War veteran barred from CCBC campus for frank words on killing

[The Straight Story]

War veteran barred from CCBC campus for frank words on killing

After publishing essay on addiction to war, Charles Whittington must obtain psychological evaluation before returning to classes

By writing the paper, Charles Whittington thought he would confront the anxieties that had tormented him since he returned from war.

He knew it wasn't normal to dwell on the pleasure of sticking his knife between an enemy soldier's ribs. But by recording his words, maybe he'd begin to purge the fixation.

So Whittington, an Iraq veteran, submitted an essay on the allure of combat for his English class at the Community College of Baltimore County in Catonsville. He called war a drug and wrote that killing "is something that I do not just want but something I really need so I can feel like myself."

Whittington's instructor gave him an A and suggested that he seek publication for the piece. The essay appeared in the Oct. 26 edition of the campus newspaper.

http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/baltimore-county/bs-md-veteran-suspension-20101121,0,4190864.story