former State Department advisor
J. Kael Weston is the author of The Mirror Test: America at War in Iraq and Afghanistan. A former State Department adviser in Iraq and Afghanistan, he received the Secretary of State's Medal for Heroism.
Is the US fighting a permanent war in Afghanistan? Sixteen years after September 11th, the Trump Administration is divided over America's longest war. Since the peak of 100,000 American soldiers their number is now just 8500 soldiers — at a cost of $3.1 billion a month. Now the Pentagon wants to send 5000 more. But the Trump White House is divided . Advocates of continued US involvement say it's all about the Taliban gaining strength and even more extreme groups now involved in the country. Skeptics point to massive financial corruption and ask if there's any plan for ending a conflict that's killed and wounded so many American soldiers for so long.
State Department hero reflects on the 'Mirror Test' We spoke with a lot of authors this year, but our this guest stood out. For seven consecutive years, J. Kael Weston served in the combat zones of Iraq and Afghanistan -- not as a soldier, but as a civilian — a State Department advisor. He received the Secretary of State's Medal for Heroism. This year, he published The Mirror Test: America at War in Iraq and Afghanistan , a searing account about his experience.
State Department Hero Reflects on the 'Mirror Test' For seven consecutive years, J. Kael Weston served in the combat zones of Iraq and Afghanistan -- not as a soldier, but as a civilian — a State Department Advisor. He received the Secretary of State’s Medal for Heroism. Now he’s written a searing account about his experience called The Mirror Test: America at War in Iraq and Afghanistan .
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