The hidden war

A noticeable lack of unembedded reporting on the Iraq war has lead to a corresponding lack of information about the realities of this war. What truths go unreported? Will the Bush administration attack Iran? What will the increased militarization in Pakistan mean for the Middle East? How will the United States government and the people respond?

On this edition, independent journalists David Barsamian and Dahr Jamail tackle Iraq, Iran, Pakistan and our relationship to each of these countries. Hear their provocative conversation
Greener Magazine


An hour-long version of this program is available here.

Featuring::

David Barsamian and Dahr Jamail, book authors and independent journalists.

Music: "Fly Away" Omar Faruk Tekbilek, "Long Wait" Omar Faruk Tekbilek

Senior Producer/Host: Tena Rubio
Associate Producer: Puck Lo
Interns: Samson Reiny, Joaquin Palomino and Elena Botkin-Levy

This show was produced by Elena Botkin-Levy as part of Making Contact’s internship program.

For more information::

David Barsamian
Targeting Iran with Noam Chomsky, Ervand Abrahamian, Nahid Mozaffari
City Lights, Booksellers and Publishers
415-362-1901
www.citylights.com

Dahr Jamail
Beyond the Green Zone: Dispatches from an Unembedded Journalist in Occupied Iraq
Haymarket Books
773-583-7884
info@haymarketbooks.org
www.haymarketbooks.org

Dahr Jamail’s Mideast Dispatches
mail@dahrjamailiraq.com
www.dahr.org

David Barsamian
Alternative Radio
P.O. Box 551
Boulder, Colorado 80306
800-444-1977 (voice)
info@alternativeradio.org
www.alternativeradio.org

"The Growing Iraqi Refugee Crisis," audio program
Making Contact
www.radioproject.org/archive/2007/4007.html

"The Iran Agenda," audio program
Making Contact
www.radioproject.org/archive/2007/3907.html

Reporters without Borders
Southern Railway Building
1500 K Street, NW, Suite 600
Washington, DC 20005
202-256-5613
lucie.morillon@rsf.org
www.rsf.org

War Made Easy: Norman Solomon on Media and Militarism

We talk with media critic Norman Solomon and hear excerpts from the powerful
documentary, "War Made Easy: How Presidents & Pundits Keep Spinning Us to Death." Narrated by actor Sean Penn, this new film is being shown by peace
activists across the country to help stop the war in Iraq.

Film producers at the Media Education Foundation have adapted Solomon's book "War Made Easy" into a documentary. Community screenings are also being organized - including a benefit premiere in Oakland for Making Contact.

Norman is the Executive Director of the Institute for Public Accuracy. He is
also one of the founders of National Radio Project which produces Making
Contact. Our executive director, Lisa Rudman, sat down with Norman to
discuss how spin is spun.

Greener Magazine

Featuring::

Norman Solomon and excerpts from the film.

Guest Host: Sandina Robbins
Mixing Engineer: Puck Lo
Intern: Samson Reiny



For more information::

Norman Solomon
mediabeat@igc.org
norman@accuracy.org
www.normansolomon.com
www.WARMADEEASYTHEMOVIE.org

Loretta Alper
Co-Director/Co-Writer/Producer
413-584-8500 ext. 2219
loretta@mediaed.org

Media Education Foundation
60 Masonic Street
Northampton, Massachusetts 01060
800- 897-0089 or 413-584-8500
info@mediaed.org
www.mediaed.org

Tour of duty

As the U.S. invasion and occupation of Iraq enters its fifth year, a group of veterans load onto school buses in Fayetteville, North Carolina, and head south. They are off to talk with soldiers, not about fighting war but about stopping war. So what happens when soldiers talk to soldiers about the Iraq War?

On this edition, Making Contact's Sarah Olson brings us along for the ride. We meet the veterans who spent a week traveling to military base towns throughout the south, and we hear from people they encountered along the way.

