Writing 'Redeployment' shook me in ways I never expected.
From Phil Klay
People lie to themselves all the time about what they've been through and what it means - I'm no exception. But you write those lies down - lies that really matter to you and that are really painful to let go of because they've become a part of who you are - and they don't work.
Treating war as farce is one way soldiers deal with it.
War is too strange to process alone.
We're so used to using military terminology in civilian speech that we forget those terms might mean something very specific.
In State of the Union addresses, I always look at the foreign policy and military parts first, which are generally pretty minimal.
You're not supposed to risk your life just for the physical safety of American citizens - you're supposed to risk your life for American ideals as well.
Even if torture works, what is the point of 'defending' America using a tactic that is a fundamental violation of what America ought to mean?
'Redeployment' is a military term. It means to transfer a unit from one area to another.
After the fighting is done, and even when it's still happening, apologies are often needed for the recounting of bare facts. Sometimes bare facts feel unpatriotic.
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