National Journal's Oral History Of Iraq & Afghanistan

Thursday, Oct. 8, 2009


Since 2004, National Journal reporter Sydney J. Freedberg Jr. has conducted in-depth interviews with more than 140 military service members about their experiences in Afghanistan and Iraq. The resulting series of articles has covered subjects ranging from rules of engagement to National Guard call-ups to the role of armored vehicles in urban combat.

Freedberg won top honors from the Military Reporters & Editors association two years running for stories published in 2007 and in 2008, which were based in part on interviews conducted for the oral history project. Here’s what the judges said most recently about Freedberg’s work:

“Sydney Freedberg's winning entry is an outstanding body of work, from 'Treating Trauma' to 'Chess with the Sheikhs.' His interviews with soldiers suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder show a sensitivity and depth of feeling while revealing the many facets of treatment. His reporting from Iraq was compelling in the detail and analysis he provided of how the military shifted its approach to the Iraqi tribes and helped stabilize the country, providing new insights on the ways units implemented new strategies using the sheikhs as key allies.”

For National Journal's influential audience -- members of Congress, their staffs, lobbyists, analysts, activists and other Washington insiders -- this series helps provide an infusion of "ground truth" into often abstract policy debates. At the same time, it puts individual experiences into the wider context of the high-level decisions being made about how to equip, organize and employ the U.S. military.

How to Participate in the Oral History Project

National Journal welcomes anyone who has served with the U.S. military in Iraq or Afghanistan to participate in the Oral History project. Active-duty service members, reservists, National Guard troops, retirees and veterans from all branches and of all ranks are included. Public affairs officers should feel free to contact National Journal on behalf of unit members who would be interested in participating.

A typical Oral History interview takes about 60 to 90 minutes. Some are shorter, some are longer, and a few individuals speak to National Journal for several hours over multiple sessions. Most participants speak for the record and are quoted in subsequent articles, but you may designate part or all of the interview as off the record. We will not quote you or name you in any publication without your consent.

Given the large number of participants, not all individuals who agree to be quoted actually will be quoted in a published article -- but every interview adds to our base of knowledge about the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, and we appreciate the contributions of everyone who takes the time to share their story with us.

To learn more about National Journal's project on the Oral History of Iraq and Afghanistan, or to ask about participating, please contact:

Sydney J. Freedberg Jr.
Staff Correspondent, National Journal
E-mail: sfreedberg@nationaljournal.com
Phone: (202) 739-8418
Mail: 600 New Hampshire Avenue, N.W. / Washington, D.C. 20037

Articles in the Oral History Series

October 24, 2009: In Afghanistan, Training Up Is Hard To Do
If the U.S. wants Afghans to defend themselves, in the short run it will require more American troops, not fewer. (subscribers only)

In Their Own Words:
• Capt. Christian Mitchell
• Maj. Robert Gully
• Maj. Andrew Ashley

September 19, 2009: The Army's Growing Pains
Troop strength is rising, but can the Army grow faster than Iraq and Afghanistan are wearing it out? (subscribers only)

In Their Own Words:
• Sgt. Maj. Anthony Agee
• Command Sgt. Maj. Samuel Rhodes

March 14, 2009: The Military's New Hybrid Warriors
Some military analysts predict that future forces will increasingly face a hybrid of 'conventional' and 'unconventional' warfare. Sidebar: Fate Of The Future Combat System (subscribers only)

In Their Own Words:
Maj. Joseph Rosen
Maj. Kris Faught

November 20, 2008: In Treating Trauma, Military Branches Out
For generations, the military has maintained stoic silence in dealing with psychologically battered troops. Now it's exploring everything from talk therapy to yoga to help those suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder.

In Their Own Words:
• Sgt. Robert Bartlett
Listen To His Story
• First Sgt. Andrew Brown
• Sgt. Patrick Campbell
• Sgt. David Gilmore
• Sgt. Hugo Patrocinio

October 11, 2008: War Puts Stress On Military Families
With violence down in Iraq, the war is a distant rumble for many Americans. Not so for military personnel.

