Life before, during and after the military
Air Force veteran Stacy Pearsall is the host of a new PBS show, “After Action,” which reveals the experiences of 21 diverse veterans through candid conversations about what life is like before, during and after service.
She is the guest on this week’s American Legion Tango Alpha Lima podcast, hosted by Jeff Daly and Ashley Gutermuth.
Pearsall, a member of American Legion Post 166 in Goose Creek, S.C., served as a combat photojournalist. “I've lost friends to suicide and have had my own battles,” she said. “If this show saves one life, then it's been worth it.”
On the show, Pearsall sits down with three other veterans to talk about one topic. “Wherever that conversation goes, it goes,” she said, noting that sometimes veterans don’t have these types of conversations with family members. “’After Action’ is trying to achieve a more open dialogue, lifting the veil of the military experience and explaining why we are the way we are.”
There are five episodes already published and available for viewing on PBS.
The show is an extension of the work she did with her Veterans Portrait Project. It began in 2008 while Pearsall was rehabilitating from combat injuries sustained in Iraq. It’s a way that she combines her skills with honoring the service of veterans.
To date, Pearsall has photographed veterans in 82 cities in all 50 states, documenting more than 8,500 veterans. “It’s important that we had a shared experience,” she said. “This puts people a little less on guard. And because I am a veteran myself, there are no ulterior motives. I’m not here to present anybody in a bad light. I’m just here to photograph them as who they are as an individual.”
Pearsall’s “why” drives her motivation for these projects. “I do these things because I want to help,” she explained. “I don’t want others to have the experiences like I did. If you want to be part of the change, you have to be part of the solution. My work through what I have done has been endeavoring to do that.”
Daly and Gutermuth also discuss:
• The investigation following an intrusion of the home of Air Force One. There were three lapses in security that allowed a breach of the base. That is until a military spouse shot the intruder, points out Gutermuth, who is married to an Air Force Reserve pilot.
• One of the first Black Marines, George Johnson, is honored for his service. Johnson, 101, served during World War II as one of the Montford Point Marines.
• A National Guard veteran and his girlfriend were arrested and charged with plotting to destroy an electrical substation in Maryland. The self-identified Nazi was recently released from prison for possession of explosives. “When I read these stories I always wonder if I served with one of these pieces of filth,” wondered Daly, a Marine veteran.
Check out this week’s episode, which is among more than 160 Tango Alpha Lima podcasts available in both audio and video formats here. You can also download episodes on iTunes, Google Play or other major podcast-hosting sites. The video version is available at the Legion’s YouTube channel.