The power of a letter to evoke emotion and experience far from place and time is one of the miracles of communication. We explored that on Veterans Day this year. First Marine Lieutenant Michael Scotti read a letter he wrote on March 29th, 2003 at the beginning of the Iraq war.
Takeaway listener Mary DeChillo heard Michael’s voice and it reminded her of a combat veteran named Phil Lippens who she met when he was her student at Salem State University in Massachusetts. Phil served in Iraq from August of 2006 to November 2007 he came home with PTSD and a traumatic brain injury which he deals with every day.
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