ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Wes Moore - Author, advocate
Wes Moore's life transformed with these words out of his mother's mouth: "I'm sending you to military school." The author of the book, "The Other Wes Moore," he is now a vocal advocate for America's youth as well as for fellow veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan.

Why you should listen

Wes Moore grew up in Maryland in the early '80s and, after his father passed away when he was three years old, he started acting up. Eventually, at age 13, his mother sent him away to military school. This turned out to be a life-changing experience. He adjusted well to the rigid order and took off academically, going on to study International Relations at Oxford University on a Rhodes Scholarship. 

In his bestselling book The Other Wes Moorehe takes a hard look at how his life might have unfolded. He does this by interviewing a man who shares his name and had a similar upbringing, but who is serving life in prison for the murder of a Baltimore police officer. It's a beautifully-told tale that shows how lives pivot on circumstance. Moore donates a portion of the book's proceeds to charities focused on empowering America's youth. 

A paratrooper and Captain in the United States Army who served a tour of duty in Afghanistan, Moore is also an advocate for veterans. In the PBS special Coming Back Home with Wes Moore, he uses his interviewing chops to talk to other veterans about their experiences returning from Iraq and Afghanistan. Moore is also the host of Beyond Belief on the Oprah Winfrey Network.

More profile about the speaker
Wes Moore | Speaker | TED.com
TEDSalon NY2014

Wes Moore: How to talk to veterans about war

Wes Moore: Como falar sobre a guerra com veteranos

Filmed:
1,947,735 views

Wes Moore se alistou no Exército Americano para pagar os estudos, mas a experiência se tornou o centro de quem ele é. Nesta palestra sincera, o pára-quedista e capitão; que foi o escritor de "The Other Wes Moore" ("O Outro Wes More", em tradução livre); explica o choque de retornar para casa após o Afeganistão. Ele compartilha a frase que ouviu de civis repetidamente, e mostra o porquê de ela não ser suficiente. É um chamado para todos nós pedirmos aos veteranos para que contem suas histórias... E escutarmos.
- Author, advocate
Wes Moore's life transformed with these words out of his mother's mouth: "I'm sending you to military school." The author of the book, "The Other Wes Moore," he is now a vocal advocate for America's youth as well as for fellow veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan. Full bio

Double-click the English transcript below to play the video.

