Afghanistan
The Afghan Massacre: Lariam’s Rise and Fall
Since my first post March 20 about the possibility that Staff Sergeant Robert Bales may have been on the anti-malaria drug Lariam (mefloquine), I have received many comments and e-mails on the issue. Bales has been charged with murdering 17 Afghan civilians last month outside Kandahar.
There is a lot more in the literature since a …
“War is hell. War is not going to be a, you know, bowl of cherries every day.”
Where Miracles are Made: An Inside Look at the Center for the Intrepid
When the war in Afghanistan began ten years ago, some of the most grievously wounded troops have come through Brooke Army Medical Center, a sprawling green campus less than 10 miles from downtown San Antonio.
BAMC, as the troops call it, has long been home to the Department of Defense’s top burn unit. Then 2007, 600,000 people donated …
In the Halls of DC, the Dark Cloud of Kandahar Lingers
In March, like everyone else operating in the mil-writer space, I decided it was my duty to God and to country to pen a piece on the maddening and tragic Kandahar massacre. So I did, and thanks to the fine people at …
Afghan Massacre: The Link to Lariam Remains Open
If – and it’s a big if — Staff Sergeant Robert Bales became psychotic after taking mefloquine, it wouldn’t be the first time. In fact, there have been confirmed cases of psychosis and aggression in Afghanistan directly …
Afghanistan: A Bleak Report from the Front
Marine General John Allen, the top U.S. commander in Afghanistan, was here in Washington two weeks ago saying the U.S. and the Afghan government are making progress in their decade-long battle with the Taliban. “We remain on track to ensure that Afghanistan will no longer be a safe haven for al-Qaida and will no longer be terrorized by …
“People who know what they're talking about don't need PowerPoint.”
“He Did Not Do This…”
The heartbreak of the 17 Afghans allegedly murdered by Staff Sergeant Robert Bales continued to unfold Monday morning as his wife, Kari, appeared on NBC’s Today show to say “He did not do this…this is not what it appears to …
Afghan Massacre: The Coming Sanity Board
What’s next in the case ofArmy Staff Sergeant Robert Bales, formally charged Friday with murdering 17 Afghan civilians? I will not try to answer that question regarding the courtroom proceedings. But what I can discuss is the normal military procedure for assessing competency to stand trial, and criminal responsibility at the time of …
$75,000,000,000
Dear John Letter 2.0
David Wood has done some of the finest reporting on the wounds of war, both seen and unseen. His latest lays bare the serious genital wounding of hundreds of U.S. troops that’s rarely acknowledged:
“Who’s going to want to be with me now?” wondered Marine Staff Sgt. Glen Silva, 39, after an IED blast shattered his leg, ripped open his
…
Veteran #11-03021-133
The Army veteran of combat in both Afghanistan and Iraq wasn’t named in a recent Department of Veterans Affairs’ inspector general’s investigation. So we’ll just refer to him by the IG report’s number. Plainly, he had a family who cared about him, and VA personnel who sometimes did their best – and sometimes …
