doesn’t understand why young people have to go through being around something like that. Boehm also explains life overseas as times filled with boredom and exhaustion, and during those times he realized that though he was more than willing to fight for the cause he signed up for, this wasn’t his lifelong goal. He knew he had a future in other opportunities, but the things he learned in the military were things he would never lose or forget. The values he learned will stay with him, and he claimed that even though memories fade, the thoughts of his friends who had to die too soon will stay in his mind forever, as he will always ask himself why he survived when some did not. Through those people he sees light and fortitude, and will live his life with success not only for himself, but for them as well. The research and post is well researched and makes complete sense. Boehm’s topic is the life that he chose to lead, and how war has changed him, and I believe that he addressed that in all the ways that it affected him. The author does not necessarily take an objective stance towards this issue, more of just making a statement that that armed services gave him core values that he can take with him with the rest of his life, but he also knows that he is able to move on and begin another chapter in his life with another goal in mind. To reflect, I believe that this source is helpful to my research because it is a soldier giving his take on what the war gave him and how he has changed from it. This helps me to begin to understand where soldier’s minds can be while overseas and how they deal with their thoughts, wants and needs. Though it doesn’t really tell me what exactly soldier’s do need, Boehm does explain where this war took him in a mental standpoint and I believe that other soldiers can relate to him as far as not forgetting some sights that they have seen while over there. This helps me lead to the thought of soldiers needing distraction, because sometimes, without us knowing it, there are too many negative things going on for them to take all the time. Americans need to help them keep their minds from those thoughts and focus on something happy and positive.

//Time//. Time Inc., 12 Oct. 2010. Web. 13 Oct. 2010. .

Annotated Bibliography In this article, the writer, Nate Rawlings, is an editorial intern for Time Magazine since May 2010. Rawlings graduated from Princeton University in 2004 and attended and completed graduate school at Columbia University for Journalism. He is a captain in the United States Army, and is currently serving his second combat tour in Iraq. Throughout the next few months there, he will be answering questions about his experience and what is going on in his life. This body of work is an informational report, and it is in reply to questions concerning Baghdad’s current state. The author’s thesis states that while the lives of the soldiers still left in Baghdad are sometimes boring, there fight is still not over and just because troops have been pulled out of the area, doesn’t mean everything is peaceful and safe now. Rawlings explains how soldiers stationed in Iraq have been there entirely too long, and because of that they are restless. Just because most troops have been pulled out though, does not mean that there is no action in the territory. Actually, right before troops were officially supposed to pull out, a suicide bombing occurred right outside of Rawling’s base, and eighteen days later a team of fighters stormed the Old MoD, where the base is currently located, taking prisoners inside of the building and resulted in 7 Iraqi soldiers dying. Most of the base had seen bombing attacks before, but all stated that they had never seen so much damage as they did in the recently past months. U.S. troops are supposed to document bombings, deaths, and photograph people who have died, including suicide bombers. Rawlings was able to get a hold of these pictures and witness the account through them, witnessing suicide bombers bodies as they were ripped apart. These are scenes that are subject to occur during a day in Iraq. Just because combat operations came to a close at the end of August, the madness has not stopped, and not every soldier has been pulled. The combat will continue until all the troops are gone. This work is logical and well researched because it is a story. This section of Rawling’s story is not the beginning, so it’s not exactly chronological for me to understand, but the point he was trying to make was still made successfully. Addressing Iraq’s current problems and what soldiers are still trying to accomplish was addressed correctly. Nate Rawling’s doesn’t exactly take a motivated to take an objective stance or position; he is merely just trying to account events that happen exactly as they play out to help people understand what is going on overseas. This source wasn’t outstandingly helpful towards my research, but it does account soldiers overseas and gives me a wider knowledge on bombings and makes me realize that things can happen right outside of a soldier’s base, or even on it, at any given moment in time. There is always a high security alert, there is no settlement. Even though the troops have been dismantled, there are still issues in Iraq every day, and much hostility and unevenness is still in effect. While talking about the soldiers, Rawling’s addresses that soldiers still there are bored and need to come up with ways to spend and pass their time. This statement helps me develop my argument that soldiers overseas need us to help them receive things that will help them pass the time and keep them entertained. Cigars for Soldiers is a nonprofit that is dedicated to giving back to soldiers to give them something that would make them happy, entertain them, and help pass the time of the long days that can go on in their area.