Estou animado em estar aqui
falando de veteranos,
00:12
I'm excited to be here to speak about vets,
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00:15
because I didn't join the Army
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pois não entrei para o Exército
00:16
because I wanted to go to war.
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porque queria ir para a guerra.
00:18
I didn't join the Army because I had a lust
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Não entrei no Exército
porque tinha um desejo
00:21
or a need to go overseas and fight.
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ou necessidade de ir ao exterior e lutar.
00:25
Frankly, I joined the Army because
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Francamente, eu entrei no Exército porque
00:27
college is really damn expensive,
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a faculdade é realmente muito cara,
00:29
and they were going to help with that,
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e eles me ajudariam com isso,
00:30
and I joined the Army because
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e eu entrei no Exército
00:33
it was what I knew,
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porque era o que eu sabia,
00:35
and it was what I knew that I thought I could do well.
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e era o que eu sabia e pensava
poder fazer bem.
00:38
I didn't come from a military family.
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Eu não vim de uma família de militares.
00:40
I'm not a military brat.
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Não sou filho de militar.
00:41
No one in my family ever
had joined the military at all,
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Ninguém na minha família jamais
se alistou às forças militares,
00:44
and how I first got introduced to the military
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e como eu fui apresentado ao Exército
00:47
was when I was 13 years old
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foi quanto tinha 13 anos de idade
00:49
and I got sent away to military school,
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e fui enviado para uma escola militar
00:51
because my mother had been threatening me
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porque minha mãe vinha
me ameaçando com essa ideia
00:53
with this idea of military school
ever since I was eight years old.
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desde os meus oito anos.
00:56
I had some issues when I was coming up,
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Eu tive alguns problemas
quando estava crescendo
00:59
and my mother would always tell me, she's like,
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e minha mãe sempre dizia:
"Sabe, se você não tomar jeito,
01:01
"You know, if you don't get this together,
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01:03
I'm going to send you to military school."
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vou mandá-lo para a escola militar"
01:04
And I'd look at her, and I'd say, "Mommy,
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E eu a olhava e dizia:
01:05
I'll work harder."
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"Mamãe, eu vou me esforçar"
01:07
And then when I was nine years old,
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E quando eu tinha nove anos
ela me dava panfletos para mostrar
que não era brincadeira,
01:09
she started giving me brochures
to show me she wasn't playing around,
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01:11
so I'd look at the brochures, and I'm like,
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eu olhava e dizia:
01:12
"Okay, Mommy, I can see you're
serious, and I'll work harder."
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"Certo mamãe, sei que é sério
e vou me esforçar".
01:15
And then when I was 10 and 11,
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E quando eu tinha 10 e 11 anos
01:17
my behavior just kept on getting worse.
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meu comportamento continuava a piorar.
01:20
I was on academic and disciplinary probation
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Eu estava em supervisão
acadêmica e disciplinar
01:22
before I hit double digits,
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antes de atingir dois dígitos,
e eu senti algemas nos meus punhos
pela primeira vez
01:26
and I first felt handcuffs on my wrists
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01:29
when I was 11 years old.
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quando tinha 11 anos.
01:31
And so when I was 13 years old,
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Então, quando completei 13 anos,
01:33
my mother came up to me, and she was like,
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minha mãe veio até mim dizendo:
01:35
"I'm not going to do this anymore.
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"Não vou mais continuar com isso.
01:36
I'm going to send you to military school."
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Vou te mandar para a escola militar."
01:38
And I looked at her, and I said, "Mommy,
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E olhei para ela e disse:
01:40
I can see you're upset, and
I'm going to work harder."
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"Mamãe, eu sei que está decepcionada,
eu vou me esforçar mais."
01:43
And she was like, "No, you're going next week."
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E ela disse:
"Não, você vai semana que vem".
01:45
And that was how I first got introduced
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E foi assim que fui apresentado
01:47
to this whole idea of the military,
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a toda essa ideia de ser militar,
01:50
because she thought this was a good idea.
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porque ela pensou que seria uma boa ideia.
01:53
I had to disagree with her wholeheartedly
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Tive que discordar totalmente dela
01:55
when I first showed up there,
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quando cheguei lá,
01:56
because literally in the first four days,
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porque nos primeiros quatro dias
01:58
I had already run away five times from this school.
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eu já tinha fugido cinco vezes da escola.
