What does it mean to be an American?

Phil Klay, a former Marine and critically acclaimed writer, returns to the podcast to discuss the connection between military service, citizenship, and “Americanness.” Elaborating on his November 2019 New York Times essay “The Soldiers We Leave Behind,” Phil recounts the story of the World War I “Melting Pot” division, and one of their leaders, Charles Whittlesey. He also describes the harrowing experiences of Black veterans after both world wars, and he connects these narratives to the stories of two Iraqi nationals – Ali and Ted – who, in recognition for serving alongside the US military in Iraq as interpreters, were promised visas to come to the United States.

“Thank You For Your Service” is a production of the University of Chicago Public Policy Podcasts and does not necessarily represent the official positions of the Department of Defense or the U.S. government.

References:

Phil Klay, “The Soldiers We Leave Behind”.
https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2019/11/09/opinion/veterans-war-immigration.html

Equal Justice Initiative, “Lynching in America.”
https://eji.org/reports/targeting-black-veterans/

Congressional Research Service report on the Special Immigrant Visa Program.
https://crsreports.congress.gov/product/pdf/R/R43725/10

Podcast Production Credit:

Thomas Krasnican, host
Nick Paraiso, host

Tom Lattanzio, producer
Bobby Maxwell, producer
Aishwarya Kumar, production manager

Special thanks to Phil Klay.