Found in translation: An Iraqi translator's journey to Amherst
Written by By Ashleigh Bennett, AmherstWire.com Tuesday, 27 May 2008 12:58
It's September 2003 in Iraq. There is a war going on. Huda Yehia is traveling unprotected on the streets of Baghdad, wary of everyone and everything around her. There is a bounty of $200 on her head.
Three years later she sits in the translation center at the University of Massachusetts, continuing the job that put a bounty on her head – translating. She also teaches and bakes at Rao's Coffee shop in downtown Amherst. Her life has changed drastically but she carries dozens of stories with her about her work with Americans.
Read more: Found in translation: An Iraqi translator's journey to Amherst
Veterans blame media for lack of public awareness
Written by Mary Kate Alfieri, AmherstWire.com Monday, 26 May 2008 15:05
United States Marine Corps veteran Adam Belanger sits in the University of Massachusetts library shaking his head as he recalls a recent moment in his geography class.
“I’m the only person in my class that could point out Iraq on a map!” he said. “It’s very frustrating because here in ‘liberal capital’ Massachusetts, where everyone is against the war, no one can find the war.”
Read more: Veterans blame media for lack of public awareness
A plan for Iraq? Sgt. lays out his theory
Written by Keith Shannon, AmherstWire.com Monday, 26 May 2008 14:49
Sgt. Kendrick Lau was among the first wave of U.S. Army Reservists deployed to Iraq. As a civil affairs soldier, his mission was to help “win the hearts and minds” of the Iraqi population.
Now, almost four years after his return, the UMass alum feels that continued major military presence “isn't worth our resources, unfortunately.”
Coverage of war is down, study says
Last Updated (Wednesday, 28 May 2008 11:04) Written by Michael Handley, AmherstWire.com Monday, 26 May 2008 14:55
University of Massachusetts senior Brett Crosby tosses down The Boston Globe in disgust. He pauses for a minute, quickly sipping his coffee, his eyes going wall-to-wall, as he scans the crowded coffee shop.
“When did The Globe become a tabloid?” he asks rhetorically. “Why is this garbage front page news?”
Deep into an election cycle, it seems readers like Crosby are more likely to find out about Hillary Clinton’s exaggerated trip to Bosnia or Barack Obama’s breakup with former minister Rev. Jeremiah Wright, rather than the pressing issues facing the nation.
Marine's memory lives on
Written by Guy Murray, AmherstWire.com Monday, 26 May 2008 14:46
When a baby in Iraq was born with a unique and life-threatening birth defect, University of Massachusetts student Eric Valdepenas jumped at the opportunity to lend a helping hand.
AUDIO SLIDESHOW: Eric's scholarship
The baby was born with its organs outside of the body and couldn’t receive treatment while in Iraq. Valdepenas was part of a group of Marines who volunteered to take the baby out of Iraq and transport it to a hospital in Boston where it received proper treatment. He received a purple heart for the mission.
Veterans express mixed feelings on their treatment
Last Updated (Friday, 30 May 2008 01:16) Written by Kate Bergquist and Eric Athas, AmherstWire.com Monday, 26 May 2008 14:41
University of Massachusetts junior Justin Rose was training with the ROTC not long ago when someone interrupted the session.
“We had a kid drive by and call us baby killers,” said Rose, a 25-year-old veteran.
Rose is one of many veterans and other UMass students involved in the military who share mixed feelings about their treatment on campus. He said he’s had an overall positive time at the university, but has experienced some remote negative incidents.
Read more: Veterans express mixed feelings on their treatment