Havia portões pretos enormes
em volta da escola
02:00
They had these big black gates
that surrounded the school,
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02:02
and every time they would turn their backs,
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e toda vez que davam as costas
02:04
I would just simply run out of the black gates
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eu simplesmente corria através dos portões
e os pegava ao dizer que
se não quisermos estar lá
02:06
and take them up on their offer
that if we don't want to be there,
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02:08
we can leave at any time.
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podemos ir embora qualquer hora.
02:10
So I just said, "Well, if that's the case,
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Então eu apenas dizia:
02:11
then I'd like to leave." (Laughter)
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"Certo, sendo assim
eu gostaria de ir." (Risos)
02:15
And it never worked.
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E nunca funcionava.
02:17
And I kept on getting lost.
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E eu continuava me perdendo.
02:19
But then eventually,
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Mas finalmente,
02:20
after staying there for a little while,
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depois de um tempo estando lá,
02:23
and after the end of that first year
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e depois do primeiro ano
02:24
at this military school,
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naquela escola militar,
02:26
I realized that I actually was growing up.
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eu percebi que estava crescendo.
02:31
I realized the things that I enjoyed about this school
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Percebi as coisas
de que gostava naquela escola
e do que eu gostava sobre a estrutura
02:34
and the thing that I enjoyed about the structure
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02:36
was something that I'd never found before:
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era algo que nunca havia visto antes:
02:39
the fact that I finally felt like I
was part of something bigger,
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o fato de que finalmente
eu era parte de algo maior,
02:42
part of a team, and it actually mattered to people
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parte de um time,
que era importante para os outros
02:44
that I was there,
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eu estar lá,
02:46
the fact that leadership wasn't just a punchline there,
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o fato de que liderança
não era apenas uma piada,
02:49
but that it was a real, actually core part
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mas sim algo real,
na verdade uma parte central
02:53
of the entire experience.
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de toda aquela experiência.
02:55
And so when it was time for me to actually
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E quando chegou a hora
02:57
finish up high school,
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de realmente terminar o colégio,
02:59
I started thinking about what I wanted to do,
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eu comecei a pensar
sobre o que queria fazer,
e assim como a maioria dos estudantes
03:02
and just like probably most students,
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03:03
had no idea what that meant or what I wanted to do.
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não tinha ideia do que isso significava
ou do que queria fazer.
03:07
And I thought about the people who I
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E comecei a pensar nas pessoas
03:09
respected and admired.
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que eu respeitava e admirava.
03:11
I thought about a lot of the people,
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E pensei em um monte de pessoas
03:12
in particular a lot of the men, in my life
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e particularmente muitos dos homens
03:15
who I looked up to.
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que estiveram presentes na minha vida.
03:17
They all happened to wear the uniform
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E todos eles usavam uniformes
03:19
of the United States of America,
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dos Estados Unidos da América,
03:21
so for me, the question and the answer
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então para mim a resposta e a questão
03:23
really became pretty easy.
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realmente se tornaram muito fáceis.
03:25
The question of what I wanted to do
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a pergunta sobre o que eu queria ser
03:27
was filled in very quickly with saying,
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foi rapidamente preenchida com:
03:29
I guess I'll be an Army officer.
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"Acho que serei um oficial do Exército."
Então o Exército passou por esse processo,
03:32
So the Army then went through this process
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e eles me treinaram,
03:34
and they trained me up,
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e quando digo que não entrei no Exército
03:35
and when I say I didn't join the Army
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03:36
because I wanted to go to war,
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porque queria ir para a guerra,
03:38
the truth is, I joined in 1996.
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a verdade é que eu entrei em 1996.
03:40
There really wasn't a whole lot going on.
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Realmente não havia
muita coisa acontecendo.
03:43
I didn't ever feel like I was in danger.
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Eu nunca senti
como se estivesse em perigo.
03:45
When I went to my mom,
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Quando falei com minha mãe...
03:46
I first joined the Army when I was 17 years old,
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eu me alistei com 17 anos,
03:48
so I literally needed parental permission
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então precisava de permissão dos pais
03:49
to join the Army,
