Lt. Shannon Meehan, Iraqi war veteran-turned-author, will speak on campus Sept. 24

Fort Worth, TX

9/10/2009

Tank commander Lt. Shannon Meehan did what he was supposed to do in Iraq. Under the blazing summer sun in 2007, he ordered a missile strike that would take the lives of innocent Iraqi civilians. Remorse, shame, self-doubt and depression have been among the war's emotional aftershocks for this young soldier.

He is now the author of "Beyond Duty," which he co-wrote with Roger Thompson*, and will speak at 7 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 24 at the Kelly Alumni & Visitors Center, 2820 Stadium Drive, on the TCU campus. Both men will be on hand for a reading and discussion of their project. The event, sponsored by the TCU Department of English, is free and open to the public. (*Thompson received his Ph.D. degree in English from TCU in 1999).

Meehan's memoir examines one soldier's attempt to reconcile what he has done with what he felt he had to do. It recounts first-hand the reality of a new type of warfare that remains largely unspoken and forgotten on the frontlines of Iraq.

For more information, contact Jill Havens in the TCU English Dept., 817-257-6259.