Katauskas, Philip J. "Staying in Touch, despite the Wars." //Philadelphia Inquirer// 3 Oct. 2010, sec. C: C1+C3. Print.

Annotated Bibliography The author of this article, Philip J. Katauskas, was educated at the United States Naval Academy as well as Villanova University School of Law. He has been a litigation partner at a major law firm in Philadelphia, and recently has moved on to commercial litigation. He serves as Chairman of the Board of the Philadelphia Chapter of the United State Naval Academy Alumni Association and as First Vice President of the Philadelphia Council of the U.S. Navy League. He has written previous articles, and this article was featured in //The Philadelphia Inquirer//. This article is somewhat of a self-help guide for parents and loved ones who have relationships with a person who is overseas serving in the war. Katauskas has knowledge in this field because he attended Naval Academy so he has military awareness, and he also has a son who has served two tours in Iraq, so he understands firsthand what it’s like to know someone participating in the war. The author’s thesis in this article was that many people struggle with dealing with having loved ones overseas, but there are healthy ways to deal with the difficultness and ways for you to help yourself as well as the people that you are missing. The main points in this article describe different ways for people to adapt and deal with uneasy feelings of sending people off to war. Admitting and talking about how you feel to friends and family puts you more at ease about the situation. Finding out information about where your loved one is and what they are doing is a lot better than not knowing anything. Not knowing anything only provides more room for you to make up unnecessary and tremendous fears, and it’s nice for them to have someone to talk to as well. The amount of emails, phone calls, and letters could be minimal from your loved one overseas because of minimal internet connection and bad reception. Just because they cannot contact you does not mean that you cannot contact them though. We have a much easier time to send things out to them, so we must do it all the time. Whether it is letters, care packages, or anything else, constant reminders from home are good for the soul and are so helpful to soldiers. Joining support groups for these issues of loss is never looked down upon and is very helpful to some people who had a hard time coping with not having someone special in their lives around. Prayer also works both ways, because you will be helping yourself live every day, but you will also be giving soldier’s motivation to push on and give them extra special protection. This article was clear and logical and to the point. Its point was to give proof and examples of what people can do to cope and help with soldiers and the war, and it accomplished that. The topic has adequately been addressed as well since Katauskas is trying to help support soldiers and their family and friends. I believe that the author does take an objective stance of staying positive during all of these troubling times. Watching people you know leave you to face danger is never easy for anyone, and this article is trying to relate everyone together so people know that they are not facing these issues alone and that there are positive ways to get through it all. This source was helpful to my research because I was able to get input from another parent’s perspective of having their son overseas besides just having my own parent’s perspectives. The author gives good advice not only for families but for people in general to help the cause of the war and be gracious and caring about the people who fight for our country, because there are little things that anyone and everyone can do every day to make their lives and days a little better while they are serving.

Brokaw, Tom. "The Wars That America Forgot About." //New York Times//. New York Times Co., 17 Oct. 2010. Web. 20 Oct. 2010. .