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para me alistar;
03:50
so I kind of gave the paperwork to my mom,
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eu dei a papelada a minha mãe
e ela só achou que era
como a escola militar.
03:52
and she just assumed it was
kind of like military school.
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03:54
She was like, "Well, it was good for him before,
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Ela pensou: "Foi bom para ele antes,
03:55
so I guess I'll just let him keep doing it,"
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então acho que vou deixá-lo continuar lá"
03:58
having no idea that the
paperwork that she was signing
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sem a menor ideia de que
a papelada que estava assinando
04:00
was actually signing her son up
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estava na verdade alistando seu filho
04:02
to become an Army officer.
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para se tornar um oficial do Exército.
04:06
And I went through the process,
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Eu entrei no processo,
04:07
and again the whole time still just thinking,
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e novamente todo o tempo eu pensava:
04:09
this is great, maybe I'll serve on a weekend,
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Isso é ótimo, talvez eu sirva
por um fim de semana
04:13
or two weeks during the year, do drill,
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ou duas semanas no ano, fazer treinamento,
04:18
and then a couple years after I signed up,
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e então alguns anos após eu me alistar,
04:21
a couple years after my mother signed those papers,
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alguns anos após minha mãe
assinar aqueles papéis,
04:23
the whole world changed.
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o mundo inteiro mudou.
04:27
And after 9/11, there was an entirely new context
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E após o 11 de setembro, havia um
contexto totalmente novo
04:30
about the occupation that I chose.
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sobre o ofício que escolhi.
04:34
When I first joined, I never joined to fight,
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Quando me alistei,
nunca foi para combater,
mas agora que estava dentro,
04:39
but now that I was in,
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04:41
this is exactly what was now going to happen.
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era exatamente isso que iria acontecer.
04:44
And I thought about so much about the soldiers
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E eu pensava tanto nos soldados
04:48
who I eventually had to end up leading.
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que um dia eu acabaria liderando.
04:50
I remember when we first, right after 9/11,
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Lembro quando, logo após o 11 de setembro,
três semanas depois,
eu estava em um avião para o exterior,
04:52
three weeks after 9/11, I was
on a plane heading overseas,
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04:55
but I wasn't heading overseas with the military,
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mas não estava indo com os militares,
04:57
I was heading overseas because I got a scholarship
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estava indo porque havia ganhado
uma bolsa de estudos no exterior.
04:59
to go overseas.
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05:00
I received the scholarship to go overseas
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Recebi aquela bolsa de estudos
05:02
and to go study and live overseas,
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para ir morar e estudar no exterior,
e viveria na Inglaterra,
e isso era interessante,
05:04
and I was living in England and that was interesting,
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05:06
but at the same time, the same people who
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mas ao mesmo tempo,
05:08
I was training with,
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as mesmas pessoas que treinaram comigo,
05:10
the same soldiers that I went
through all my training with,
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os mesmos soldados que
estavam treinando comigo
05:13
and we prepared for war,
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nos preparando para a guerra,
05:15
they were now actually heading over to it.
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estavam na verdade indo para a guerra.
05:19
They were now about to find themselves
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Eles estavam prestes a se encontrar
05:20
in the middle of places the fact is
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no meio de lugares nos quais
a grande maioria das pessoas,
05:23
the vast majority of people,
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05:24
the vast majority of us as we were training,
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a grande maioria de nós mesmos
enquanto treinávamos,
05:26
couldn't even point out on a map.
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nem conseguiriam apontar no mapa.
Passei alguns anos terminando a graduação
05:30
I spent a couple years finishing graduate school,
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05:32
and the whole entire time while I'm sitting there
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e durante todo o tempo em que eu estava lá
05:34
in buildings at Oxford
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sentado em prédios em Oxford
05:36
that were literally built hundreds of years
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que haviam sido literalmente construídos
05:38
before the United States was even founded,
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centenas de anos antes da fundação dos EUA
05:40
and I'm sitting there talking to dons
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e eu sentado aqui
conversando com catedráticos
05:43
about the assassination of Archduke Ferdinand,
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sobre o assassinato
do Arquiduque Ferdinand,
05:47
and how that influenced the start of World War I,
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e como aquilo influenciou o início
da Primeira Guerra Mundial,
05:52
where the entire time my heart and my head
