It’s very strange getting out of the military, when you’ve lived in Iraq, and people you know are going overseas again and again. Some of them are getting injured. Phil Klay Read Quote
I like the ethos of the military and the idea of joining an institution in which, at the very least, everyone who signs up believes in something. Phil Klay Read Quote
I literally went straight to New York City from Iraq, which was bizarre and complicated. I was walking down Madison Avenue, and it was spring, and people were smartly dressed, and it was so strange because there was no sense that we were at war. It was something to grapple with. Phil Klay Read Quote
The Iraq I returned from was, in my mind, a fairly simple place. By which I mean it had little relationship to reality. It’s only with time and the help of smart, empathetic friends willing to pull through many serious conversations that I’ve been able to learn more about what I witnessed. Phil Klay Read Quote
In the Marine Corps, you meet this really broad segment of the country; you’re working with people from all kinds of backgrounds. And it exposes you to the American military, particularly the American military at war. Phil Klay Read Quote
In State of the Union addresses, I always look at the foreign policy and military parts first, which are generally pretty minimal. Phil Klay Read Quote
We’re so used to using military terminology in civilian speech that we forget those terms might mean something very specific. Phil Klay Read Quote
You’re not supposed to risk your life just for the physical safety of American citizens – you’re supposed to risk your life for American ideals as well. Phil Klay Read Quote
