I updated this post today, after reading this piece, which Nicholas Kristof wrote for the New York Times. It’s about a combat veteran who commits a heinous crime. He is only 25 years old. He is a decorated Sargeant and has no criminal record. So how, and why, Kristof asks, did this happen? He writes,
“I don’t know just what could have led an apparently normal young man to commit such a crime. All we know for certain is that a caring, much loved woman here in Delaware has been horrifically murdered, leaving a vacuum of sadness and a vexing uncertainty about whether there is a link to distant wars.”
Kristof contextualizes the crime and the perpetrator without forgetting the victim and the tremendous loss her family and community faces. By doing so, he raises an essential question about the costs of war beyond the combat zone. In Kristof’s thinking, and I agree administrations who wage and support these ware are too slow to bear the burden of their ripple effects.
Freelance journalist Michael Yoanna created this tip sheet for journalists who cover veteran and military suicides. In one, Yoanna, who is currently directing and producing a documentary about a group of veteran cyclists recovering from war, writes,
“Don’t always assume the worst outcome. Yes, there is much reporting to be done on the themes of homelessness, drugs, homicide, suicide and harassment of wounded soldiers by the military. There are also many inspiring stories of veterans returning home and healing their wounds of war and persevering. There are many who have considered suicide and have found the resources and support they need. Telling their stories can be very powerful and inspiring.”
Yoanna’s work does double duty. Not only does he seek to motivate reporters to do better work, he also goes after institutional stigma within the military. In a scathing, investigative piece published in 2009 by Salon, Yoanna exposes the military’s resistance to diagnose PTSD, and its disturbing pattern of labeling vets with “childhood trauma” or “personality disorders” instead. Earlier that year, Salon reported on a review by the Department of Veterans Affairs to investigate 72,000 veterans who received monthly disability payments for psychological trauma. The review was halted after a veteran in New Mexico shot himself in protest.
A predilection to place blame on the victim of trauma is as old as trauma itself. So is the tendency to objectify the victim’s experience. Which is why I like Claire Felicie’s black and white portraits so much. They are close. Intimate. Vividly detailed. They make you feel as though you’re in the company of very old friends, or at least, men and women you might relate to. Check them out here.
Hey Damaris
You’ve chosen in a fascinating topic. I’ve been following Claire Felice’s blog, and you’re right… her portraits humanize military personnel and soldiers. They force the viewer to look beyond the uniform, and see them as people. With regular reports of drone wars, it’s easy to forget that there are men and women who “do violence” on a nation’s behalf.
The problem with the media is that we rarely see grey. A person can be either a hero or a villain… nothing in between. In such a media landscape, reporting on such issues not easy. Your blog highlights those who get it right… thanks
I read “When War Comes Home” over the weekend and I thought it was interesting that while veteran suicides receive some media attention, the connection between trauma from war and crime is less explored. Kristof suggests that Smith’s case: “… may emerge as the pre-eminent American case exploring whether soldiers’ brain injuries and trauma overseas can lead to crimes committed later. The basic question is whether Ms. Lee, as she walked her dog on a quiet street here, became an indirect casualty of our foreign wars.”
The writer also suggests that there are now more suicides because of the changed nature of warfare. He writes: “probably because of repeated, extended deployments in combat, coupled with an increase in improvised explosive devices and concussions.” I would want to know what is it that’s happening in combat today that is causing suicide rates to rise, and while such information is opaque it would be interesting to know what studies have looked into the issue.
This could be of interest; it’s a story in ProPublica about veterans who want to claim benefits have a tough time doing so because of missing records. http://www.propublica.org/article/lost-to-history-missing-war-records-complicate-benefit-claims-by-veterans
Damaris,
I really like your topic and look forward to reading more of your posts.
I’m interested in finding out if the public perception of a particular conflict has any influence on the way journalists cover the veterans from that war?
This is an interesting blog topic. I think you have done a good job describing the issue you plan on covering and making a good case on why your readers should care too.
Helping veterans after they’ve returned from war seems like it should be easy — proper diagnosis and treat their physical and/or mental issues with long-term support — but our country has failed miserably time after time. I’m curious about your thoughts on this: Why doesn’t the U.S. take the time and resources to make sure our veterans are acclimated back into civilian life? Is it lack of money? Or, do we still not grasp how difficult it is to return home after the war? I think the media does a fair job of telling the stories of veterans (fortunately this tends to be around Veterans Day or after tragedy strikes). So we should be aware that something is not right here and veterans need more help than we’re giving them.