About the play
In 2005, General David Petraeus asked West Point philosophy professor Colonel Ted Westhusing to deploy to Iraq and manage the training of local security forces. Colonel Westhusing, an expert on military ethics, was an obvious choice for monitoring the contractors and soldiers responsible for 'standing-up' a series of elite Iraqi police battalions. Westhusing demonstrated exemplary physical abilities as an officer and Airborne Ranger. He was among the brightest soldiers of his generation. He graduated 'honor cadet' and 3rd in his class at West Point, and earned a PhD through the study of classical philosophy and military ethics. He was a man of Catholic faith, with a devoted family. He entered Iraq as a "true believer." Less than six months after deployment, Colonel Westhusing shot himself in the head with his Army issued 9mm Berretta. His hurried suicide note ends with the lines: "Life needs trust. Trust is no more, for me, here in Iraq."
The play consists of distinct sections or parts, and thereby echoes the structure of Tony Kushner's Angels in America or Suzan-Lori Parks' Father Comes Home from the Wars. The first part, Westhusing of the House of Atreus, examines the emerging specter of corruption that haunted Iraq in 2005. The second part, Petraeus before Elysium, brings out the personal consequences for those who lived in the nightmare of the moment.
The play consists of distinct sections or parts, and thereby echoes the structure of Tony Kushner's Angels in America or Suzan-Lori Parks' Father Comes Home from the Wars. The first part, Westhusing of the House of Atreus, examines the emerging specter of corruption that haunted Iraq in 2005. The second part, Petraeus before Elysium, brings out the personal consequences for those who lived in the nightmare of the moment.
about Westhusing, the soldier
Colonel Theodore Westhusing, The Journal of Military Ethics
"An atmosphere of trust . . . where guile is minimized, if not eliminated, is a requirement for excellence internal to the warfighting unit.”
Mary J. Loftus, Emory Magazine
"An American warrior . . . [and a] devout Catholic, he thrived in an environment that emphasized integrity, virtue, and self-discipline."
T. Christian Miller, Los Angeles Times
"A journey that ending in anguish . . . . The Army closed its case. But the questions surrounding Westhusing's death continue. . . ."
A quote from the play
WESTHUSING: The dog must gnaw
At bones to clean its teeth; soldiers must go
To war to prove their aretai exist.
Scene 1.
technical details
CAST REQUIREMENTS
Four or five actors. One woman, three or four men.
PLAY LENGTH
Run-time of two hours and thirty minutes, including intermission.
SPECIAL THANKS
...to Tom Palaima, Caridad Svich, Heather Helinksy, Ken Webster and Hyde Park Theatre, James and Laurel Loehlin, and the Great Plains Theatre Conference.
Four or five actors. One woman, three or four men.
PLAY LENGTH
Run-time of two hours and thirty minutes, including intermission.
SPECIAL THANKS
...to Tom Palaima, Caridad Svich, Heather Helinksy, Ken Webster and Hyde Park Theatre, James and Laurel Loehlin, and the Great Plains Theatre Conference.
the wilde rhyme
Sayonara, dear homeland, the ocean calls to me.
They tell me these waters are called the Aegean sea.
Farewell to my children, to parents, and to wife;
I pray that each of you shall live a long and happy life.
They say that the ocean is home to the clouds:
They go on a journey, casting gentle shade upon the ground.
When task overwhelm them, they plunge unto ground;
I'd liken my journey to that of the clouds.
La da dee, da da di di, dum di di ditty deed.
La da da, la da da, di dum di di ditty deed.
I miss you sure, as smoke must miss the fire.
The flames were my mother: I miss her brightness forever.
Though all sons must pass, they hope mothers know it never.
Sayonara, dear kiss of flame, for I must fly higher.
La da dee, da da di di, dum di di ditty deed.
La da da, la da da, di dum di di ditty deed.
The passing of a just man, it falls like the rain.
Though some doubt that he ever lived, water drops soothe all pain.