Central Florida is home to veterans of wars from the 20th Century, including the Korean War, through to modern day conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan. This week on Intersection, veterans talk about going from the front lines to civilian life.
Acclaimed poet Brian Turner reads a passage from his autobiography ‘My Life As A Foreign Country’ and talks about how fellow veterans respond to his writing.
Then- a conversation with Eliezer Barrios, who served in the Korean War with the US Army's 65th Infantry regiment, the Puerto Rican unit known as the Borinqueneers.
The regiment was desegregated in 1953, and last year President Barack Obama signed legislation honoring the unit with the congressional gold medal.
The medals have yet to be presented to surviving members of the regiment.
[caption id="attachment_54153" align="alignnone" width="400"] Eliezer Barrios shows his veterans hats. Photo: Matthew Peddie, WMFE[/caption]
Frank Medina, a West Point Graduate and Iraq war veteran, talks about his effort to get official recognition for the Borinqueneers.
And former Black Hawk helicopter pilot Jovanna Nelson talks about how her father inspired her to join the military, and about how she wrestled with the decision to continue as a reservist after her son was killed in combat in Afghanistan.