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Journalists reveal experiences covering the war on terrorism

Stacy Allsbrook-Huisman
by Stacy Allsbrook-Huisman
September 15, 2021
116p cs Pfc. Kyle Hockenberry, who was injured in an improvised explosive device attack near Haji Ramuddin, is treated by flight medic Cpl. Amanda Mosher while being transported by medevac helicopter to the Role 3 hospital at Kandahar Air Field in Afghanistan on June 15, 2011. Throughout Hockenberry's multiple surgeries and skin grafts, doctors have worked around his tattoo and left it intact. Photo by Laura Rauch / ©2011 Stars and Stripes, All Rights Reserved Laura Rauch/Stars and Stripes

116p cs Pfc. Kyle Hockenberry, who was injured in an improvised explosive device attack near Haji Ramuddin, is treated by flight medic Cpl. Amanda Mosher while being transported by medevac helicopter to the Role 3 hospital at Kandahar Air Field in Afghanistan on June 15, 2011. Throughout Hockenberry's multiple surgeries and skin grafts, doctors have worked around his tattoo and left it intact. Photo by Laura Rauch / ©2011 Stars and Stripes, All Rights Reserved Laura Rauch/Stars and Stripes

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Since the 9/11 attack, editors, reporters, and photographers working for The Associated Press and Stars and Stripes have covered the war on terrorism every single day — following troops, living alongside them during conflict in Iraq and Afghanistan, and gaining the trust of warfighters so they are more willing to tell their stories to readers back home. 

Current and former AP and Stars and Stripes journalists share their perspectives on covering the war on terrorism two decades after it all began.  

Laura Rauch 

Photojournalist, The Associated Press (1999-2007); Middle East Reporter, Stars and Stripes (2011-2013) 

Rauch is a photojournalist who worked as an AP western regional photographer and spent much of that time embedded with troops, capturing powerful images on the ground.  

What does it mean to be a journalist in a war zone? “I’ve been shot at, beaten, attacked, but it doesn’t matter. I have to put my foot down anywhere a U.S. service member is made to put his/her foot. That’s what the job calls for. I had to work hard to gain the trust of men and women fighting this war. They had to know I would get the story right. I’d tell the truth.” 

How did covering the war change you?  “There is no question covering the war in Iraq changed me. That war was different. There’s not a day that goes by where I don’t draw on my experience from my time there. I think journalism has changed with the advent of social media; community papers are disappearing. It’s a mistake of epic portions.” 

 A crew from Battery B, 4th Battalion, 319th Airborne Field Artillery Regiment, fire a 155 mm howitzer in support of infantry operations in a nearby valley at Forward Operating Base Blessing in eastern Afghanistan during the war on terrorism.. Photo by Mark St. Clair / ©2007 Stars and Stripes, All Rights Reserved
A crew from Battery B, 4th Battalion, 319th Airborne Field Artillery Regiment, fire a 155 mm howitzer in support of infantry operations in a nearby valley at Forward Operating Base Blessing in eastern Afghanistan. Photo by Mark St. Clair / ©2007 Stars and Stripes, All Rights Reserved

Robert Reid 

Various roles, The Associated Press (1982-2014); Senior Managing Editor, Stars and Stripes (2014-present) 

Bob Reid spent more than four decades at the AP and Stars and Stripes, covering stories around the world. His passion for journalism is infectious, and his commitment to truth is evident in the large body of work he’s published. Reid started his career in Army intelligence.  

How has journalism changed over the last two decades? “It’s changed a lot, the collapse of newspapers and television stations. Google, Yahoo, and other online social media sites have gobbled up advertising and the money that was traditionally available to news stations and papers. Many so-called news stations just reinforce what you already know. It’s become a tribalization of the media. There is a lot less reporting these days.” 

Read: Emotions high for families of service members killed in Afghanistan

Is there a story that left an impact on you? “There are so many. I did a story about the bombing of Kabul — before the city fell in October 2001 — the American military was trying to take communication towers. And people lived near the foothills of communication towers. If they bombed the towers, the shrapnel from the bomb was hitting the town. I remember there was a boy in the hospital; why is he paying the price for this? The U.S. mission was bedeviled by civilian casualties. We went in to fight Al Qaeda, but we ended up killing many Afghans.” 

Chad Garland  

Legislative Relief Reporter, The Associated Press (2014); Foreign Correspondent, Stars and Stripes (2016-present) 

Garland is currently working the Afghanistan desk for Stars and Stripes from Kaiserslautern, Germany. He’s a Marine veteran but transitioned to the role of journalist for the AP, Los Angeles Times, and other media outlets.  

