March 2012

Clips on Daily Beast TV

Michael did some filming for Daily Beast TV earlier today. There are two clips posted, one on Al Qaeda/Afghanistan and the other on the Supreme Court debate on health insurance mandates.



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Daily Beast: Michael Ware on Sgt. Robert Bales, Accused of Killing Afghan Civilians

As we pass the ninth anniversary of the invasion, Michael has a solemn, gritty column in today’s Daily Beast about how the strain of multiple tours of duty can hollow out the heart and soul of a soldier such as Sgt. Robert Bales, who stands accused of committing mass-murder in Kandahar province last week.


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More than a week after the U.S. soldier’s alleged massacre, there is still no answer to the “why” of this abomination. But war correspondent Michael Ware says after all the tours Staff Sgt. Bales endured, he must have some form of PTSD—and a terrible void within.

I still remember the night in Iraq when we shot and killed someone’s grandmother. I say “we” even though I did not pull the trigger, nor was I even carrying a weapon. But when you’re present at such a thing, when you’re a part of those who’ve come and delivered death, a shadow passes over you. In an odd, muted way the hurt of it bleeds inside you too.

No one was to blame. Innocence resides on both sides of that 2006 night. These are simply the things of war, things for which your heart becomes a dark and lasting harbor.

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