Military.com recently had the opportunity to ask Trudeau some questions about service, the war, and what he intended when he made B.D. a wounded warrior.

Military.com:  Some have criticized America's elites (and their progeny) for avoiding military service in the wake of 9-11.  What is your sense of the upper class/Ivy League attitudes toward joining?

Garry Trudeau:  It's not universally true that they've avoided service. I know of graduates from my alma mater, Yale, who've enlisted, including my godson, an Army Ranger about to deploy to Afghanistan. And I'm not sure that America's "elites" are much different from the vast majority of young people of military age who have opted out of service. The reasons are obvious; lack of peer pressure to serve, a desire to stay out of harm's way and get on with one's life, an unwillingness to fight in what many believe is an unjust or un-winnable war. All these disincentives transcend class. The question of who volunteers and why is a separate issue.

Military.com:  Would mandatory service yield any value to the nation?

Trudeau: I think it's been established -- certainly to the military's satisfaction -- that all-volunteer forces are far superior to a military made up of conscripts. However, I've always favored some kind of mandatory service, whether in the military or civil sector. The country's volunteer corps initiatives -- from WPA to the Peace Corps to AmericaCorps -- have been largely successful, of great benefit to both nation and individual.

Military.com:  Is it possible to support the troops without supporting the war?

Trudeau: I certainly hope so, as that is my position. In the 37 years I've been writing the strip, I've supported some of our wars (Gulf War I, Kosovo, Afghanistan), and opposed others (Vietnam, Grenada, Panama and Iraq), but my support for the troops was never at issue. Of course, it is hardly a settled issue what constitutes "support". For instance, those who favor keeping our troops in the meat grinder that is Iraq are said to "support" them, while those who favor returning them to their families are accused of "betraying" them. Go figure.

Military.com:  If it is possible to support the troops without supporting the war, what has allowed Americans (generally) to make that distinction this time when they seemed incapable of doing so during the Vietnam conflict?

Trudeau:  During the Vietnam War, conflating the troops with their misbegotten mission was an emotional response to years of disturbing reports about how the war was being fought. The country subsequently faced up to the injustice of that, and it's heartening to see how well returning soldiers are being treated by the public today. My worry is that if the conflict drags on indefinitely, and if the war is increasingly viewed as shameful, that our troops may start paying a price in the regard of their countrymen.

Military.com:  Does the mainstream media focus on the "bad news" only, thereby giving the public a skewed perception of what is actually going on in Iraq?   Or has the real picture emerged?   Is Iraq really the huge American mistake it appears to be from watching television?

Trudeau:  Yes. Despite all odds (given the extreme difficulty of covering the war), this war has yielded some of the best journalism I've ever seen, especially in the long form. No one can read Assassin's Gate or Fiasco or Emerald City and not come away outraged over how dishonestly and incompetently this war has been managed from the beginning. If anything, television hasn't done the horror justice. Certainly there are individual stories of progress -- and many have been covered -- but the central fact is that our war of "liberation" has unleashed untold suffering on millions of people. More stories about rebuilt clinics or temporarily pacified areas of operations don't change that much larger reality.                                     

By the way, it isn't just mainstream media, some liberal elite, who have told this story. I'd be hard pressed to find any responsible journalist willing to describe southern and central Iraq as anything other than a nightmare. Kurdistan is another story.

Military.com:   The Washington Post recently described America as "war weary," but has the average American really sacrificed anything since the GWOT started?

Trudeau:  I think Americans can be war-weary without having sacrificed on a personal level. You can be outraged to see your country spend so much blood and treasure on an unjustifiable war.  Just because it's not your son or daughter on the evening news does not prevent you from empathizing with their families.

Military.com:  Have military blogs and user-generated movies like "The War Tapes" changed the public's view of war to the degree they might be less inclined to support it in the future?

Trudeau:  Well, that assumes that most bloggers are antiwar, which I'm not sure would be a fair assumption. Quite a few are extremely pro-mission, which is to be expected. When you're in the middle of a war, it's counterintuitive for those fighting it to question its purpose or meaning.

Military.com:  The most recent midterm election process would suggest that no candidate emerges untarnished.  Does this reality keep the right people from seeking office?  Is it quixotic to believe the current American political system can yield great leaders?

Trudeau:  Greatness is rare under any system, but I don't think we're living through a period any more dysfunctional or corrupt than previous eras. Is the age of soft money any more dispiriting than the age of machine politics? Was there ever an era in which we were not plagued by special interests? People who are drawn to public service -- or power -- play the game as they find it.

Military.com:  What series of events caused you to create the storyline where B.D. lost his leg?

Trudeau:  The storyline began in April of 2004, shortly after coalition forces suspended operations in Fallujah. Casualties had been high, and I was looking for a way to dramatize the sacrifices that our troops had been making. I only had two established characters in Iraq -- B.D. and Ray -- and I'd already wounded Ray in Gulf War I. That left poor B.D. to take the hit. I originally considered having him die in combat, but I concluded that while that might have caused a brief sensation, it would soon be forgotten. In the alternative, by giving B.D. a life-altering wound, I could set in motion a sustained story arc that tracked the arduous recovery and readjustment issues that a survivor might expect to face. I thought that might be a more useful outcome to explore.

Military.com:  What have you learned from the company of wounded servicemembers?

Trudeau:  I learn something different from each one. They all have their own powerful narratives, and they handle their own set of challenges differently. Certainly these are folks we should all be proud of; they are tough and largely uncomplaining, indeed most want nothing more than to continue to serve. There is a lot to admire.

Military.com:  Where does America go from here?

Trudeau:  If I knew that, I'd be doing something more useful than standing on the corner with my little peashooter. I do think we need to withdraw from Iraq at the earliest possible date. Every day we remain worsens the crisis that the invasion set in motion. We can't begin to rebuild our shattered prestige and influence in the world -- and lead during a time of global peril -- as long as we are seen as blundering bullies. The vast majority of Iraqis want us out; we should oblige them. Enough's enough.

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