Key Words

About This Event

Following the September 11 attacks, the men and women of the US armed forces were mobilized and highly motivated. However, many were unprepared for the challenges they would face in fighting the two wars which followed. More than 2.7 million Americans have served in Afghanistan or Iraq since late 2001. Many served in both wars. Nearly 7,000 of them died, and tens of thousands were wounded. CJ Chivers has accompanied troops over many years and repeated tours. In “The Fighters,” he vividly conveys the physical and emotional experiences of combat, tracing the long road from the initial battles to counterinsurgency operations and long term occupation. While the armed forces initially were united in the fight against terrorism, Chivers captures the growing frustration, confusion, and individual struggles of soldiers on the ground trying to understand America’s role in Afghanistan and Iraq.

In his new book, “The Fighters,” CJ Chivers explores the challenges US troops have faced in fighting wars in Afghanistan and Iraq by telling the personal stories of six combatants. Chivers is a senior writer for The New York Times and served as an infantry officer in the United States Marine Corps. He will join us for an in-depth discussion on the sacrifices US armed forces have made in fighting America’s long war against terrorism.

CJ CHIVERS
C.J. Chivers is a correspondent for The New York Times and a writer-at-large for the New York Times Magazine. His magazine story “The Fighter” won the 2017 Pulitzer Prize in Feature Writing. In 2009 he was part of a team that won the Pulitzer Prize for International Reporting for coverage from Afghanistan and Pakistan. Chivers served as an infantry officer in the United States Marine Corps in the Persian Gulf War and on peacekeeping duty during the Los Angeles riots. He is the author of The Gun. 

This special program is brought to you by the World Affairs Council in partnership with Marines’ Memorial Association & Foundation.