Military expert Col. Dave Grossman discusses not only African and Middle Eastern child soldiers but also the experience of youthful draftees in Viet Nam. Along the way, we cover Ukraine's fighters, PTSD, video games, female child soldiers, sleep deprivation, chaplains, and how Grossman supports his own deployed grandson. Alert: some troubling content. 2d alert: we're not saying that the U.S. draft system in 1974 is comparable to the kidnapping and conscription of 13-year-olds in Kenyan militias. Hear us out. Translations of the two clips that are not in English are written below or can be viewed on YouTube.
Additional resources:
Books by Dave Grossman:
--On Killing
--On Combat
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BynUzqNiMk4
"Helping One Child Soldier at a Time" World Vision, World Vision Canada, 2012
https://www.aljazeera.com/program/inside-story/2018/2/12/what-is-behind-the-rising-number-of-child-soldiers/
"What is behind the rising number of child soldiers?" Inside Story, Aljazeera,2018
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SxjLDSJxfgg
"Iraq: Yezidi Child Soldiers Who Survived ISIS Tell Their Stories" Amnesty International, Fat Rat Films, 2022
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/56-the-grand-theft-of-our-kids-w-dave-grossman/id1620044176?i=1000656382367
Conversation Balloons Podcast, Episode 56: "The Grand Theft of Our Kids" with Col. Dave Grossman
Translation of clip 1:
“So this particular day, we were all dressing up to go to the market. Then we realized the rebels wereall over our compound. They caught up with me and brought me home. My mother had just delivered a baby. They told her they wanted one million shillings or else they would kill me. So they brought 2 big bundles of sticks and they began beating me. They beat me until I was unconscious. They said that I would become a good soldier now that they had taken the civilian spirit away from me.”
Translation of second clip not in English:
“For 4 years, we did whatever they told us to do just to keep them satisfied. And to try to make them trust us so they would not kill us and we could escape from captivity. But in our hearts, nothings was changing. They would teach us that the people we loved were Kafir (infidels). And that we should fight them. Outwardly we were acting like them. Inside, though, we were still holding on to our religion. But they knew that we hadn’t converted to their religion, so they put us in prison. They told us, ‘You are still Yezidis.’” And they hit us with sticks. It was difficult. I begged them, ‘Show mercy. I am young; I cannot handle this beating.’ But they continued to beat me.’…
--When you were released from captivity and got back home,why did you get the tattoo of your mother on your arm?
I love my mother a lot and I want her image to be with me always. ISIS took her away from me and separated us.
--You were so young, you were 13 or 14 years old.
I want her to always be with me. That’s why I got this tattoo.”
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