Kelly Denton-Borhaug

Originally posted at TomDispatch. I felt it then. I feel far more certain of it now. My dad, who died in 1983, was a member of what came to be known as the Greatest Generation, those who served in World War II. In fact, he volunteered the day after Pearl Harbor (though he was then … Continue reading “What an American Addiction to War Means to Veterans”

Originally posted at TomDispatch. As a religious studies professor, I know a parable when I see one. Consider the 20th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks and the final events in this country’s war in Afghanistan as just such a parable taken directly from the history of our moment. The heart-wrenching last days of that war … Continue reading “A Parable of (All-American) Violence”

In what seems like another life, I used to interview American veterans of the Vietnam War. Over the course of a decade, I spoke with hundreds of them, mostly about one topic: war crimes. Some were unrepentant. An interrogator who had tortured prisoners, for instance, told me that such actions – beatings, waterboarding, electric shock … Continue reading “Why Are So Many of Our Military Brothers and Sisters Taking Their Own Lives?”