Where were you on Sept. 11, 2001? “I was a Marine working in an office building on Fort Meade when the planes hit the towers. I spent the rest of that day and several more on duty at the base gates as armed overwatch because initially, officials believed a white van full of Arab men was traveling down I-95 headed for military or government facilities in the D.C. region.” 

What are some of your thoughts as this conflict for American military comes to a close? “While the U.S. is withdrawing from Afghanistan, thousands of troops will remain on duty in the broader region, where violent extremist and terrorist threats are ongoing. While we might be tempted to turn our attention away from that region or from the issue of terrorism, we should remain informed, especially with some viewing the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan as an embarrassing defeat. There are failures the U.S. or its allies must own. But it was certainly not all a waste. Many in that country have experienced greater security, freedom of expression, participation in civic life and trade, education, and more. There’s little more the U.S. could have done militarily, though. It was always ultimately going to come down to the Afghans to secure, govern, and shape their country and society without us.” 

A patchwork team of airmen, soldiers, and civilians put the finishing touches on what will become the living quarters for the 82nd Airborne in Bagram, Afghanistan during the war on terrorism.. Photo by Joe Giordono / ©2002 Stars and Stripes, All Rights Reserved
A patchwork team of airmen, soldiers, and civilians put the finishing touches on what will become the living quarters for the 82nd Airborne in Bagram, Afghanistan. Photo by Joe Giordono / ©2002 Stars and Stripes, All Rights Reserved

Erik Slavin 

Bureau Chief, Europe and Middle East, Stars and Stripes (2017-present) 

Slavin has spent the last 17 years reporting on issues that matter to military service members. He’s worked in both Asia and Europe, focusing on defense-related stories. He’s currently in Germany covering news in Europe and the Middle East. 

 Is there a story you covered that had a lasting impact on you? “One made an impact. I told the story of a son and a spouse, and the loved one they lost to PTSD. He spent 38 years in uniform and working as a civilian for the DIA in some of the world’s toughest places. It broke him. None of the institutions he worked for got him the help he needed. It’s stuck with me.” 

  Any closing thoughts as we reach this milestone?  

“I hope that in conflict zones, the U.S. military returns to greater transparency on the ground. There was actually more access when the wars were bigger and more dangerous. We all understand that some matters need to be kept secret, perhaps no one more so in journalism than Stars and Stripes. But a lot doesn’t need to be kept secret. Letting America see what its military is doing is always beneficial, whether it reflects heroism, the daily grind, or something going wrong. It allows the public to recognize the best in people and fix what needs to be addressed most.” 

For an in-depth look into the unique history of Stars and Stripes and choice reporting, check out the documentary “The World’s Most Dangerous Paper Route,” available on Amazon. 

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Stacy Allsbrook-Huisman

Stacy Allsbrook-Huisman

Stacy Allsbrook-Huisman is an Air Force spouse, freelance writer and advocate with a passion for military-connected children and their families. She’s dedicated the last decade to understanding the challenges military kids face when changing schools. Stacy is the co-author of the book Seasons of My Military Student: Practical Ideas for Parents and Teachers. With her writing partner, Amanda Trimillos, EdD, they continue to promote awareness of challenges facing military-connected students in education through professional development for schools and support organizations as well as through their writing. Together they have been featured in multiple national podcasts and articles. They also manage a large Facebook support group for parents and teachers of military-connected students. As a former trainer parent educator for the Military Child Education Coalition, Stacy led workshops and seminars on many topics related to the education of military-connected students. Her passion for military-connected students has led her to many paid and volunteer positions, both stateside and with Department of Defense Education Activity schools overseas, and with multiple Parent Teacher Associations over the last decade. Stacy is a featured writer for Military Spouse Magazine, where she covers parenting topics, and is a guest writer for several national blogs. Her articles can also be found on the popular blog Scary Mommy, Military Times, and search site Niche.com. Stacy also started the military family website dedicated to education transition Families on the Homefront. In her “other” life, she worked in public affairs and project management for the city of Las Vegas for 14 years. She was the executive director for the Las Vegas Centennial. She led the way to baking the world largest birthday cake, hosting a 100,000 person parade, marrying 100 couples at once, organizing a Red Hot Chili Peppers concert and managing 450 other events, programs and public relations celebrating her hometown birthday! She is a graduate of the Greenspun School of Communications at University of Nevada, Las Vegas.

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