Annotated Bibliography The author of this article, Tom Brokaw, best known as the anchor and managing editor of //NBC Nightly News// from 1982-2004. He is an American television journalist and also the author of //The Greatest Generation// (1998) as well as other books and stories. He has hosted on three different NBC news programs: //The Today Show, NBC Nightly News,// and //Meet the Press//. Currently, Brokaw is a special correspondent for NBC News and works with other outlets as well. This article is located in the Opinion Pages of //The New York Times//, so I would decide that it’s mostly an informational report on current affairs to do with the upcoming elections and the war. I would consider Tom Brokaw to be very newsworthy and a valued opinion considering he has been working for NBC for such a long time. The author’s thesis in this article is that though upcoming elections bring up issues such as debt, jobs, healthcare, and the economy, the war in Afghanistan is barely an importance in any politician’s or American’s mind. This is now the ninth year that the US has been fighting overseas, making it the longest wars in American history. During this time, the nation has spent over $1 trillion dollars on the war effort, yet no one seems to have the time or effort to pay attention to such a huge budget cost, or worry why the money is going there as its own separate topic. Americans are constantly reminded every day about the constant day to day economic trouble that must be faced, but they are not burdened with the issue of being called to serve a tour overseas. Since it does not happen to you specifically kind of gives you more of a reason to forget about the cause and go about your day, unless you have family or friends that are attached to this war. Besides having to deal with your close relatives being away from you, Americans are not asked of merely anything at all when it comes to the war effort. Campaigning as of recently has mostly been bashing each and every candidate and milking whatever problems each person has to the utmost extent through a media scale. Witchcraft, socialism, greed, and radicalism have all been claimed to each candidate through the election period, but everyone has failed to mention sacrifice and equality on the home-front since our soldiers are fighting each and every day. What do we have to show for it? Our nation is in a place right now where war is a constant backdrop over our eyes. It is here, and it is not going away anytime soon. The question remains if politicians will try to change their ways of attacking opponents and maybe instead hold a common ground of working towards a better outlook and outcome for our soldiers and this war. I believe that this research was very logical, and the opinions in it were well researched, thorough, and well thought out. The topic of war and the minimal thought of it through politician’s views was adequately addressed and explained. Tom Brokaw definitely takes an objective stance in this article, giving the assumption that he favored a candidate that brought the controversy of war into the equation. His points make me believe that he wishes of more of an effort on the home-front side of this extended oversea war time. I believe that Brokaw is motivated to argue that politicians have been ignoring the issues of war and what we can do as a nation to make a change. Tom Brokaw’s opinion in this article definitely sparked an interest to me because this was the first opinion-based body of text that I was about to read and analyze, and it gave me the chance to think about the different controversial topics that are going on here in the US now instead of focusing all of my attention to the nation of Afghanistan. There is a lot to be done to try and react to a situation like this; it all depends on what people will make of the path that lies ahead as elections are beginning and more competition is stressed every day. With Cigars for Soldiers, hopefully I can give way to some insight on people and what’s going on in our country, and the little things we can all do by just giving back a little to people who just need a little care and support to keep morale higher. I enjoyed being able to read this because of the controversial topics it has led me to think about.

Herbert, Bob. "The Way We Treat Our Troops." Editorial. //New York Times// 22 Oct. 2010: n. pag. //The New York Times//. Web. 24 Oct. 2010. .

Annotated Bibliography The author of this editorial, Bob Herbert, is a journalist who writes for //The New York Times//. He is the head of his own op-ed or opinion column. He has received his Bachelor’s degree in Journalism while he attended the State University of New York in 1988. His editorials for the newspaper are frequently about poverty, the Iraq/Afghanistan war, racism, and the American standpoint towards issues of race in a political manner. This piece of writing is an editorial consisting of points dealing with the United States and our troops. I wouldn’t exactly call Herbert an expert in the field of this area, but he is definitely well informed and up to date on issues concerning the Afghanistan war. His intended audience is fellow Americans. The author’s thesis in this editorial was that though the United States has been at war for 10 years, the United States and any of its citizens and inhabitants are not paying attention enough to our soldiers and what is going on overseas. In his article, Herbert mentions Sgt. First Class Lance Vogeler, a 29 year old in the Army who was on his 12th combat tour overseas and was killed a few weeks ago. There are not enough volunteers for this war to make people end their round of deployment. In this case, one man served 12 times. The U.S may act patriotic with bumper stickers and chants, but what are we really doing to make daily life a little easier? Herbert made the statement that a war comes with responsibilities, and we should be aware of all that is going on here or anywhere else at all times, not just leaving it alone when it’s out of sight. Soldiers have been negatively affected coming home from this war as well as being in it, with the rates of deaths and suicides of veterans increasing outstandingly. They are stressed out, depressed, and then sent right back into action with some medication and not always the help that they need. The saddest thing is that people do not exactly care about these situations; they just know that it’s not a part of their daily life so they do not need to deal with it. This is not true at all and there has to be a change in order for things to get better, and to improve the lives of soldiers so they can be healthier and have an easier life when they finally do come home. This work is logical, clear, and well researched because involved are statistics, examples, evidence of knowledge. The topic of American citizens not doing their part for the war has been addressed. Bob Herbert does take an objective stand on this issue because he believes that Americans are not paying half as much attention to soldier’s overseas as they should, and that once a situation is not in a person’s full vision anymore, they always seem to brush it off like it doesn’t exist anymore. That is not true, because soldiers are leaving and coming home all of the time, but we need to be aware of every situation, near and far. This source has been helpful to my research because it is another viewpoint from the home lines, and it is depicting the way America has not been as kind and helpful to its troops as it should be, and people need to change their respects and be more physically and mentally aware of the hardships that this war has raged ever since it began in 2001. I learned that more people than just me believe that inhabitants in this country need to do more for their servicemen and women and deal with the responsibilities of this war head on. If there is no doing good here, there will be no motivation to do well there. We have a responsibility here too, and the citizens of this country matter in situations like these because there are always things that can be done to make a difference.

