I was a public affairs officer. I worked with the media, but I didn't just stay at my desk. I assisted in military duties, travelled around Anbar province, hung out with a wide variety of Marines. Phil Klay affairanbarassist Change image and share on social
There's something odd about working 24/7, being consumed with everything that's happening in Iraq, and then coming back to the country that ordered you over there only to realize that a lot of Americans are not really paying attention. Phil Klay americanattentionback share on social
Resilience is, of course, necessary for a warrior. But a lack of empathy isn't. Phil Klay empathylackresilience 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
I don't want to act as though my deployment was particularly rough, because it wasn't. I had a very mild deployment; I was a staff officer. Phil Klay actdeploymentmild Change image and share on social
Going to war is a rare experience in American culture, so it's easy for simple notions to gain a lot of weight. The reality is always more complex. Phil Klay americancomplexculture Change image and share on social
Pity sidesteps complexity in favor of narratives that we're comfortable with, reducing the nuances of a person's experience to a sound bite. Phil Klay bitecomfortablecomplexity Change image and share on social
I have, for a very long time, been a huge admirer of Marilynne Robinson, whose work I just love. Phil Klay admirerhugelong Change image and share on social
There's a very particular way that the military speaks. There's a lot of profanity and a lot of acronyms. Phil Klay acronymlotmilitary Change image and share on social
I ended up going to Dartmouth, and I did Marine Officer Candidate School during my junior summer. Phil Klay candidatedartmouthend Change image and share on social
