Hackley and Moulton shared their personal stories and why they believe it is vitally important for Americans to talk about war in a way that honors the experiences of veterans and allows those who haven’t been to war to be part of the discussion. In the audience were ardent peace activists and veterans. While there wasn’t always agreement, there was a candid and respectful exchange of views.
Moulton recalled his days at Harvard and the impact of seeing the names of veterans who had died in our wars at Memorial Church. He joined the Marines before 9/11 and served four tours of duty in Iraq. He said that veterans react to their war experiences in different ways, noting that they are “disproportionately CEOs of Fortune 500 companies and disproportionately homeless."
This event was part of the Herbert C. Kelman Seminar on International Conflict Analysis and Resolution. It is sponsored by the Program on Negotiation at Harvard Law School, the Nieman Foundation for Journalism, the Shorenstein Center on Media, Politics, and Public Policy, The Weatherhead Center for International Affairs, and Boston area members of the Alliance for Peacebuilding. The theme for the Kelman Seminar is “Negotiation, Conflict and the News Media."
Massachusetts Congressman Seth Moulton plans to make veterans health care a priority while in Congress.
Susan Hackley is managing director of the Program on Negotiation at Harvard Law School. She is a past chair of the Alliance for Peacebuilding, and she is producing the documentary film, A Child’s Guide to War, focusing on the impact of war on America’s children and families.