Opinion Forum

Military Culture and Suicide

August 4th, 2012

By Jan Barry One of America’s biggest hidden tragedies is suicide. When I was growing up in the 1950s, it was a virtually forbidden topic. When I began working as a news reporter in the 1970s, I bumped into a tradition in journalism that suicides were not reported. When a Vietnam veteran in a small […]

Articles written by Jan Barry
Tags: Afghanistan, culture, Iraq, PTSD, soldiers, statistics, suicide, veterans
Categories: Life, Military, News | Comments (3) | Home

Castle for Congress: A Marine Aims to Change the Mission in Washington

June 1st, 2012

By Jan Barry Voters in northern New Jersey have a choice this year to elect a very different and refreshing member of Congress than the usual incumbents. Jason Castle is a Marine veteran of Iraq who wants to quickly wind down the war in Afghanistan and boost reinvestment and jobs at home. He is running […]

Articles written by Jan Barry
Tags: 5th District, Afghanistan, Congress, Iraq, Jason Castle, Marine, NJ, veteran
Categories: Military, News, Politics | Comments (1) | Home

Vet Arts Profiled on PBS

May 2nd, 2012

By Jan Barry PBS Newshour ran an unusual program the other night, providing an insightful look at the Combat Paper Project that I’ve been working with for some time. “Finally tonight, transforming the wardrobe of war into art,” PBS Newshour anchor Gwen Ifill said in introducing this report aired on April 30. “In 2007, a […]

Articles written by Jan Barry
Tags: Afghanistan, combat art, Combat Paper, Iraq, PBS, veterans, vets
Categories: Arts, Military, News | Comments (2) | Home

Iraq: Hot News and History

December 29th, 2011

By Jan Barry “Crisis plagues Iraq as U.S. troops depart — As the last U.S. soldiers exited Iraq Sunday and debate was raging about the nation’s future, political crisis erupted in Baghdad that raised fears of more sectarian strife to come. Iraqiya, a powerful political bloc that draws support largely from Sunni and more secular […]

Articles written by Jan Barry
Tags: Britain, casualties, costs, democracy, hubris, Iraq, U.S., violence
Categories: History, Military, News, Politics | Comments (3) | Home