This is the third in a five-part series, “Retelling the War,” in which veterans discuss how books, movies and other tales of combat shaped their perceptions of themselves and of war.

HANOI — Cinematheque, a small art house theater here, isn’t easy to find; it’s tucked down a long, narrow, dimly lit alley lined with motorbikes. It feels a bit clandestine turning down that shadowy corridor before emerging into the hanging foliage and candlelit courtyard of the Hotel des Artistes.

At Cinematheque, I met up with two acquaintances, Lady Borton and Chuck Searcy, for a screening of “The Hurt Locker.” I was well aware of the historically loaded nature of the situation — me, an Iraq war veteran, going to see a fictional film set in that war, in a land still marked by the horror of one of our previous wars, one that for many Americans was only experienced through other fictional films — like “Apocalypse Now,” “The Deer Hunter” and “Platoon.”

In the summer of 2004 (while I was still in Iraq) I wrote a poem called “The Hurt Locker” — it appeared in my book, “Here, Bullet,” published in 2005. I’d first heard the phrase (which means, in a broad sense, a private place of pain) when my squad leader turned to me and voiced his frustration with so many indirect attacks on us (mortar attacks, roadside bombs,
snipers, etc.). He said, “Sometimes I just want to put them in the hurt locker.” It was a bizarre phrase that stuck with me for about two weeks before I wrote the poem. Hearing the title of this film rekindled my curiosity in the phrase itself and sparked my interest in seeing it. 

Read the full opinion piece in The New York Times. 

The Department of Veterans Affairs plans to hire roughly 105,000 employees in the next two years as part of the Obama administration's expansion of benefits and services for veterans. Deputy Secretary W. Scott Gould talked Monday about the hiring plans and other department operations.

Read the Q&A here.

Stands by Vietnam vets decision 

CHILLICOTHE, Ohio

Veterans Affairs Secretary Eric Shinseki said he is making it a top priority this year to tackle the backlog of disability claims that has veterans waiting months - even years - to get financial compensation for their injuries.

Among those waiting for relief are sick Vietnam and Gulf War veterans to whom the former Army commander feels a special allegiance.

"I'm a kid out of the Vietnam era, I just have enough firsthand knowledge of folks walking around with lots of issues. If there's a generation of veterans that have had a tough row to hoe, it's the Vietnam generation," said Mr. Shinseki, 67, as he traveled through snowcapped mountains in Ohio and West Virginia between meetings with veterans.

Read the article here