Nearly 2.5 million men and women have left active duty in the Armed Forces since September 2001 and one-quarter of them report a service-related disability, according to a recent Congressional study. Honoring and supporting those men and women is a challenge the United States should meet, says Bruce Kuniholm, dean of Duke's Sanford School of Public Policy.
"We shouldn't forget our troops," says Kuniholm, himself a retired Marine captain and Vietnam veteran. "It's easy to forget them if they don't touch your life."
During a live, interactive "Office Hours" webcast, Kuniholm and his son Jonathan will answer viewer questions about how veterans are faring when they return home from combat missions. Jonathan Kuniholm is a graduate student in Duke's department of biomedical engineering who was seriously injured while serving in the Marine Corps in Iraq.
To ask the Kuniholms a question in advance or during the show, send an email to live@duke.edu, Tweet with the hashtag #dukelive or post to the Duke University Facebook page.
In addition to his role as Sanford School dean, Bruce Kuniholm is a scholar of U.S. foreign policy in the Middle East. He was a rifle platoon commander in Vietnam and later served in the State Department's Policy Planning Staff. He has received three degrees from Duke: a Ph.D. in history, an M.A. in public policy and an M.A. in history.
Jonathan Kuniholm is president of The Open Prosthetics Project, which seeks to improve prosthetic limb technology. Jonathan was inspired to launch the project after he lost part of his right arm to a roadside bomb in Iraq. His work on the project has been highlighted by "60 Minutes," the News & Observer, National Public Radio and other news media.
"We still have a long way to go," Jonathan said about the efficiency of prosthetic arms.
Duke's weekly "Office Hours" webcast series aims to bring the insights of Duke faculty members to anyone with an Internet connection and an interest in ideas. Topics have ranged from brain-machine interfaces and the power of retail brands to the legacy of Michael Jackson and the ecology of Antarctica.
Find a schedule of upcoming broadcasts, as well as archives of previous conversations, on the Office Hours website.