The Voices of War

My guest today is Paul Marshall. He is a recently retired British Army officer who spent 34 years in uniform. He has deployed on multiple military operations all over the world including on combat, peacekeeping and post-conflict recovery operations. He started his career in South Korea as a UN observer before spending time in Bosnia and Herzegovina during some of the most difficult times of the war. He also took part in both Gulf wars as part of the fighting forces. In the subsequent years he supported a number of global crises and natural disasters before once again returning to Bosnia and Herzegovina in 2014, this time in the prestigious role of United Kingdom Defence Attaché to Bosnia and Herzegovina. Some of the topics we discussed are: Tensions at the DMZ between South and North Korea Management of Iraqi prisoners of war Scars of war among some of his peers The aftermath of the Ahmići massacre in Bosnia and Herzegovina The importance of immediate support during natural disasters Understanding of the local context as a force multiplier As you will hear in the episode, we make reference to the Ahmići massacre in Bosnia and Herzegovina. You can find further information here: https://ahmici.sensecentar.org/ Also, I made reference in the discussion about Bosnia and Herzegovina being the highest recipient per capita of foreign aid. Here is the data from The World Bank. When looking at the figure, keep in mind that the population of Bosnia and Herzegovina is around 3.3-3.35 million. https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/DT.ODA.ODAT.CD?locations=BA

My guest today is Dr Mike Wessells, Professor at Columbia University in the Program on Forced Migration and Health. Over the decades, Mike has conducted extensive research on the holistic impacts of war and political violence on children, and he is author of the book ‘Child Soldiers: From Violence to Protection’. Currently, Mike is the lead researcher on inter-agency and multi-country action research on strengthening community-based child protection mechanisms. He also regularly advises UN agencies, governments, and donors on issues of child protection and psychosocial support, including in communities and schools. Some of the topics we covered during our conversation are: Ongoing confusion about the definition of Child Soldiers Some of the push and pull factors that encourage child soldiering How children deal with trauma Misunderstanding of Western interventions Importance of culturally appropriate interventions Agency of children in war Healing and overcoming trauma Self-care needs of humanitarian workers This was a very confronting conversation and I remain deeply grateful to Mike for sharing his invaluable lessons on this important topic. As you will hear, not only is Mike an eminent expert on the subject, but he is also deeply compassionate and a true gentleman. You can find out more about Mike’s work and his publications on: https://www.publichealth.columbia.edu/people/our-faculty/mgw2106 And you can find out about his book ‘Child Soldiers: From Violence to Protection’ here: https://www.amazon.com/Child-Soldiers-Protection-Michael-Wessells/dp/0674032551    

Today I’m proud to be bringing to you an episode on a topic that, as an Army officer, I think is not discussed enough—Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) amongst war veterans. My guest, Ashley Judd, and I went through our Army officer training at the Royal Military College – Duntroon together, way back in 2007. Since then, Ash spent 8 years in the Army and is a veteran of the war in Afghanistan. Due to his experiences of that war, and his actions and responsibilities in the line of duty, Ash faced significant challenges and was ultimately diagnosed with PTSD. In the years following, he became somewhat of a spokesperson for lifting the veil of shame on PTSD. I think this is an incredibly important conversation, both because Ash spoke so candidly and openly about his experience, but also because it sheds much light onto the fact that recovery is possible. Some of the things we covered are: Ash’s reasons for joining the military The training he received and how effectively it had prepared him for combat The challenge and privilege of command His experience of combat His struggle with mental illness Speaking out publicly and accompanying fears Recovery and finding meaning again As promised in the episode, here are the links to Ash’s excellent TedX Talk at the London Business School: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P0NMDlkarvE as well as to the ABC Insight episode I referred to during out conversation: https://www.sbs.com.au/ondemand/video/11868227710/insight-s2012-ep30-insight-2012-ep-30 Lastly, for my Australian audience, military and otherwise, if you or someone you know are suffering, there is a lot help available. Below are the contacts and websites of some of the many agencies offering support. For my audience around the world, please look for help. Even if there are no services in your area, the internet has opened up many previously unavailable avenues. As Ash says in the episode, you are important, so please take the necessary first step and look out for yourself and each other.   All-hours Support Line (1800 628 036 / +612 9425 3878 if O/S)   1800 IMSICK (1800 624 608)   Defence Community Organisation (DCO) Defence Family Helpline 1800 624 608 http://www.defence.gov.au/dco/   Open Arms (VVCS) 1800 011 046 https://www.openarms.gov.au/   Lifeline 13 11 14 https://www.lifeline.org.au   Suicide Call back service 1300 659 467 https://www.suicidecallbackservice.org.au

Today I’m speaking with Dr Mike Martin, a former British Army Officer who has since become a prominent speaker and writer on conflict, particularly its causes. Mike has published several books on the subject, including ‘An Intimate War: An Oral History of the Helmand Conflict 1978-2012’—which landed him in some hot water—and ‘Why We Fight’, a deep dive into the evolutionary reasons for war and conflict. More recently, Mike has been engaged by the Australian Defence Force to deliver a course on the impact cultural understanding can have on a conflict as a way to improve our collective understanding of the wars we have been a part of and are likely to be involved with in the future. Some of the topics we covered on this podcast include: His reasons for delving into the profession of arms, both as a participant as well as a scholar of it The true nature of war Sense of belonging and the pull of ideology The importance of the local context, particularly when fighting a war The failings of the war in Afghanistan Mike’s personal battle with getting his book ‘An Intimate War’ published The five social problems we need to solve to prevent violence The current crisis in the United States You can find out more about Mike and his work on http://www.threshedthought.com/, including information on his books ‘An Intimate War – An Oral History of the Helmand Conflict 1978-2012’, ‘Crossing The Congo’ and ‘Why We Fight’.

My guest today is Dejan Mujkanovic. He is an Australian Army officer with 19 years of military experience. He has completed several tours of Afghanistan and also deployed to East Timor. He was born in Bosnia in 1980 and experienced the full brunt of the civil war in the 90’s. His hometown of Prijedor made global news due to the campaign of ethnic cleansing committed by the Bosnian Serb forces seeking to forcefully remove the Bosnian Muslim and Bosnian Croat populations from the area. As a result of these crimes, many of Dejan’s extended family members were lost in concentration camps, which, sadly, includes his father Senad Mujkanovic who was killed in the Omarska concentration camp in 1992. In the ensuing chaos, Dejan was separated from his mother and his siblings, and they have lived apart ever since. During his journey, he was forced to spend over two years in various refugee camps in Croatia and Austria and in late 1995, he was fortunate to settle in Australia with his grandmother. Now, 25 years later, Dejan is married and a proud father to his son. Some of the topics we covered are: - His reason for joining the Army - How the war in Bosnia started for him - The loss of his father and other members of his family - Fleeing the war and time as a child refugee - Issues of identity - Genocide and collective guilt - The idea of forgiveness - What good soldiering looks like - Settling in Australia - How his experience influenced his military service

A short introduction to this podcast, how it came about, and what we'll be exploring in the episodes to come.  Thank you for joining me.  Maz