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Stop-Lossing Capt. Rawlings Capt. Nate Rawlings invites you to post your questions for him in the comment section of his latest essay. The Princeton alum had expected to spend the year applying for film school, but instead he was stop-lossed, caught up in the Pentagon policy of extending tours of duty. He's be answering listener questions and writing essays about his experience over the past seven months.

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Stop-Lossing Capt. Rawlings

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Opinion

How 'Battlestar' Brought Me Home From Iraq

May 20, 2009 • One of the troops' favorite pastimes in the combat zone is watching the science fiction show Battlestar Galactica, says Capt. Nate Rawlings. As he prepares to leave the Army, watching the finale helps it all seem real.

Planning For Life After Iraq

March 3, 2009 • Army Capt. Nate Rawlings will be returning to civilian life at the end of March after two years in Iraq. After earlier thoughts of becoming a filmmaker, he now hopes to get into journalism school. He talks about how combat experiences affect his perspective on life.

Planning For Life After Iraq

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Looking Forward To The New Year In Iraq

January 1, 2009 • Army Capt. Nate Rawlings has been sharing his experiences in Iraq with NPR over the last year. Madeleine Brand speaks with Rawlings about how he celebrated the new year in Baghdad and what 2009 may bring for United States soldiers in Iraq.

Looking Forward To The New Year In Iraq

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Opinion

Essay: Troops In Iraq Face Economic Battle At Home

December 30, 2008 • Just as Capt. Nate Rawlings decides he's ready to leave the Army for journalism, he watches the newspapers and radio shows he adores go under. Some of his fellow soldiers are planning to stay in the military, he says, rather than try to find a job in such a severe recession.

Opinion

Essay: Happy Holidays From The Combat Zone

December 4, 2008 • The deployed service member has few guaranteed certainties, except that he will miss every important event during a calendar year. Capt. Nate Rawlings, who will spend Christmas in Iraq, reflects on mass-produced turkey dinners and new traditions — including a crash landing on a moving ship.

Opinion

Making Sense Of The Election From Baghdad

November 7, 2008 • While his family was at home watching the U.S. election results, Capt. Nate Rawlings was watching CNN on a military base in Iraq. He discusses his experience and his soldiers' reactions to Barack Obama's victory.

Making Sense Of The Election From Baghdad

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Opinion

Making Iraqi Friends And Connecting With Family

November 6, 2008 • In his latest installment of answers to listener questions, Capt. Nate Rawlings explains what it's like to get to know the residents in the cities he patrols. He also explores what soldiers can do if, upon returning home, their children don't remember who they are.

Essay: Soldier Inspires Voters On U.S. Base In Iraq

October 24, 2008 • Sgt. Asa Rubman, a paralegal, set up a voting drive in the dining room at his military base in Baghdad. Over the course of five days, nearly 600 soldiers, airmen and contractors cast absentee ballots — many for the first time.

Opinion

Observing The Presidential Candidates From Iraq

September 22, 2008 • From a cell phone on a rooftop in Baghdad, Capt. Nate Rawlings stresses the importance of voting and offers his take on the presidential candidates' Iraq policies. Rawlings also explains how he copes with soldiers who would rather be partying.

Observing The Presidential Candidates From Iraq

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Opinion

Essay: Sick And Chugging Gatorade In Iraq

September 17, 2008 • Feeling under the weather is never enjoyable, but being sick in a combat zone is wretchedly miserable. Stuck with bronchitis, Capt. Nate Rawlings is reminded of why sometimes, when you can't be sure of the outcome, all you can look forward to is the end.

Opinion

Officer Responds To 'Gutless Coward' Charge

September 17, 2008 • A listener asks what gives America the right to "force democracy on people" in Iraq and calls the U.S. Armed Forces murderers. Capt. Rawlings responds, "If you feel that we entered into this conflict unjustly ... then do all that you can to bring us home."

Opinion

Essay: Wedding Proves Dreamy Escape From Iraq

September 9, 2008 • Capt. Nate Rawlings uses his R&R time to participate in his best friends' union. His grandmother chides him that uniforms aren't what they once were. Otherwise the trip is perfect, leaving him feeling lost and alone when he returns once again to his "home" in Baghdad.

Opinion

Officer Suggests Ways To Support The Troops

July 31, 2008 • Capt. Nate Rawlings urges people who want to help U.S. troops to send a letter or visit a veterans hospital. The Army officer also explains how he and his soldiers approach political debates.

Opinion

Essay: Independence Lessons From An Iraqi Goat

July 31, 2008 • When you're stuck in Iraq for the Fourth of July, you have to get creative. Capt. Nate Rawlings' celebration involved a goat, a lamb, a medical training exercise and a large translator named Whopper.

Capt. Rawlings reflects on the surge and leaving Iraq for a friend's wedding.

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Are Soldiers Marking The End Of The Surge?

July 30, 2008 • Not officially, says Capt. Nate Rawlings. The stop-lossed Army officer is back in the United States. He explains how he managed to leave Iraq for a wedding and offers his take on Sen. Obama's recent visit to Iraq.

Capt. Rawlings reflects on the surge and leaving Iraq for a friend's wedding.

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Opinion

Capt. Rawlings Takes Questions From Iraq

July 9, 2008 • The Princeton alum addresses mockery about his Ivy League schooling and how he "justifies" his mission. He also offers tips on how to delay deployment so as not to miss the birth of one's child.

Update From Iraq: Appreciating 'The Darkness'

July 8, 2008 • Capt. Nate Rawlings reflects on a recent mission in a Humvee without air conditioning. Far more taxing than the temperature, though, was passing the spot where his commander was killed a month earlier. Rawlings says his gunner offered a lesson in tranquility.

Update on Capt. Rawlings

June 18, 2008 • Capt. Nate Rawlings, 26, recently headed back to Iraq for his second tour. We talk to Rawlings from Iraq, find out how he's faring and what it's been like hearing from all these people.

Update on Capt. Rawlings

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Stop-Lossed Army Captain Checks In from Iraq

June 17, 2008 • Capt. Nate Rawlings, 26-year-old aspiring writer, provides an update from Iraq and talks about how he's faring during his second tour. NPR recently profiled Rawlings, who was stop-lossed, and has been following his progress.

Stop-Lossed Army Captain Checks In from Iraq

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Opinion

Capt. Rawlings Takes Questions from Sadr City

June 13, 2008 • A 26-year-old Princeton alum offers his take on the reality of the "Don't Ask Don't Tell" policy, the struggle for unity in Iraq and whether one can be patriotic and disagree with the military. He will be taking questions and sending updates throughout the coming months.

Opinion

Capt. Rawlings' Tips on Serving in Iraq

May 16, 2008 • The 26-year-old Princeton alum has been stop-lossed in Sadr City. Over the next few months, he'll be answering listeners' questions about his experience. In his first batch of answers, he discusses how he fills his spare time, why his soldiers sometimes make fun of him and what he'd tell a kid who's considering a future in the military.

Capt. Rawlings' Tips on Serving in Iraq

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'Stop-lossing' Capt. Rawlings

May 9, 2008 • When Army Capt. Nate Rawlings, 26, returned from Iraq in 2006, he planned to apply to a graduate film program. Now, he's obligated to return to Iraq for an unexpected second tour of duty. Writer Whitney Terrell catches up with his friend at Fort Hood in Texas as he prepares for 15 more months in Baghdad.

'Stop-lossing' Capt. Rawlings

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