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todo o tempo meu coração e minha cabeça
05:54
were on my soldiers
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estavam nos meus soldados
05:57
who were now throwing on Kevlars
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que estavam agora jogando seus coletes
e pegando suas roupas de artilharia
05:59
and grabbing their flak vests
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06:00
and figuring out how exactly do I change around
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e tentado entender
como exatamente se trocar
06:03
or how exactly do I clean a machine gun
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ou como exatamente se limpa
uma metralhadora
06:05
in the darkness.
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no escuro.
06:08
That was the new reality.
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Essa era a nova realidade.
06:11
By the time I finished that up and I rejoined
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Logo que terminei
os estudos e me realistei
06:13
my military unit and we were getting
ready to deploy to Afghanistan,
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minha unidade e eu estávamos
partindo para o Afeganistão,
06:16
there were soldiers in my unit who were now
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haviam soldados na minha unidade
06:18
on their second and third deployments
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que estavam
na segunda e terceira missões
06:20
before I even had my first.
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antes da minha primeira.
Lembro-me de sair com minha unidade
pela primeira vez
06:21
I remember walking out with
my unit for the first time,
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06:23
and when you join the Army
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e quando você entra no Exército
06:25
and you go through a combat tour,
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e vai a combate,
06:26
everyone looks at your shoulder,
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todo mundo olha o seu ombro,
06:28
because on your shoulder is your combat patch.
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porque nele está sua marca de combate.
E imediatamente ao conhecer alguém
06:31
And so immediately as you meet people,
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06:33
you shake their hand,
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você aperta sua mão,
06:34
and then your eyes go to their shoulder,
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e então seus olhos vão para os ombros,
06:36
because you want to see where did they serve,
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porque você quer ver onde serviram,
06:38
or what unit did they serve with?
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ou em que unidade eles serviram.
06:39
And I was the only person walking around
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E eu era a única pessoa por lá
06:41
with a bare shoulder,
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com um ombro vazio,
06:43
and it burned every time someone stared at it.
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e ele queimava toda vez
que alguém o olhava.
06:47
But you get a chance to talk to your soldiers,
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Mas você tem uma chance
de falar com seus soldados,
06:50
and you ask them why did they sign up.
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e você os pergunta por que se alistaram.
06:54
I signed up because college was expensive.
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Eu me alistei porque
a universidade era cara.
06:58
A lot of my soldiers signed up
for completely different reasons.
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Muitos dos meus soldados se alistaram
por razões completamente diferentes.
07:02
They signed up because of a sense of obligation.
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Alistaram-se por um senso de obrigação.
07:04
They signed up because they were angry
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1809
Alistaram-se porque estavam bravos
07:06
and they wanted to do something about it.
179
414441
1817
e queriam fazer algo sobre isso.
07:08
They signed up because
180
416258
1312
Alistaram-se porque
07:09
their family said this was important.
181
417570
1846
suas famílias disseram que era importante.
07:11
They signed up because they
wanted some form of revenge.
182
419416
2212
Alistaram-se porque queriam
alguma forma de vingança.
07:13
They signed for a whole
collection of different reasons.
183
421628
4648
Alistaram-se por uma imensa
variedade de razões distintas.
07:18
And now we all found ourselves overseas
184
426276
2768
E agora estávamos todos nós no exterior
07:21
fighting in these conflicts.
185
429044
3901
lutando nesses conflitos.
07:24
And what was amazing to me was that I
186
432945
2511
E o que era fascinante para mim
era que eu,
07:27
very naively started hearing this statement
187
435456
4322
muito ingênuo, comecei
a ouvir essas palavras
07:31
that I never fully understood,
188
439778
3266
que eu nunca compreendi totalmente,
porque logo após o 11 de setembro,
você começa a ouvir
07:35
because right after 9/11, you start hearing this idea
189
443044
2358
07:37
where people come up to you and they say,
190
445402
1357
pessoas chegando e dizendo
07:38
"Well, thank you for your service."
191
446759
2637
"Bem, obrigado pelo seu serviço".
07:41
And I just kind of followed in and started saying
192
449396
1963
E eu apenas comecei a seguir e dizer
as mesmas coisas aos meus soldados.
07:43
the same things to all my soldiers.
193
451359
1635
07:44
This is even before I deployed.
194
452994
1581
Isso antes mesmo de eu partir.
07:46
But I really had no idea what that even meant.
195
454575
3495
Mas eu realmente não tinha ideia
do que aquilo significava.
Eu apenas dizia porque parecia correto.
07:50
I just said it because it sounded right.
196
458070
2004
Porque parecia a coisa certa a se dizer
07:52
I said it because it sounded like the right thing to say
197
460074
1776
07:53
to people who had served overseas.
198
461850
1644
às pessoas que haviam servido no exterior.
07:55
"Thank you for your service."
199
463494
2430
"Obrigado pelo seu serviço".
07:57
But I had no idea what the context was
200
465924
2016
Mas eu não tinha ideia
07:59
or what that even,
201
467940
2330
de qual era o contexto,
08:02
what it even meant to the people who heard it.
202
470270
3570
ou sequer o que significava para