Freedberg, Sydney J., Jr. "When the Troops Come Home." //National Journal// (Sept. 2010): n. pag. //Gale Cenage Learning//. Web. 2 Nov. 2010. . Annotated Bibliography The author of this article, Sydney Freedberg, is a contributor for //National Journal,// and has been writing and researching on homeland and military security since 1997. Before working for the company, Freedberg earned a bachelor’s degree from Harvard University and a master’s degree from Cambridge University, both in modern European studies. Since 2004, he has been conducting interviews with military persons about experiences in Iraq and Afghanistan as well as stories that can relate to policy analysis. This is an informational report on military members and their loved ones. Everyone in that situation is affected by deployment, and there is help and repair that is needed in order to make situations better. Freedberg’s thesis in this article is that soldier’s and their families continue to go through hardships and struggles even after their tour overseas is over. What is being done at home to make these situations better and what specific needs need to be focused on in order for positive change and sustainability. Many families are confused about who can help with what issues. Divorce rates have risen slightly since 2005. Since September 11, the Defense Department has invested in programs for family support, marriage counselors, child psychologists, and financial advisors. These programs are becoming pressurized though as budgets are beginning to tighten. Soldiers as well as families both suffer Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), and those issues need to be taken care of for the right of good well-being. Most soldiers do not talk to their spouses or loved ones about the trouble they faced because they do not want to place the burden on their shoulders, and sometimes spouses or loved ones do not want to hear what was faced. In those situations, help is needed in order to create a common ground, and move more towards a realistic picture of daily life. It is estimated that more than 2 million American children, from newborns to teens, are affected by the war. Anita Chandra, a behavioral scientist at the Rand think tank, paired up with the National Military Family Association, conducted a study which claimed that older children had a harder time than younger ones, and girls had a harder time than boys. Army Chief of Staff George Casey and his loved ones created Casey’s Family Covenant, which is free child care for deployed soldiers for 16 hours a month, 30 days or more before deployment until 30 days after return. There is much going on in order to help the lives of returning soldiers and their families, but not everything is always a breakthrough solution that works. Congress upped Yellow Ribbon grants to $246 million in 2010, but that’s still less than $5million per state. The real determinant in this situation is to figure out what exactly is needed to satisfy these families when and if the war ever ends. Reading this article, I was shown a very driven thesis as well as logical work that were clearly thoroughly researched because of quotes, the naming of organizations and charities, statistics, and factual information. The topic has been adequately addressed, though there wasn’t a giant step towards stating what else is needed to be done in order to improve situations; it mainly explained what was already being done. There was not a heavy objective stance towards the author about the topic, though he was leaning more towards taking more leaps and branching out more to finding help for soldiers and their families. Freedberg is definitely on that side, but his article is more fact driven rather than opinionated. This article was helpful to my research because it gave me a lot of insight on what goes on when soldier’s return and how the government funds their money into certain programs and benefits. This article was able to sum up a lot of facts and statistics that I was not aware of concerning soldiers and their spouses, children, government spending on military support, and statuses of relationships with the issues of deployment attached. In my quest, I am trying to seek out happiness and the true good hearted minds of soldiers. To learn about the bad stuff only leads me to brainstorm ways to change that to try to make things better.

