There's a tradition in war writing that the veteran goes over and sees the truth of war and comes back. And I'm skeptical of that. Phil Klay backseeskeptical 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
When I tell stories about Iraq, the ones people react to are always the stories of violence. This is strange for me. Phil Klay iraqpeoplereact Change image and share on social
People lie to themselves all the time about what they've been through and what it means - I'm no exception. But you write those lies down - lies that really matter to you and that are really painful to let go of because they've become a part of who you are - and they don't work. Phil Klay exceptionhavelie share on social
When I first came back from Iraq, I of course found myself thinking a lot about it. Not just my experiences, but those of people I talked to, friends, and colleagues. Phil Klay backcolleagueexperience Change image and share on social
I saw so many radically different versions of Iraq. It would have been difficult for me to come back and think, 'This is the Iraq experience.' Phil Klay backdifficultexperience Change image and share on social
I'd been in college studying English creative writing and history when I made the decision to join the Marines in the runup to the Iraq war. Phil Klay collegecreativedecision Change image and share on social
Bombs do very, very bad things to human bodies. It's incredibly shocking to see. Phil Klay badbodybomb 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
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
