May 25 - On Memorial Day, A Veteran of the First Iraq War; A Veteran of the Second Iraq War; A Veteran of the Vietnam War

Full Program

Part 1

Today, on this Memorial Day, we are joined by veterans of first and second Iraq wars and the Vietnam war, focusing on what the wars achieved and the lasting effects these wars have had on veterans, as well as how much the governments who sent these vets off to war, have kept their promises in terms of taking care of those we honor on Memorial Day. We will begin with a veteran of the first Iraq war, Colonel Douglas Macgregor, a decorated combat veteran and author of four books who led the largest tank battle since World War 11 in the Gulf War and has since testified to the House Armed Services Committee and the House Foreign Affairs Committee. He joins us to discuss the recent wars, what they achieved and whether they were worth the sacrifice of lives and treasure.

Part 2

Then we speak with a veteran of the second Iraq War, Kayla Williams, who served in the U.S. Army for 5 years as an Arabic Linguist and is the author of “Plenty of Time When we Get Home: Love and Recovery in the Aftermath of War“. We discuss the issues that veterans from our latest wars face and the extent to which they are met, given the alarming numbers of young vets from Iraq and Afghanistan who are homeless and have drug problems.

Part 3

Then finally we speak with Philip Butler, who was shot down over North Vietnam in 1965 and spent 8 years as a prisoner of war. We will discuss how the Vietnam War haunted our politics for decades and now the Iraq War appears to be doing the same for Republican presidential candidates, with a fellow former POW of Phil’s, Senator John McCain championing the presidential run of his friend Lindsey Graham who is calling for an additional 10,000 American troops to be sent to Iraq.