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Book Launch Event: Thank You for Your Service by David Finkel

Sep 30, 2013
6:00pm to 8:30pm ET

Willard InterContinental Hotel

The Center for a New American Security (CNAS) hosted the book launch for Thank You for Your Service by David Finkel, CNAS Writer in Residence, on Tuesday, October 1, from 6:00 to 8:30 p.m. Mr. Finkel discussed his examination of the psychology of the wars of the past decade. Martha Raddatz, Chief Global Affairs Correspondent at ABC News interviewed Mr. Finkel, followed by Q&A with the audience.

Date & Time


Tuesday, October 1, 2013

6:15-7:00 p.m.: Guest registration, book sales & cocktail reception
7:00-8:00 p.m.: Moderated discussion followed by Q&A
8:00-8:30 p.m.: Book-signing


Location
The Willard InterContinental Hotel's Grand Ballroom
1401 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20004

 

About the book
In Thank You for Your Service, Mr. Finkel has embedded with some of the men of the 2-16— the same infantry battalion that was the subject of his bestselling book, The Good Soldiers, which was written from the front lines of Baghdad during the infamous “surge.” This time he is writing from home, here in the States, about some of the men of the 2-16 after their deployments have ended. He is with them in their most intimate, painful, and hopeful moments as they try to recover, and in doing so, he creates an indelible, essential portrait of what life after war is like—not just for these soldiers, but for their wives, widows, children, and friends, and for the professionals who are truly trying, and to a great degree failing, to undo the damage that has been done.

 

About the Speakers

David Finkel is a Writer in Residence at the Center for a New American Security and an editor and writer at The Washington Post. He has reported from Africa, Asia, Central America, Europe, and across the United States, and was part of the Post’s war coverage in Kosovo, Afghanistan and Iraq. In 2006, he was awarded a Pulitzer Prize for Explanatory Reporting for a series of stories about U.S. democracy promotion efforts in Yemen and received a prestigious MacArthur Fellow "genius" award in 2012 Mr. Finkel is the author of The Good Soldiers, a ground-level account of the U.S. "surge" into the Iraq war, which was named one of the ten best books of 2009 by The New York Times Sunday Book Review. The Good Soldiers also received the 2009 Helen Bernstein Award for excellence in journalism from the New York Public Library, the J. Anthony Lukas book prize for exceptional nonfiction, and the Cornelius Ryan award from the Overseas Press Club for best nonfiction book on international affairs.

Martha Raddatz is the ABC News Chief Global Affairs Correspondent. She has covered all aspects of foreign policy for nearly 20 years – reporting from the Pentagon, the State Department, the White House, and from conflict zones around the world. In addition, Raddatz serves as the primary substitute for George Stephanopoulos on "This Week" and contributes regularly to the roundtable. Prior to her current role she served as White House correspondent during the last term of President George W. Bush's administration. She has reported from a range of locations throughout the world from Haiti and Yemen to the Mideast and through south Asia. Ms. Raddatz is the recipient of numerous journalism awards and is a frequent guest on PBS's "Washington Week" and "Charlie Rose." She is the author of The Long Road Home—a Story of War and Family, a highly acclaimed book was released in March of 2007 that made both the New York Times and Washington Post bestseller lists.