My Reporting In Africa Wouldn't Be Political

Often People Who Live Through The Trauma Are Nostalgic When It's Over. When I Went Back To Bosnia 20 Years After The Brutal Civil War, Even People Who Had Been Badly Wounded Told Me They Missed Those Times. They Were Missing Their More Courageous Selves.

All Journalists Hope That Their Work Will Inspire A Broader Conversation. I Think That's Just What Journalism Is.

I Went To Afghanistan In '96 To Write About Terrorist Training Camps South Of Jalalabad And Tora Bora, In The Mountains. I Was There Right Before The Taliban Took Over, Literally A Few Weeks Before They Took Kabul. The Frontline Wasn't Terribly Active, But It Was Definitely There. And They Swept Into Power.

I Would Never Want To Pass A Law Limiting Freedom Of Speech, But That Doesn't Mean We Have To Condone Statements That Undermine Basic National Unity And Respect. Imagine Being Asked To Defend A Country Where Some Citizens Say The Man In The White House Isn't Their President. Or A Major Presidential Contender Accuses The Commander In Chief Of Not Even Being A U.s. Citizen. Those Kinds Of Statements Erode Trust In Our Democracy, And It's Up To Both Parties To Publicly Reject Them. We Have To Restore Confidence That We Are A Nation That Loves And Believes In Itself.

The Army Might Screw You And Your Girlfriend Might Dump You And The Enemy Might Kill You, But The Shared Commitment To Safeguard One Another’s Lives Is Unnegotiable And Only Deepens With Time. The Willingness To Die For Another Person Is A Form Of Love That Even Religions Fail To Inspire, And The Experience Of It Changes A Person Profoundly.