Participants and speakers in a four-part symposium titled "Moral Responsibility for the Legacies of War," which was sponsored by the Center for Religion, Ethics and Culture at Holy Cross from Feb. 3 through 19, shared riveting stories.
The symposium engaged students, alumni and members of the community in thoughtful discussions of post-war ethics.
Here are a few of the stories.
In her talk, history professor Diane Fox told the story of a Vietnam War veteran. Mr. Binh was a special forces soldier living in tunnels, bare-headed, bare-footed, bare-chested, camouflaged by spreading his body with mud — mud contaminated with the chemical defoliant Agent Orange sprayed by U.S. forces to denude the forests. Today, Binh suffers from multiple diseases of the skin, the nervous system, the circulatory system and the digestive system, and his wife and children suffer, too. He asks for Americans to demand that government ceases production and use of harmful chemicals.
Purple Heart recipient Bryan Adams found himself battling an inner rage, struggling to assimilate back into society, following a tour of duty as a sniper in Iraq. Fortunate to recognize and find treatment for his post-traumatic stress disorder, the 24-year-old veteran is now a student at Rutgers University, an activist for veterans’ services, and the face of a public service campaign for CommunityofVeterans.org.
Now, the conversation continues online. The Center presents audio recordings of all four events on its Web site and encourages an ongoing dialogue through its online forums.
Learn more about the series, listen to the talks and post your comments »
Listen Online: Symposium Considers Moral Responsibility in Aftermath of War
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