To the Point
Coming Home from the Iraq War
With American combat in Iraq now over, soldiers are coming home in unprecedented numbers. We look at what can happen after the happy returns. Also, Afghan President Karzai criticizes troop the withdrawal time-line, and the last day of Deepwater Horizon.
By Warren Olney • • 50m ListenWith American combat in Iraq now over, soldiers are coming home in unprecedented numbers. We look at what can happen after the happy returns. Also, Afghan President Karzai criticizes troop the withdrawal time-line. On Reporter's Notebook, why didn't the crew on the Deepwater Horizon realize something was going wrong in time to prevent an explosion that killed 11 men and released oil into the Gulf of Mexico for 86 days.
Banner image: Suffering from PTSD Robert Wake sits in his house August 10, 2009 in Malden, Missouri. Wake served in the Military Police in Iraq and saw brutal conditions during battles there, and eventually was seriously wounded by a mortar shell in Najaf.
In this episode
3 storiesKarzai Criticizes Troop Withdrawal Timeline
In Kabul today, Afghan President Hamid Karzai met with a congressional delegation and then released a statement saying that President Obama's July deadline to start withdrawing troops has "given courage to the enemies of Afghanistan." Joshua Partlow is in Kabul for the Washington Post .
Read the story7 minThe Joys and Sorrows of Coming Home
America's combat role in Iraq has ended, and tens of thousands of returning troops are repopulating military bases and nearby towns all over the country. But history shows that many joyous welcomes are bound to go sour with marital problems, crime and suicide likely to increase in the months to come.
Read the story37 minOil Spill Hearings Reveal Chaos on Doomed Rig's Last Day
The Deepwater Horizon explosion has been studied by investigators and experts as much or more than any maritime disaster in history. But the key question remains: why didn't the crew recognize the warning signs when there was still time to prevent a catastrophe.
Read the story7 min