Featuring::

Ricky Clousing, former sergeant in the Army's 82nd airborne division, Ft. Bragg;Sandy Kelson, in the Army between 1963 and 1966 and member of Veterans for Peace; Cherie Eichholz, staff member at Veterans for Peace, organizer behind convoy; Pat Tate and Bill Hill, bus drivers for convoy and Vietnam veterans; Lori Tinsley, mother of Specialist Logan Tinsley, Captain Ben Gatskey,Private First Class Ryan Fullan and anonymous woman, Ft. Stewart soldiers; Kevin and Monica Benderman, conscientious objector and his wife; MyEsha Johnson and Shellaya Johnson, Mayport Naval Station; Al Zappala, member of convoy, war veteran, son killed in action.

Senior Producer/Host: Tena Rubio
Freelance Producer: Sarah Olson
Interns: Puck Lo, Alexis McCrimmon and Samson Reiny

Greener Magazine

For more information::

Veterans for Peace
216 South Meramec Ave.
St. Louis MO 63105
314-725-6005; fax: 314-725-7103; vfped@veteransforpeace.net
www.veteransforpeace.org

Iraq Veterans Against the War
P.O. Box 8296
Philadelphia, PA 19101
215-241-7123; fax: 215-241-7177; ivaw@ivaw.org
www.ivaw.org

Appeal for Redress
PO Box 53052
Washington, DC 20009-3052
360-241-1414; fax: 360-694-8843; info@appealforredress.org
www.appealforredress.org

WWII survivors - lessons in resilience

University of Maryland post traumatic stress disorder expert Glenn Schiraldi spent four years traveling the U.S. to talk with World War II combat veterans whose lives have been characterized by resilience. In this Q&A, Schiraldi describes his experience and what the veterans can teach us about resilience in the face of trauma and loss.

Schiraldi interviewed
Tom Fields,
second from left

What gave you the idea for the book?

SCHIRALDI: My public health career has focused on helping people to cope with stress. Prior to the publication of this book, I'd spent five years writing The Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Sourcebook, which describes the nature and treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). PTSD can afflict survivors of combat, terrorism, rape, any kind of abuse, natural disasters, and the like. Once you get a handle on treating a psychological disorder, you then naturally begin to think about preventing it. So the next logical step was to explore resilience--the strengths of mind and character which help people facing overwhelming stress to function well and preserve their sanity. Particularly after 9/11 and the war in Iraq, with the resulting up ticks in PTSD, anxiety, and depression, it seemed imperative to better understand what resilience is and how it develops. I began to consider a group of people who might share the secrets of surviving extreme adversity.

Why did you choose WWII survivors?

SCHIRALDI: Wartime stress is a metaphor for all other forms of stress. I'd also always been fascinated by the Greatest Generation, my parents' generation. They had been steeled by the Depression and hard work, and then, of course, so many of them answered freedom's call in WWII in truly remarkable ways. The fact that I'm a graduate of West Point probably also gave me a special feeling for these people and their sacrifices. When I interviewed them, they were eighty years old on average, so they also shared profound insights on surviving challenges across the lifespan. I think that their experiences and insights have much to teach all survivors--from combat to everyday stress and strain. Not only did this remarkable group of forty-one survivors have much to say about not stumbling psychologically, but they also shared much about being strong and productive before, during, and after crises.

What were your criteria in selecting people to interview?

SCHIRALDI: I interviewed people who were survivors of combat, who returned from the war well-adjusted, and who were well-married, an enduring marriage being another indicator of good adjustment. I asked them each to tell their stories about their pre-war years and then their war years. Then I asked them about what helped them to cope--how they got through the war psychologically intact. I specifically asked what was in their hearts and minds on topics ranging from staying calm under pressure, to emotional intelligence, forgiving, humor, optimism, spirituality, meaning and purpose, love, creativity, character, and how to view suffering and loss.

How did you find the people you interviewed?