as pessoas que ouviam aquilo.
08:05
When I first came back from Afghanistan,
203
473840
4786
Logo que cheguei do Afeganistão
08:10
I thought that if you make it back from conflict,
204
478626
3474
pensava que se você
retornasse do conflito,
08:14
then the dangers were all over.
205
482100
3841
todos os perigos teriam se acabado.
Pensei que se conseguisse
voltar de um conflito
08:17
I thought that if you made it
back from a conflict zone
206
485941
2197
08:20
that somehow you could kind of
207
488138
2299
de alguma forma poderia
08:22
wipe the sweat off your brow and say,
208
490437
1234
limpar o suor da testa e dizer:
08:23
"Whew, I'm glad I dodged that one,"
209
491671
3744
"Ufa, estou feliz de ter escapado dessa"
08:27
without understanding that for so many people,
210
495415
1808
sem entender que para muitas pesoas
08:29
as they come back home,
211
497223
2143
quando voltam para casa,
08:31
the war keeps going.
212
499366
2299
a guerra continua.
08:33
It keeps playing out in all of our minds.
213
501665
2254
Ela continua passando em nossas cabeças.
08:35
It plays out in all of our memories.
214
503919
2638
Passa em todas as nossas memórias.
08:38
It plays out in all of our emotions.
215
506557
4663
Em todas as nossas emoções.
Por favor, perdoem-nos
08:43
Please forgive us
216
511220
1337
08:44
if we don't like being in big crowds.
217
512557
5210
se não gostamos de estar em multidões.
08:49
Please forgive us
218
517767
2263
Por favor, pedoem-nos
08:52
when we spend one week in a place
219
520030
2324
quando passamos uma semana em um lugar
08:54
that has 100 percent light discipline,
220
522354
2348
com regras de luz 100% restritas,
porque não é permitido
andar com luzes brancas,
08:56
because you're not allowed to
walk around with white lights,
221
524702
2228
se alguma coisa possui luz branca,
08:58
because if anything has a white light,
222
526930
1487
09:00
it can be seen from miles away,
223
528417
1477
pode ser vista de muito longe,
09:01
versus if you use little green
224
529894
1713
enquanto se você usa luzes verdes
09:03
or little blue lights,
225
531607
1167
ou pequenas luzes azuis,
09:04
they cannot be seen from far away.
226
532774
1932
ela não são vistas de muito longe.
09:06
So please forgive us if out of nowhere,
227
534706
2133
Então por favor,
perdoem-nos se, do nada,
09:08
we go from having 100 percent light discipline
228
536839
3207
nós temos 100% de disciplina com luzes
09:12
to then a week later being back
in the middle of Times Square,
229
540046
2553
para uma semana depois
estar no meio da Times Square,
09:14
and we have a difficult time adjusting to that.
230
542599
5131
e temos dificuldade em nos adaptar a isso.
09:19
Please forgive us
231
547730
1432
Por favor perdoem-nos
09:21
when you transition back to a family
232
549162
1839
quando estamos de volta a um família
09:23
who has completely been maneuvering without you,
233
551001
4104
que tem se virado
completamente bem sem você,
09:27
and now when you come back, it's not that easy
234
555105
2027
e agora, quando você volta,
09:29
to fall back into a sense of normality,
235
557132
3644
não é tão simples voltar
a um senso de normalidade,
09:32
because the whole normal has changed.
236
560776
4482
porque todo o "normal" mudou.
09:37
I remember when I came back,
I wanted to talk to people.
237
565258
3562
Eu me lembro de quando voltei.
Eu queria conversar com as pessoas.
09:40
I wanted people to ask me about my experiences.
238
568820
2759
Queria que me perguntassem
sobre minhas experiências.
09:43
I wanted people to come up to me and tell me,
239
571579
1748
Queria que viessem a mim e dissessem:
09:45
"What did you do?"
240
573327
1315
"O que você fez?"
09:46
I wanted people to come up to me and tell me,
241
574642
1487
Queria que dissessem:
09:48
"What was it like? What was the food like?
242
576129
1618
"Como era lá? Como era a comida?
09:49
What was the experience like? How are you doing?"
243
577747
4525
Como foi a experiência?
Como vai você?"
09:54
And the only questions I got from people was,
244
582272
2061
E a única pergunta que eu recebia era:
09:56
"Did you shoot anybody?"
245
584333
2731
"Você atirou em alguém?"
09:59
And those were the ones who were even curious
246
587064
1826
E esses eram os que eram
10:00
enough to say anything.
247
588890
3658
curiosos o suficiente
para dizer qualquer coisa.
Porque as vezes há esse medo,
essa apreensão
10:04
Because sometimes there's this fear
248
592548
1670
10:06
and there's this apprehension that if I say anything,
249
594218
1565
de que se eu disser alguma coisa
10:07
I'm afraid I'll offend,
250
595783
1476
tenho medo de ofender,
10:09
or I'm afraid I'll trigger something,
251
597259
1374
ou de acontecer algo,
10:10
so the common default is just saying nothing.
252
598633
4658
então o padrão era apenas não dizer nada.
10:15
The problem with that
253
603291
2599
O problema com isso é que
10:17
is then it feels like your service
254
605890
1606
você sente como se seu serviço
10:19
was not even acknowledged,
255
607496
2514
não tenha sido sequer reconhecido,
10:22
like no one even cared.
256
610010
3007
como se ninguém sequer se importasse.
10:25
"Thank you for your service,"
257
613017
3023
"Obrigado pelo seu serviço"
10:28
and we move on.
258
616040
3093
e mudávamos o assunto.
10:31
What I wanted to better understand
259
619133
2676
O que eu queria entender melhor
10:33
was what's behind that,
260
621809
3314
era o que estava por trás disso,
10:37
and why "thank you for your service" isn't enough.
261
625123
5752
e porque "Obrigado pelo seu serviço"
não era suficiente.
10:42
The fact is, we have literally
262
630875
3616
O fato é, nós temos literalmente
10:46
2.6 million men and women
263
634491
2557
2,6 milhões de homens e mulheres
10:49
who are veterans of Iraq or Afghanistan
264
637048
2924
que são veteranos
do Iraque ou Afeganistão
10:51
who are all amongst us.
265
639972
2670
que estão todos entre nós.
10:54
Sometimes we know who they are,
266
642642
1480
Às vezes sabemos quem são,
10:56
sometimes we don't,
267
644122
3112
às vezes não,
mas há aquele sentimento,
aquela experiência compartilhada,
10:59
but there is that feeling, the shared experience,
268
647234
2167
11:01
the shared bond
269
649401
2924
aquele vínculo compartilhado,
11:04
where we know that that experience
270
652325
1872
onde sabemos que tudo aquilo
11:06
and that chapter of our life,
271
654197
2009
e aquele capítulo das nossas vidas,
11:08
while it might be closed,
272
656206
2715
embora possa estar fechado,
11:10
it's still not over.
273
658921
4046
ainda não terminou.
Pensamos sobre o
"Obrigado pelo seu serviço"
11:14
We think about "thank you for your service,"
