The Ghosts of Vietnam
Deborah Nelson and Nick Turse have tenaciously dug through Army documents to uncover previously hidden atrocities committed during the Vietnam War. "A Tortured Past" in Sunday's Los Angeles Times concludes that U.S. military officials worked to discredit troops who spoke up about cases of torture and murder even when investigations substantiated the allegations. A companion story, "Lasting Pain, Minimal Punishment," describes one such murder and its aftermath. Two weeks ago, Nelson's and Turse's "Civilian Killings Went Unpunished" detailed how atrocities were more common than previously known. These gutsy stories hold important lessons as U.S. troops once again fight a guerilla war in a faraway land.
On a happier note, "Bugles, Heralds in Bloom" by the Times' P.J. Huffstutter tells how the residents of Atwater, Minn., started their own newspaper, part of a resurgence in small town publications.