Ear to the Ground

“We Were Used. We Were Betrayed.” 

Staff / Truthdig Mar 18, 2023 Shortly after writing his “Last Letter” for Truthdig, Tomas Young decided to leave hospice and accept further medical treatment. He died on November 10, 2014, at the age of 34. Following his death, Phil Donahue published a remembrance of Young in the Nation, and Amy Goodman and Chris Hedges wrote a number of pieces for Truthdig. Nearly ten years after Young’s death, his suffering, struggle, courage, and fiery eloquence stand among our most powerful testaments to the incalculable human cost of a criminal and unnecessary war.  Dig deeper ( 2 Min. Read )

Wounds of War

The Iraq War, Twenty Years Later

Staff / Truthdig Mar 16, 2023 A war of choice, a legacy of ashes. Dig deeper ( 2 Min. Read )

TD Original

Veterans Ron Kovic, Oliver Stone on the True Cost of War (Video & Transcript)

Staff / Truthdig Nov 9, 2017 For Veterans Day, Truthdig presents footage of the author and the film director discussing their experiences with war, peace and politics in a discussion moderated by Truthdig Editor in Chief Robert Scheer. Dig deeper ( 51 Min. Read )

Batman in a Hospital Bed

By Mark Wilkerson / TomDispatch Jun 11, 2016 With Memorial Day in the rearview mirror, many Americans have already stopped thinking about our wars and the casualties from them for another year. As for me, it’s been Memorial Day ever since I first met Tomas Young. Dig deeper ( 11 Min. Read )

Chris Hedges Wins L.A. Press Club’s Top Award for Activism Journalism

Staff / Truthdig Jun 30, 2015 The Truthdig columnist was honored Sunday night for his column "The Last Days of Tomas Young," which "sharply skewers a VA system that failed to aid the very people it’s meant to serve.” Dig deeper ( 2 Min. Read )

The Last Days of Tomas Young

Chris Hedges / Truthdig Nov 17, 2014 The wounded veteran died last week after a desperate battle with the VA, which callously had reduced his pain medication. His crucible is familiar to the many other Americans who have become the fodder of our wars. Dig deeper ( 7 Min. Read )

Tomas Young, Rest in Peace

Amy Goodman / Truthdig Nov 13, 2014 There were 8,920,000 military veterans in the United States as of last June, according to the Department of Veterans Affairs. Sometime last Sunday or Monday, hours before Veterans Day began, that number dropped by one, when Tomas Young died at home in Seattle, with his wife by his side. Dig deeper ( 4 Min. Read )

Tomas Young, Veteran Author of ‘The Last Letter,’ Dies at 34

Peter Z. Scheer / Truthdig Nov 11, 2014 Iraq War veteran and activist Tomas Young has died, "Democracy Now" is reporting. Dig deeper ( 2 Min. Read )

Tomas Young Says He’s Not Angry at George W. Bush

Tracy Bloom / Truthdig Apr 26, 2013 A month after penning a scathing open letter condemning the Bush administration's decision to invade Iraq, anti-war activist Tomas Young is making yet another powerful statement. Dig deeper ( 2 Min. Read )

Bush’s Lame Defense of Iraq War Decisions Is Outrageous

Tracy Bloom / Truthdig Apr 15, 2013 Now that history has shown us how monumentally terrible the idea of the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq turned out to be, the president who lied to get us into the quagmire says he's "comfortable" with what he did. Dig deeper ( 2 Min. Read )

Hundreds of Thousands More Like Tomas Young

Alexander Reed Kelly / Truthdig Mar 27, 2013 Almost half of the 2.2 million troops deployed in Iraq and Afghanistan report problems on returning home, but the attention and care many receive from the Department of Defense and Veterans Affairs are not enough, a report published Tuesday finds. Dig deeper ( 2 Min. Read )

Iraq Veteran Tomas Young

Randall Enos, Cagle Cartoons Mar 25, 2013 Dig deeper