Touching and Sweet

Have you ever heard of the old saying 'you have to face your fear to overcome it?' In the article, Wounded Soldiers Return to Iraq, Seeking Solace by Rod Nordland of the NY Times, a small group named, Troops First, alongside the USO are working to help traumatized soldiers overcome their fear by taking them back to the scene of their nightmares, the battlefield. This may sound very standard for any veteran of the Vietnam War or WWII, but for the first time, soldiers are returning while the war is still in progress. The method, code named Operation Proper Exit, has been approved by the army surgeon general, Dr. John Olsen, however there has been no real research into the benefits that the program has to the psychological well-being of the soldiers. Although there has been no formal evidence, it was reported that many of the soldier's nightmares have ceased following their return visit.

Nordland really knows how to play on the emotions of his readers. From the beginning, he pulls you in by adding a quick little introduction before stating the purpose of the article. This may seem odd in a newspaper article, but the introduction builds the story in favor of Operation Proper Exit. This actually leads into my only critique of the article. It is clearly weighted in favor of Operation Proper Exit. This is unsurprising as it is evident that Nordland tagged along on the project, but he failed to report on the possible risks of the program. I will admit that I easily overlooked this as I became so engaged as Nordland excellently reported the details of the visit. There were tears and motivating words- the perfect formula for a touching article.