After giving a bottle of water to an Iraqi boy, Veteran marine Lamarris Williams found the boy dead with his head buried in the sand outside a military base.
The 27-year-old psychology senior at Mississippi State University told of his horror and emotional struggle to accept the death Saturday at Lee Hall on campus.
“I couldn”t calm down,” he said. “I was (expletive) hysterical.”
Williams was one of five student veterans who shared their stories as part of a national project that has staged live performances by former soldiers since 2008.
The Starkville version of The Telling Project, which is the fourth “Telling,” has been in the works since March, when the student veterans began performance training and eventually rehearsing, after extensive interviews.
The three-day production, which ended Sunday, drew about 35 people Saturday, down from the 70 or so who attended Friday.
The group took donations for veterans at the performance, collecting more than $130.
Joining Williams on stage were Marcus Boykin and Michael Campbell, of the U.S. Army, and Lewis Howard and Chris Keane, of the Army National Guard.
Campbell, a 33-year-old former paratrooper in the 82nd Airborne division, began organizing the performance in January after about two years of trying to get enough members to participate.
The “Telling,” he said, clears away some of the mistaken beliefs about combat that entertainment has planted in people”s minds.
“I think there”s so much misconception the public has about what goes on in a combat situation,” Campbell said. “I think the stories do a great job of conveying what really goes on: We used to be citizens, but we”re not anymore.”
On a personal level, Williams said the performances have been therapeutic for him and the other veterans, who at first had a difficult time telling their experiences.
“For me,” he added, “it was a barrier breaker. I”m glad I did it. I hope it helps people better understand the value of life.”
Campbell, who is the current president and co-founder of the National Student Veterans of America, said his personal goal for the performance was to educate the public about post-traumatic stress disorder.
Many veterans, including himself, have suffered from the disorder after returning from combat, Campbell said.
“The suicide rate is through the roof,” he said of veterans suffering from PTSD. “It”s higher than combat casualties. This is the something that needs to be addressed at every corner and turn.”
Just getting to know each other has helped release some of the stress, Campbell said.
“That”s the key — being together, being there for each other.”
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