Sherman, Nancy. "What Good Soldiers Bear." //American Magazine// 31 May 2010: 11-14. //Ebsco Host//. Web. 28 Oct. 2010. . Annotated Bibliography The author of this magazine article, Nancy Sherman, is quite an accomplished woman. She received her bachelor’s from Bryn Mawr College and her PhD from Harvard University. She served as the first Distinguished Chair in Ethics at the Naval Academy from 1997-1999. She is a frequent contributor in the media, including appearances with MSNBC, Fox News, and CNN. Her magazine articles and other publishing appears in The LA Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Boston Globe, and so much more. She is a distinguished professor at Georgetown University in the Philosophy Department. She is the author to numerous books, her most recent being //The Untold War: Inside the Hearts, Minds, and Souls of our Soldiers.// This article is essay based as an informational report as well as an overview on the life of soldiers and the bearable and unbearable weights they carry around with them every day. Sherman seemed to be writing to fellow Americans to raise awareness on the reality of life in America, and to show a different perspective on the war by gaining more intellectual insight from the actual people who live it and fight it. Sherman’s main discussion and thesis in this work is that the responsibilities of soldiers leads to feelings of guilt and anguish, and though many of us cannot truly understand their mindset, it is a warming feeling for them to know that they are appreciated and can feel comfort, and Americans need to be aware of this. This war is not truly understood by the people of the nation. Soldiers crave the private respect of being understood sympathetically for what they’ve gone through and what they will carry home. Some soldiers do not like to speak about the events that took place while they were overseas, while some find it very helpful and find moral peace within conversation. Sharing their stories is a way to get past the things that tear them up inside. There are soldiers who feel shame for going to war, and worry that coming home alive is at the expense of losing their friends who will not survive. Guilt and shame are two key ingredients that attach themselves to going to war, and they do not go away. In the 40 interviews that Sherman has conducted with soldiers who have fought in Iraq, Afghanistan, Vietnam, and World War II, the weight of their actions caused them to feel responsible for situations, even if they were beyond any of their control. Sherman came up with three types of guilt that soldiers face. “Accident guilt” is an issue when soldiers blame themselves for miscommunications, accidents with equipment, or any other problems that ended up taking the lives of their friends or innocents. “Survivor guilt” is either when you are stationed somewhere safe, and you feel the pain of having your fellow brothers and sisters away at war. Some soldiers who are injured feel guilt for not suffering more than they had. The last kind is “collateral damage guilt”, when the devastation of killing individuals, especially innocent Afghani children, during certain circumstances. When children are involved, it’s an entirely different situation for troops, and they try to do anything in their power to get them the help they need. Soldiers are trained to protect themselves, and protect those who are not as able as they are. They take risks when they need to, because instinct is vital when one is faced with a life or death situation. With the Taliban fighting without uniform, it proposes difficulty for soldiers to restrict themselves. An even greater restriction is for Americans to put their life on the line while still trying to win the hearts of a population whose army is not adequately fighting, and whose people are not adequately loving and respecting towards them. A former army interrogator stated that “war takes place in a different time and space”, speaking of the dissociation of what it can bring into one’s being. It eats away at him because he claims “I know I am the same person who was doing those things. And that’s what tears at your soul.” These soldiers do not have any way to turn, because either way, they will blame themselves for something that they wish they could change, or they will face it through their own reality as they climb back into the harsh and selfish world that this nation can bring them as it lacks true understanding and empathy towards human beings who make a difference, but are left unheard of and unacknowledged. This work is well established and researched accordingly. I believe that works of this nature are plays off of Sherman’s newest publication, //The Untold War.// The topic has been adequately addressed and well written because of factual information and real accounts of soldier’s lives and experiences. Sherman takes a gentle approach on the lives of soldiers by her heartfelt manner of caring about their happiness and freeing them from emotional and moral guilt as well as the burdens that they bear on a daily basis. Though this is not a heavily opinionated paper, Sherman proposes the idea that the nation should be more understanding towards soldiers who risk their lives overseas and the things that they live through and see in order to keep the rest of the nation in order. This was one of the best articles that I have read during the course of my research. It takes a look at the psychological aspects of war and soldier’s well –being, which is a really interesting topic to cover and delve into. Sherman’s factual information gained me more insight on a soldiers mind rather than the physical things that they face while deployed. You understand a person a lot better when you know the reasons behind certain feelings or you understand the hardships that they have faced in their past. That knowledge can make you respect people a lot more, and I want fellow Americans to realize these struggles and have respect for it. Everyone struggles and faces hardship, no matter who you are. You find yourself being a lot more at ease when you know that there are people around you who genuinely care about your peace of mind and listen and are acceptant of what you have to say. Life in a war torn country is not the same as living life in the states, and we need to be aware that because circumstances are different, situations require different attention, good or bad. But as bad as it may be, the nation needs to be in acceptance that most of our soldiers have good hearts, and they only do what they have to do to protect their life and ours.