"Becoming Sparta" by Kimberly Dozier

“Becoming Sparta: Bridging the Divide and Forging Bonds Between Americans and Those Who Fight for Them” by Kimberly Dozier
Writer Kimberly Dozier noticed a serious disconnect between Soldiers returning home from the front lines and the civilians receiving them. She saw people distance themselves from Soldiers with the generic phrase “thank you for your service,” and could not ignore the increased labeling of servicemen and women as “walking PTSD time bombs.” Though she is a civilian, Dozier identifies with this issue more than most noncombatants: as a CBS News correspondent in 2006, a vehicle on location in Iraq hit an IED while carrying Dozier, her reporting team, and her interviewee, U.S. Army officer Captain James Funkhouser. Her CBS colleagues and Capt. Funkhouser were killed, while Dozier was seriously wounded. Dozier used her recovery process to educate the public about Soldiers’ resiliency post-trauma in her 2011 memoir Breathing Fire: Fighting to Survive and Get Back to the Fight. Dozier offers perspective on recovery for military personnel, many of whom helped her heal while facing their own struggles.
Lecture Date: September 16, 2015
Length: 68 Minutes