274
662967
1629
11:16
and people say, "So what does 'thank
you for your service' mean to you?"
275
664596
2069
e as pessoas dizem
"O que significa para você?"
11:18
Well, "Thank you for your service" means to me,
276
666665
1680
"Obrigado pelo seu serviço", para mim
11:20
it means acknowledging our stories,
277
668345
4078
significa reconhecer nossas histórias,
11:24
asking us who we are,
278
672423
2866
perguntar quem nós somos,
11:27
understanding the strength
279
675289
2413
entender a força
11:29
that so many people, so many
people who we serve with, have,
280
677702
4230
que tantas pessoas,
tantos que serviram conosco têm,
11:33
and why that service means so much.
281
681932
3720
e por que aquele serviço significa tanto.
"Obrigado pelo seu serviço"
significa reconhecer
11:37
"Thank you for your service"
means acknowledging the fact
282
685652
2134
11:39
that just because we've now come home
283
687786
1818
que só porque nós estamos de volta
11:41
and we've taken off the uniform
284
689604
1291
e tiramos nossos uniformes,
11:42
does not mean our larger service to this country
285
690895
2280
isso não significa que nosso
maior serviço para esse país
11:45
is somehow over.
286
693175
2676
de alguma forma está acabado.
11:47
The fact is, there's still a tremendous amount
287
695851
2881
O fato é, ainda há muito
11:50
that can be offered and can be given.
288
698732
4190
que pode ser oferecido e feito.
11:54
When I look at people
289
702922
1430
Quando olho para a pessoas
11:56
like our friend Taylor Urruela,
290
704352
4658
como nosso amigo Taylor Urruela,
12:01
who in Iraq loses his leg,
291
709010
1744
que perdeu sua perna no Iraque,
12:02
had two big dreams in his life.
292
710754
2658
tinha dois grandes sonhos em sua vida:
12:05
One was to be a soldier. The other
was to be a baseball player.
293
713412
3068
Um era ser um soldado.
O outro, ser jogador de baseball.
12:08
He loses his leg in Iraq.
294
716480
4800
Ele perdeu sua perna no Iraque.
12:13
He comes back
295
721280
1624
Ele voltou
12:14
and instead of deciding that,
296
722904
1694
e ao invés de decidir que, bem,
12:16
well, now since I've lost my
leg, that second dream is over,
297
724598
2418
já que perdi minha perna,
aquele outro sonho já era,
12:19
he decides that he still has that
dream of playing baseball,
298
727016
2414
ele decide que ainda tem aquele
sonho de jogar baseball
12:21
and he starts this group called VETSports,
299
729430
1972
e inicia esse grupo chamado VETSports,
12:23
which now works with veterans all over the country
300
731402
1911
12:25
and uses sports as a way of healing.
301
733313
5335
que hoje conta com veteranos
de todo o país
e utiliza os esportes como
uma forma de tratamento.
12:30
People like Tammy Duckworth,
302
738648
2343
Pessoas como Tammy Duckworth,
que era piloto de helicóptero
12:32
who was a helicopter pilot
303
740991
1248
12:34
and with the helicopter that she was flying,
304
742239
1866
e cujo helicóptero que pilotava
exigia a utilização das duas mãos
12:36
you need to use both your hands
305
744105
1539
12:37
and also your legs to steer,
306
745644
1531
e também das pernas para guiar,
12:39
and her helicopter gets hit,
307
747175
1469
o seu helicóptero é atingido
12:40
and she's trying to steer the chopper,
308
748644
1262
e ela tentá controlá-lo
12:41
but the chopper's not reacting
309
749906
1917
mas o helicóptero não responde
às suas instruções e aos seus comandos.
12:43
to her instructions and to her commands.
310
751823
1681
12:45
She's trying to land the chopper safely,
311
753504
2511
Ela está tentando pousar
o helicóptero a salvo
12:48
but the chopper doesn't land safely,
312
756015
1641
mas ele não pousa com segurança,
12:49
and the reason it's not landing safely
313
757656
1112
e a razão pela qual ela não consegue
12:50
is because it's not responding to the
commands that her legs are giving
314
758768
2673
é porque não está respondendo
aos comandos de suas pernas
12:53
because her legs were blown off.
315
761441
4848
porque suas pernas foram arrancadas.
12:58
She barely survives.
316
766289
2905
Ela quase não sobreviveu.
13:01
Medics come and they save her life,
317
769194
3906
Médicos chegam e salvam sua vida,
13:05
but then as she's doing her
recuperation back at home,
318
773100
2461
mas então enquanto ela está
se recuperando em casa,
13:07
she realizes that, "My job's still not done."
319
775561
4310
ela percebe que
"Meu trabalho ainda não terminou".
13:11
And now she uses her voice
320
779871
1484
E agora ela usa sua voz
13:13
as a Congresswoman from Illinois
321
781355
2192
como congressista em Illinois
13:15
to fight and advocate for a collection of issues
322
783547
2958
para lutar e advogar a favor
13:18
to include veterans issues.
323
786505
3865
de uma série de assuntos
para incluir veteranos.
13:22
We signed up because
324
790370
2726
Nós nos alistamos porque
13:25
we love this country we represent.
325
793096
4470
nós amamos este país que representamos.
13:29
We signed up because
326
797566
2344
Nós nos alistamos porque
13:31
we believe in the idea and we believe in the people
327
799910
2558
acreditamos nessa ideia
13:34
to our left and to our right.
328
802468
2788
e acreditamos nas pessoas ao nosso lado.
13:37
And the only thing we then ask is that
329
805256
1912
E a única coisa que pedimos é que este
13:39
"thank you for your service"
330
807168
2262
"Obrigado pelo seu serviço"
13:41
needs to be more than just a quote break,
331
809430
3124
seja mais do que uma simples citação
13:44
that "thank you for your service" means
332
812554
2626
que "Obrigado pelo seu serviço"
13:47
honestly digging in
333
815180
2226
signifique honestamente se aprofundar
13:49
to the people who have stepped up
334
817406
2950
nas pessoas que deram um passo a frente
13:52
simply because they were asked to,
335
820356
3843
simplesmente porque lhes foi pedido,
e no que isso significa para nós,
não apenas agora,
13:56
and what that means for us not just now,
336
824199
2029
13:58
not just during combat operations,
337
826228
3492
não apenas durante operações de combate,
14:01
but long after the last vehicle has left
338
829720
3349
mas muito após o último veículo partir
14:05
and after the last shot has been taken.
339
833069
4874
e após o último tiro ser disparado.
14:09
These are the people who I served with,
340
837943
2830
Estas são as pessoas com as quais servi,
14:12
and these are the people who I honor.
341
840773
3704
e estas são as pessoas as quais eu honro.
14:16
So thank you for your service.
342
844477
2171
Então obrigado pelo seu serviço.
14:18
(Applause)
343
846648
3852
(Aplausos)
Translated by Rafael Braga Rodrigues
Reviewed by Gustavo Rocha

