Iraq war veteran Kris Goldsmith had the grim job of working as a photo-documentarian for US military intelligence on the ground in Iraq. His main task was to catalogue individual close-up images of the fallen in Iraq for further identification. When the severe mental health repercussions of these experiences prevented him from returning to Iraq, the military removed him from service and cited “serious misconduct” on his discharge papers, preventing him from receiving the benefits he needed to attend college.

I saw him earlier this year speaking at the Winter Soldier forum convened by Iraq Veterans Against the War. Last week we spoke about his experiences in Iraq and the consequences of stop-loss back home.