Listen:
Never miss a show! | Email Signup | Spotify | RSS Feed | Apple Podcasts |
They’ve all worn the uniform of the United States military, but when it comes to the war in Iraq they don’t always think alike. On this special report, prepared by Associate Producer Justin Beck, we take a look at some of the different ways the war has affected soldiers and their families, both personally — and politically.
Featuring:
Dillon Fike, Army Reservist; Josie Thompson Fike, veterinarian and mother; John Fike, medical researcher and father; Diana Morrison, co-founder, Iraq Veterans Against the War; Elizabeth Vazquez, medic with the 132nd Engineers, California National Guard; Nadia McCaffrey, mother of Sergeant Patrick McCaffrey, killed in Iraq.
For more information:
Review of this program on PRX (Public Radio Exchange):
Posted: 09-05-2005
Reviewer: David Swatling, producer, Radio Netherlands
Honest and compelling voices – mothers and sons, husbands and wives – talk about the war in Iraq. It should be said this piece is fairly one-sided. But given the recent events of an Army Mom snubbed by Bush, this perspective perhaps deserves wider coverage. The two strongest segments involve families divided: an intelligent mother’s fear for her idealistic son; a wife’s fear her husband will return dehumanized. But what could be most disturbing to some is the Army Mom with a military background who joined the National Guard at age 42. She notes that the roots of the National Guard are no different from the Iraqi insurgency. She even admits admiration for them. The title of the piece is somewhat misleading since the slant here is definately anti-war. And the musical beds are sometimes intrusive. But it’s powerful stuff all the same, and even if Bush doesn’t want to hear what an Army Mom has to say, perhaps your listeners should.
Rating: 4/5
Adjectives: Disturbing, Personal, Provocative