A Report from the Field: The View from Northern Afghanistan
James Dao, National Correspondent, The New York Times
At the Residence of Ambassador Ritva Jolkkonen, Consul General of Finland in New York
Transcript
New York, NY—On November 30, 2010, James Dao, New York Times National Correspondent, shared stories from his ongoing coverage of the First Battalion, 87th Infantry of the 10th Mountain Division from Fort Drum, their year-long deployment in northern Afghanistan, and the impact of the war on the soldiers and their families. The event was hosted by the Consul General of Finland in New York, Ambassador Ritva Jolkkonen, at her residence.
Dao joined the battalion as they departed for Afghanistan, was embedded with them in Kunduz Province, and returned to NY to speak with their families. He plans to join the soldiers on their return home. His stories captured the daily life of the soldiers on the ground, and highlighted the diversity of the company from a 27-year-old Yale-educated Company Captain, to a single father with sole custody of his children and a Sergeant and mother of two overseeing an equipment tech team.