SCHIRALDI: I simply asked people if they knew individuals who met my critieria. I started with veterans I'd known for years, such as Captain Joseph Taussig, a Naval Academy graduate who lost his leg at Pearl Harbor on the USS Nevada, the only battleship to move under its own power during that battle. Sometimes the WWII survivors referred me to comrades in arms with whom they'd served and knew well. In some cases, I learned about remarkable individuals through their books or television documentaries. For example, Irene Gut Opdyke, a Polish partisan, was an extraordinary woman. Her book (In My Hands) describes how she hid twelve Jews in the basement of a villa where she kept house for a German major. The Fighter Pilot's Story started out as a video which Quentin Aanenson made to explain the strains of war to his family. It has since become a PBS documentary.

How did you manage to interview all of the people in person?

SCHIRALDI: Over a five-year period, from 2000 to 2005, I traveled the country, sometimes flying but usually driving, visiting the survivors. I almost always met with them in their homes, because I wanted to get a sense of who they are. I often met their families, and in making follow-up calls and visits, came to feel that they and their families had become like an extended family. The individuals ranged from poor coal miners and farmers to privileged urbanites. The visits covered Maine to California, and included a Navajo Code Talker, a Tuskegee Airman, Marines in the Pacific, GIs in Europe, Sailors, Airmen, prisoners of war, survivors of the Bataan Death March and the Burma-Thailand Death Railway (of Bridge Over the River Kwai fame)--virtually all aspects of the war. I loved it when they pulled out old photos and relived their memories. Many of the photos are in the book.

Were there any surprises?

SCHIRALDI: Perhaps that people can endure incredible suffering, yet still remain soft and whole inside--hopeful, loving, and happy. While we hear about the real and tragic casualties of war, we perhaps hear less about those who withstand so much, and yet return to live productive lives. This book is, in a sense, stories of those who figured out ways to keep it together. I've often thought that this was a very warm and likeable group of individuals. Sometimes trauma makes people hard and bitter inside. But that wasn't the case with these people.

What can veterans from more recent wars such as Viet Nam and Iraq learn from these WWII vets?

SCHIRALDI: I believe the strengths of resilience are timeless and universal, and that we can all still learn much from these survivors. People often ask me if I would find similar strengths in the veterans of more recent wars, and I reply, "You would in the resilient ones." It was Viktor Frankl, the Holocaust survivor, who wrote that people can withstand almost any suffering if they have a reason to, something to give their lives meaning and purpose.

What were some of the traits these people shared?

SCHIRALDI: These survivors were very clear on their lives' purposes, why they were fighting, and what kinds of lives they wished to return to. They were also very clear on matters of character. They'd decided in advance what they would and wouldn't do, and thus carried fewer regrets back home with them. Whether it was standing up to immoral orders or being faithful to loved ones, this was a remarkably moral group of individuals. For the most part, they came from close-knit families, with adults who taught them values, responsibility, respect for others and property, and the value of hard work.

What are the one or two most important life lessons you learned from these veterans as far as overcoming difficulty in life?

SCHIRALDI: Perhaps that we can't separate psychological strengths from physical, spiritual, and philosophical strengths. The philosophical and spiritual strengths, especially, grounded these survivors inside and provided comfort amidst their chaos. Also, resilience usually doesn't just appear in times of crisis, but is developed over the lifetime. It can be learned.

From a professional point of view what did you learn that can you apply in helping people recover from PTSD?

SCHIRALDI: This book really says more about developing strengths long before we need them. However, a part of resilience is also rebounding from psychological pain. This was what these survivors did so effectively. We might remember that even exceptionally resilient individuals struggled with fear and sadness from the loss of comrades who had become like family. Yet they pressed ahead, despite their pain. This is a fine treatment model: We acknowledge our pain kindly and without judging it, then we press forward despite the suffering. If we have to function (as in emergencies), then we do so to the best of our abilities. When things settle down, then we grieve so that we don't carry these sufferings inside forever.

