For a veteran returning home from Afghanistan or Iraq, the mental trauma of having killed someone can be just as devastating as physical injury. The Department of Veteran Affairs has called this problem "moral injury," but some veterans think this phrase minimizes the horror of killing. In 2013, Timothy Kudo, a former Marine captain, wrote an opinion piece for The Washington Post about grappling with moral injury. In this text, he shares his experience with NPR's Weekend Edition Sunday host Rachel Martin
Pair “Behind Bars, Vets With PTSD Face A New War Zone, With Little Support” with “For Many Returning Vets, 'Moral Injury' Just As Difficult” and ask students to think about the effect of war on its participants. How do memories of encounters such as the one described in the latter piece affect veterans? How does this relate to the issues faced by David Carlson? How do these two texts work together to add depth to your understand of the impact of war?