Veterans Turn to Peacemaking

After serving proudly in the US Armed Forces, what motivates a person to later work passionately for peace? On this edition of Peace Talks Radio, we’ll learn how two war veterans were changed by their military experience and about the peace work they now do. Our guests talked with host Suzanne Kryder about the role of the US military in peace building, their views on defense spending, and what all of us can do to bring an end to war. Paul K. Chappell is a West Point graduate who served in the army for seven years including a deployment to Baghdad in 2006; he retired as a Captain. Paul now serves as the Peace Leadership Director for the Nuclear Age Peace Foundation. He is the author of three books including Peaceful Revolution: How We Can Create the Future Needed for Humanity’s Survival. We’ll also speak with Erik K. Gustafson who served in the 1991 Gulf War. Witnessing the consequences of the war fueled Erik’s passion for human rights and peace building. He’ll describe why and how he founded the Education for Peace in Iraq Center (EPIC) in 1998 to improve humanitarian conditions in Iraq and defend the human rights of the Iraqi people.