What are some of your best memories of your experience writing the book?


SCHIRALDI: That I was privileged to get to know these individuals in ways that most people don't; that I learned things that they had sometimes not even told their families about the realities of war and developing a winner's heart. I feel like I am a better man for getting to know these people in such an intimate way. For example, Mrs. Opdyke was quite frail when I interviewed her. She had gone into the ghettos to teach young people not to hate because hatred brings war, persecution and unhappiness. She'd tell those young people that she was there because she loved them, much like Mother Teresa. They would often follow her down the street and ask for another hug. As I was leaving her home, this little woman, still beautiful, pulled my shoulders down and gave me a kiss on the cheek, and said, "You are like a son, I love you." I understood immediately why those children connected with her; it was a moment I will always cherish. When I thanked one man who had been wounded in Europe for his service, he said, "God bless you, old soldier." You don't forget memories like that. When I call these people, I consider them friends, and when I hear of one's passing, it is like losing family. I was inspired not only by what they did, but more by the people they were and are.

What else would you like to comment on?

SCHIRALDI: Traveling the backroads to locate these survivors reminded me of our country's great beauty, both from a physical perspective and also in terms of the hearts of the American people. I get a lump in my throat when I think of this generation. I want to say thank you, not only for what they did to preserve our freedoms, but for what they stood for and exemplified.

Greener Magazine

Marketing the military

An encore edition originally broadcast November 30, 2005


With the war in Iraq showing no sign of cooling down and recent indications of increasing threats from terrorists both foreign domestic we thought this would be an appropriate moment to rebroadcast this eye opening look at the renewed "surge" in military recruitment efforts.

The United States military has recently been pouring millions of tax dollars into recruitment efforts in an attempt to counteract well-publicized, Iraq war-influenced, recruitment dropoffs.

We'll examine several of these efforts, including a new military ad campaign aimed not only at teens, but at parents; an inside perspective at how Army recruiters fill the ranks; and counter-recruitment efforts in high schools. We'll also hear about a student-based effort to help other teens make informed choices.

For a free listener packet on military recruitment and counter-recruitment, please call us toll-free at 800-529-5736.

Featuring::

David Sweabe, vice president Mullen Advertising; Cathy Chan, student, Oakland Military Institute; Crystal Adair, academic success coordinator, Oakland Military Institute; Bruce Holaday, superintendent, Oakland Military Institute; Cadet Sergeant Ralph Gomez, student, Oakland Military Institute; Susan Quinlan, volunteer, Youth Empowerment School; Jen Lowe, youth organizer, Code Pink; Ruby Butler, junior, Youth Empowerment School; Zamil Bonner, counter-recruiting campaign volunteer, Youth Empowerment School; Staff Sergeant Jose Delao, recruiter, U.S. Army; Staff Sergeant Luis Green, recruiter, U.S. Army; John Davis, junior, San Leandro High School; Rosa Yost, Safeway employee.

This week's host: Tena Rubio. Contributing producers: Justin Beck and Sarah Olsen.

Greener Magazine

For more information::

Mullen Advertising, Inc.
36 Essex St.
Wenham, MA 01984
978-468-1155

Central Committee for Conscientious Objectors
405 14th St. #205
Oakland, CA 94612
510-465-1617 x 4

The Youth Empowerment School
8251 Fontaine,
Oakland, CA 94605
510-776-1157

Oakland Military Institute
2405 W. 14th Street Bldg 796
Oakland, CA 94607
510-267-3900

U.S. Army Recruiting
15067B E. 14th St.
San Leandro, CA 94578
510-276-2245

Other helpful links::

Institute for Public Accuracy
915 National Press Building
Washington, D.C. 20045
202-347-0020
ipa@accuracy.org
www.accuracy.org

Photo credit: Infoshop.org an Alternative Media Project publication