Tag Archives: afghanistan

Coming home

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Veterans Day. Credit: Flickr/Jeff Cagle

Veterans Day. Credit: Flickr/Jeff Cagle

Returning from war, veterans face numerous challenges. For some, that includes starting a new career after their service. This Veterans Day, we take a look at stories old and new of how veterans cope with coming back.

Military spouses, journalists, veterans, and family members are sharing advice about returning from war in a “conversation” from PBS’ film series, POV. Regarding War is a space to share your stories and learn from those who’ve dealt with this difficult topic. The accompanying film The Way We Get By profiles a group of senior citizens who greet soldiers returning from war in Bangor, Maine.

American Experience shares letters written by servicemen and women written home to their families from World War I through the present day. These don’t all have happy endings, but they give a unique glimpse into what it’s like to be so far away and what it’s like to come back.

One example is from Lewis Plush, who fought in World War I:

“”Men fought to kill, to maim, to destroy. Some return home, others remain behind forever on the fields of their greatest sacrifice. There was a war, a great war, and now it is over.”

Plush was honorably discharged from service on February 15, 1919. He returned home and homesteaded property in the coastal mountains. He married in 1923, planted apples and raised turkeys on his ranch, and died in 1956 at age 63.

Two veterans profiled today are taking steps to start new careers after completing their military service. NPR’s Michel Martin spoke with two former service members who are now a college counselor in Atlanta and cardiovascular perfusionist at the Mayo Clinic, respectfully.

For more stories about military service and first-person accounts, EconomyBeat is featuring posts from Milblogging.com, where soldiers in Afghanistan and Iraq are sharing their stories.

Focus on Afghanistan

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In the lead up to the Afghan presidential election, there’s been a growing number of stories about whether the vote will be fair, as well coverage about how the ongoing U.S. involvement in conflicts abroad affects our own economy.

When it comes to the impact the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq are having on the U.S. economy, Paul Solman at The NewsHour’s Business Desk astutely argues both sides of the coin:

“The wars have certainly hurt the economy of the moment by running up both oil prices and the deficit. A higher deficit arguably drove long-term interest rates higher than they otherwise would have gone. … But once the economy tanked, military spending was a source of consumption at a time when both families and businesses had cut back drastically. Who’s to say the economic crisis mightn’t have been worse without our current wars?”

But will those investments continue? World Focus takes a closer look at the U.S.’ continuing involvement in Afghanistan.

NewsTrust.net has been asking readers to analyze coverage of Afghanistan and pick out the most trustworthy reports from the region, in coordination with Thirteen/WNET‘s WorldFocus.

For more news from Afghanistan, you can follow the coverage from Kabul with NPR Morning Edition host Renee Montagne, who’s been in Afghanistan for weeks following the election story.