Although the Iraq War officially ended in 2011 with US military withdrawal, conflict in the region has continued unabated. Groups like ISIS and al-Qaida continue to wage war on the Iraqi population, prompting the Obama administration to authorize airstrikes to stem ISIS movements in 2014.
Meanwhile, popular culture at home has already begun to place a mythic spin on the last decade; films like Green Zone, The Hurt Locker and, most recently, American Sniper each tell their own singular versions of events during the war.
A discussion between poets Brian Turner and Dunya Mikhail at Oklahoma City University (OCU) on Wednesday, Feb. 18, adds color to the narrative.