Wounded Warriors

Mon., Jan. 25, noon-2 p.m., free, Houston Hall, University of Pennsylvania, 3417 Spruce St., 215-573-0917, cphi.upenn.edu.

by Mandy Bee

think tank

A good veteran's story will take you to the unfamiliar deserts of Afghanistan or Iraq, and make an often-unfathomable war real. Sadly, most Americans don't get a chance to hear these tales firsthand. To change that, Penn's Center for Public Health Initiatives will host a presentation on veterans' experiences. "The [event] will focus on what happened to the veterans in combat, but more importantly, on coming home afterward," says Gala True, who's hosting the event with Veterans History Project director Robert Patrick. "It will help us learn how to talk to and connect with veterans, and also promote healing for society as a whole." While no veterans will be in attendance, their videos, photographs and letters will be. The hosts will also teach attendees how to interview veterans. These Q&As can then be submitted to the Veterans History Project for publication on its Web site. "What's most important is to remember that these wars affect not only veterans," says True, "but all of us."

Mon., Jan. 25, noon-2 p.m., free, Houston Hall, University of Pennsylvania, 3417 Spruce St., 215-573-0917, cphi.upenn.edu.