AWOL in America: Why Over 5,500 U.S. Soldiers Discharged Themselves
The Pentagon has estimated that since the start of the current conflict in Iraq, more than 5,500 U.S. military personnel have deserted. We speak with journalist Kathy Dobie who wrote the cover story for this month’s issue of Harper’s magazine titled "AWOL in America: When Desertion is the Only Option." Dobie says, "Some of them leave because they’re unwilling to kill, some because of family and personal problems and some because of the unjust recruiting process."
Three U.S. Soldiers Refusing to Fight Speak Out Against the Iraq War
We speak with three U.S. soldiers who are refusing deployment to Iraq: Carl Webb, who is AWOL after refusing to report for duty when his term was extended under the military’s "stop-loss" policy, Kevin Benderman who has been charged with desertion and is facing a court martial after refusing to return to Iraq and another soldier who served in Iraq and is now AWOL after refusing to return when he has called up for a second tour off duty
The Invisible Wounded: Injured U.S. Soldiers Arrive Home Under Cover of Darkness
We speak with journalist Mark Benjamin about the hidden casualties of the Iraq war: wounded U.S. soldiers. We look at how injured soldiers evacuated to the U.S. never arrive in the light of day as well as how veterans suffering from post traumatic stress syndrome receive inadequate and ineffective psychiatric care at Walter Reed Army Medical Center.