Supposedly, going to war initiates you into this gnostic priesthood of people who've had a liminal experience forever separating them from civilians. Except... you go there, and it is what it is. A form of human activity as varied as any other. Phil Klay activitycivilianexperience share on social
Sometimes macho language is to mask things people are not ready to deal with. Phil Klay deallanguagemacho Change image and share on social
Oftentimes, discussion of war gets flattened to a discussion of trauma. Phil Klay discussionflattenoftentimes Change image and share on social
If you're going to write about war, the ugly side is inevitable. Suffering and death are obviously part of war. Phil Klay deathinevitablepart Change image and share on social
In State of the Union addresses, I always look at the foreign policy and military parts first, which are generally pretty minimal. Phil Klay addressforeigngenerally Change image and share on social
Writing fiction was a way to take the ideas that troubled me or confused me and put them under pressure. Phil Klay confusefictionidea Change image and share on social
There's a wide spectrum between a Navy SEAL hero-killer and a traumatized victim, but those are the archetypes - hashed and rehashed in the media, in popular culture, in the minds of people with a lot of preconceived notions but not much else. Phil Klay archetypeculturehash share on social
After the fighting is done, and even when it's still happening, apologies are often needed for the recounting of bare facts. Sometimes bare facts feel unpatriotic. Phil Klay apologybarefact Change image and share on social
Pity addresses the perceived suffering, not the whole individual. Phil Klay addressindividualperceive Change image and share on social
'Redeployment' is a military term. It means to transfer a unit from one area to another. Phil Klay areameanmilitary Change image and share on social