Vanguard | July 07, 2010 | 8 comments

Inside Vanguard's War Crimes: Kaj Larsen Reflects

Kaj
  • Kaj
  • added this

watch more vanguard

In this candid commentary, correspondent Kaj Larsen goes behind the scenes of Vanguard's episode "War Crimes." Kaj talks about the empathetic bond he forged with Inmate Clark Fish, an Army medic who suffers from PTSD and is now waiting to find out if he'll be sentenced to death for the murder of his girlfriend. Plus, hear Kaj talk about readjusting after his own service as a Navy SEAL, the challenges of reporting a story that no authorities want to track statistics for, and how PTSD is one of the oldest stories known to man.

Watch a trailer for "War Crimes" here: http://current.com/shows/vanguard/92518362_war-crimes-vanguard-trailer.htm

"Vanguard," airing weekly on Current TV Wednesdays at 10/9c, is a no-limits documentary series whose award-winning correspondents put themselves in extraordinary situations to immerse viewers in global issues that have a large social significance. Unlike sound-bite driven reporting, the show's correspondents, Adam Yamaguchi, Kaj Larsen, Christof Putzel and Mariana van Zeller, serve as trusted guides who take viewers on in-depth real life adventures in pursuit of some of the world's most important stories.

For more, go to http://current.com/vanguard.
  1. groups:
    Current Video,   Vanguard,   Vanguard Weekly Special,   Vanguard Special,   4 more
  2. tags:
    War,  Military,  Murder,  Army,  12 more
  3. credits:
    Kaj Correspondent, alexsimmons Producer, shana Producer, more
  4.     
    |
    Embed video:
    |

8 comments // Inside Vanguard's War Crimes: Kaj Larsen Reflects // Video

  • Lisa_Tkoch
    • 0
      Lisa_Tkoch  

    • Common sense would dictate 'War does not have an off switch'. This is an ENORMOUS issue that simply gets ignored. Freedom isn't free, it's time we took care of our Heroes...

    • 6 months ago
  • rangerpaul
  • Almibry
  • Almibry
    • 0
      Almibry  

    • I imagine this is ignored because the people in charge want their soldiers to think they're immortal. If there was a were to be a movement to heal all the wounds of war, awareness would have to come first, with awareness, more caution and doubt, not the foolhardy bravery "we" expect from soldiers. To heal the mental trauma caused by war, there would need to be an army of healers, willing to confront and embrace the accumulated pain of someone who is difficult to understand, who's experiences we are unlikely to share, who also has a hair trigger. Someone who could be set off by a brief touch or loud noise, who could also probably kill you, quickly and efficiently. It's as easy for those of us without battle scars to turn away from those in need as it is for those with scars to do something to land themselves in jail. This is something that would require great empathy, strength and courage on both sides. I could go on, but I'm trying to be an optimist today...

    • 1 year ago
  • BillCorcoran
  • BillCorcoran
  • CaptSutter
    • +1
      CaptSutter  

    • Asking all the right questions.
      Why has it taken so long to get our heads around this this time around.
      Kaj makes an interesting point about this being an old story and comparing Vietnam vets with WWII vets, the ones who are credited with rebuilding the country and those who are labled as crazy criminals and drug addicted bums.

      The next question might be how often do we really honour or veterans and how often are they abandoned. WWI was another example of the "heroes" being abandoned. MacArthur (before he was a general) was the one who swept them from the streets of Washington DC and dropped them in the middle of nowhere after they tried protesting for their pensions.

      We talk a good game in America, but we don't honour our warriors we honour the bastards who got them killed.

    • 1 year ago

top videos