▲Back to top

ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Wes Moore - Author, advocate
Wes Moore's life transformed with these words out of his mother's mouth: "I'm sending you to military school." The author of the book, "The Other Wes Moore," he is now a vocal advocate for America's youth as well as for fellow veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan.

Why you should listen

Wes Moore grew up in Maryland in the early '80s and, after his father passed away when he was three years old, he started acting up. Eventually, at age 13, his mother sent him away to military school. This turned out to be a life-changing experience. He adjusted well to the rigid order and took off academically, going on to study International Relations at Oxford University on a Rhodes Scholarship. 

In his bestselling book The Other Wes Moorehe takes a hard look at how his life might have unfolded. He does this by interviewing a man who shares his name and had a similar upbringing, but who is serving life in prison for the murder of a Baltimore police officer. It's a beautifully-told tale that shows how lives pivot on circumstance. Moore donates a portion of the book's proceeds to charities focused on empowering America's youth. 

A paratrooper and Captain in the United States Army who served a tour of duty in Afghanistan, Moore is also an advocate for veterans. In the PBS special Coming Back Home with Wes Moore, he uses his interviewing chops to talk to other veterans about their experiences returning from Iraq and Afghanistan. Moore is also the host of Beyond Belief on the Oprah Winfrey Network.

More profile about the speaker
Wes Moore | Speaker | TED.com

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