CNN Classroom Edition: Wounded Warriors

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(CNN Student News) -- Set your VCR to record the CNN Presents Classroom Edition: Wounded Warriors when it airs commercial-free on Monday, May 28, 2007, from 4:00 -- 5:00 a.m. ET on CNN. (A short feature begins at 4:00 a.m. and precedes the program.)

Program Overview

This CNN Presents Classroom Edition: Wounded Warriors gives viewers a rare glimpse into how U.S. soldiers are cared for when they are injured on the battlefields in Iraq. CNN correspondent Alex Quade tracks the levels of medical care that U.S. troops receive from the time they are wounded to their return to Walter Reed and other facilities in the U.S.

Note to Teachers: Please preview this program as it contains images that some students may find disturbing.

Grade Levels: 10-12, College

Subject Areas: Current Issues, Social Studies, Psychology, Health, Science, Medicine

Objectives: The CNN Presents Classroom Edition: Wounded Warriors and its corresponding discussion questions and activity challenge students to:

Examine the various levels of care that the U.S. provides to wounded soldiers;

Describe the support structures that serve the needs of the wounded;

Analyze the impact of combat casualties on the troops and the medical personnel;

Develop tributes to honor wounded U.S. soldiers and those who care for them.

Curriculum Connections

Social Studies

Standard IV. Individual Development and Identity: Students will explore the influences on individual development and identity including culture, groups and institutions.

Standard V. Individuals, Groups and Institutions: Students will explore how institutions (e.g. schools, churches, families, government agencies) are formed, what controls and influences them, how they control and influence individuals and culture and how institutions can be maintained or changed.

Standard VI. Power, Authority and Governance: Students will understand the historical development of structures of power, authority and governance and their evolving functions in contemporary U.S. society as well as other parts of the world.

The Curriculum Standards for Social Studies (http://www.socialstudies.org/standards/) are published by the National Council for Social Studies (http://ncss.org/).

Discussion Questions

1. Who are the military and medical personnel who care for the "wounded warriors" throughout their various levels of medical attention? How do they serve the needs of the wounded warriors at each of the following levels?

Medics at the "kill zone"

Triage

Combat Support Hospital (CSH)

Contingency Aeromedical Staging Facility (CASF)

Flying hospital

Landstuhl Regional Medical Center

U.S. Veterans' hospitals

Wounded Warriors Barracks

2. What words would you use to describe the people featured in this program? Do you consider any of them to be heroes? Explain.

3. How would you describe the conditions under which military and medical personnel in Iraq work to save the lives of injured soldiers? What character traits do you think are needed to work in these environments?

4. As wounded soldiers move through each level of medical care and eventually into society, what physical, emotional, social or financial challenges can they face? What kinds of support might they need at each phase? From what you saw in the program, what types of support structures are in place to meet these needs?

5. What efforts do U.S. military personnel take to provide comfort to wounded soldiers? What "touches of home" do you think would comfort you if you were injured on a battlefield?

6. Who do you think bears the responsibility for caring for wounded U.S. soldiers? How would you evaluate the levels of care that wounded soldiers receive from the U.S. military? What else, if anything, do you think needs to be done to support the needs of wounded soldiers and their families?

7. When CNN reporter Alex Quade asked wounded Marine Mel Greer what he wants viewers to learn from the program, Greer said, "All of it...We're showing them what happens. You're not shot and then you're better the next day, as Hollywood wants to make it happen. It takes years to recover. It can take a lifetime to recover for some people." In your opinion, to what extent do the show's producers convey this message? What other lessons or messages are expressed in this program?

8. How do you think that soldiers, military medical personnel, families whose loved ones are serving in combat and American viewers might react and respond to Wounded Warriors? What is your response to this program?

Suggested Activities

Pose the following questions to students for class discussion:

What is a tribute? What are some examples of tributes?

Who are some of the people to whom Americans pay tribute? (e.g., political leaders, entertainers, athletes, etc.)

What are some of the ways that we pay tribute to these people? (e.g., awards, memorials, museums, naming of roads or stadiums, designation of holidays, etc.)

What are some of the ways that Americans pay tribute to the U.S. armed forces and those who serve in combat zones? (e.g., awarding of medals such as the Purple Heart, celebrating days of remembrance, putting yellow ribbon magnets on cars, building memorials, etc.)

Have students conduct research on what, if anything, is being done locally, statewide or nationally to honor wounded U.S. servicemen and women or the medical personnel who treat them. Then, as a class, brainstorm unique and meaningful ways that students can pay tribute to America's wounded warriors and the doctors, nurses, aircrews, medics and others who risk their own lives to save those of wounded soldiers.

Challenge students to consider: 1) What message(s) they want to convey in their tribute, 2) What vehicle or method is the most effective way to convey that message, 3) What resources they need to execute their plans, 4) How they will get the word out about their tribute, and 5) How they will measure the success of their tribute.

Recall the people featured in Wounded Warriors, and discuss what types of tributes might be most welcomed and appreciated. Encourage the students to consider non-traditional forms of paying tribute. Examples may include:

Collecting and sending troops touches of home;

Fundraising for scholarships for families of wounded warriors;

Conducting interviews with wounded soldiers to create a local oral history library, publish a book of memoirs from the battlefield, or develop a Web site that features local military personnel;

Visiting local veterans' hospitals to share original works of art, poetry, music or kind words of thanks with some of the hospitalized veterans;

Fundraising for medical research on injuries specific to combat;

Providing services such as lawn care or grocery shopping for families whose loved ones are still fighting or have been wounded in battle;

Developing a Web site through which community members can learn more about local servicemen and women and how they can help them.

Have students finalize and execute their tribute.

Keywords

I.E.D., "golden hour," L-Z, "medicine man," MEDEVAC, Combat Support Hospital, "litters," alarm red, RPG, Contingency Aeromedical Staging Facility, Red Cross, VA Hospital

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