September 20, 2008: Army Struggles Toward Goal Of Wi-Fi Infantry
The Army is struggling to equip the next generation of foot soldiers to wirelessly share text, photos, video, electronic maps and other data the way most of us do now with our cellphones and BlackBerrys.

April 12, 2008: Chess With the Sheiks
A key reason for the declining violence in Iraq is that U.S. troops have come to understand--and begun to form alliances with--Iraq's many tribes and their leaders, the sheiks.

January 26, 2008: The Unintended Revolution
The armed forces are in a race between adaptation and exhaustion, between building up experienced troops and losing them.

December 15, 2007: The Guard's Turn to Surge
While the military as a whole is ramping down, its most politically sensitive component -- the citizen-soldiers of the Army National Guard -- is ramping up.

October 13, 2007: Shoot/ Don't Shoot?
Leniency in cases of U.S. troops accused of killing Iraqis outside the rules of engagement is hardly unique. Sidebar: The Court-Martial Of Ricky Burke

July 21, 2007: Intimate Killing
After the United States has spent billions of dollars and invested decades of know-how on stealth aircraft, precision missiles, and long-range sensors, its battles against elusive, low-tech enemies increasingly have to be fought the old-fashioned way, face-to-face.

June 9, 2007: The New Iraqi Way of War
Unlike the Pentagon's often-ponderous and highly centralized "revolution in military affairs," the new Iraqi way of war is evolving in a ferment of local innovation.

March 24, 2007: Commuting to War
More U.S. troops have died in Humvees since 2001 than in any other vehicle.

January 13, 2007: The Other Three Thousand
Every dead warrior leaves behind a story of tragedy and loss. Every medal winner leaves behind a story of dedication and courage.

Profiles:
• Paul Ray Smith
• Brent Morel and Willie Copeland
• Timothy Nein, Leigh Ann Hester, and Jason Mike
• Jason Dunham

September 16, 2006: Future Tank
While heavy armor is crushing the enemy when called upon in Iraq, back in Washington, the Future Combat System is facing extinction.

April 22, 2006: The Ultimate Smart Weapon
War is driving change across the U.S. Army and Marine Corps, and nowhere more so than in the oldest military specialty of all, the often-neglected foot soldiers of the infantry.

March 19, 2005: Men and Machines
The Pentagon is redressing decades of neglect of human-intelligence-gathering, but the challenge is to weave all sources of intelligence into a single picture of the battle.

November 20, 2004: After Falluja
Taking Falluja, or any other Iraqi city, is a hard thing, but holding, securing, and pacifying a rebellious city is a challenge harder still. What lies ahead for U.S. and Iraqi troops?

About Sydney J. Freedberg Jr.

Sydney J. Freedberg Jr. has covered the military and homeland security for National Journal since November 1997, writing on subjects as diverse as veterans' benefits, nuclear terrorism, military computer networks, and regional tensions between Pakistan and India. He wrote his first article about what became known as "homeland security" in 1998, his first article about what became known as "military transformation" in 1999, and his first article about "asymmetrical warfare" in 2000. Since 2004, he has been conducting in-depth interviews with military personnel about their experiences in Afghanistan and Iraq for a series of stories that combine oral history with policy analysis. One piece in this series, his January 2007 cover story on Marine Corporal Jason Dunham and other servicemembers decorated for valor, won the Atlantic Media Company's internal award for "best story of the year" across all of the company's seven periodical publications.

Before joining National Journal, Sydney Freedberg worked for the late Michael Kelly at The New Republic. He earned a bachelor's degree, summa cum laude, from Harvard University and a master's from Cambridge University (United Kingdom), both in modern European history. He is the son of the late Sydney J. Freedberg Sr., a World War II veteran and historian of Italian Renaissance painting.

Sydney Freedberg lives in Washington, D.C., with his wife, whom he met while they were both working at National Journal, and their two children.

  •  
  •