War Stories
War touches many corners of the world. And while many Colorado Springs residents aren’t immune to the effects of war, two residents have come together to share their stories of time spent in countries torn apart by conflict.
Leslie Wirpsa traveled to the South American country of Colombia while a student, and ended up returning in 1984, spending the next ten years as a freelance journalist.
David LeCompte travels as a Christian missionary, and between 1997 and 2006, he lived and worked in Chechnya.
Drawn to foreign lands for different reasons and at different times, David and Leslie’s stories are similar despite the very different places in which they found themselves.
Here’s part of their conversation, which begins with why Leslie returned to Colombia, and why David traveled to Chechnya.
Here’s the complete conversation between David and Leslie (36 minutes):
Leslie Wirpsa submitted this personal essay, which is accompanied by photographs from her experiences in Colombia and its surrounding region.
David LeCompte submitted this personal essay, which is accompanied by photographs from his experiences in Chechnya.
Here’s another glimpse into the realities both David and Leslie experienced in their respective times abroad. In this conversation, both expand on their respective callings, share similarities between their experiences in countries separated by thousands of miles, and reflect on how their encounters with different cultures caught in the throes of war deeply affected their own lives. (74 minutes)
For more on David’s book, visit his website, No Escape from Grozny. http://www.noescapefromgrozny.com/
The Laramie Project is a play that documents the aftermath of the murder of 21-year-old Matthew Shepard, a gay man attending the University of Wyoming. The controversial play hits the stage this week at Wasson High School in Colorado Springs after a five-year delay. KRCC’s Kristin Lynch reports. 
Democratic presidential hopeful Barack Obama drew tens of thousands of people during a pair of campaign stops in Colorado Sunday. Obama staged early voting rallies at Denver’s Civic Center Park, and later in the day at Colorado State University in Fort Collins. 
UCCS plans a workshop after a recent SGA funding flap…and Colorado opens early voting.
With the race to the White House between senators Barack Obama and John McCain heading into the final stretch, members of Colorado’s Native American community say they’re paying close attention. Bente Birkeland reports Denver.
Author Timothy Egan is a Dust Bowl scholar visiting as part of this year’s All Pikes Peak Reads events. He’s the author of the National Book Award-winning The Worst Hard Time, a companion selection to John Steinbeck’s The Grapes of Wrath. Egan’s book recounts the stories of those who stayed behind during the Dust Bowl. His account deals with real people in Texas, New Mexico, Oklahoma and eastern Colorado who dealt with failing crops, years-long drought, dying livestock and ubiquitous dust. KRCC’s Aaron Retka spoke with Egan about his book, the Dust Bowl and the lessons we can learn from it. He began by asking Egan about the causes.
As the Senate takes up the 700 billion dollar Wall Street bail-out bill tonight that previously failed to pass the House of Representatives, KRCC’s Andrea Chalfin sat down with Colorado College Political Science Professor Andrew Dunham to try and untangle the political aspects of the process. Dunham specializes in American politics, public policy and the US Congress, and says he’s following the situation closely. Here’s part of their conversation.
Twenty-five years ago, Sally Ride became the first American woman to blast into orbit. These days, the physicist, when not teaching at the University of California at San Diego, travels the country in support of science, math, and technology education. Ride brings her science festival to UCCS this weekend, and as KRCC’s Andrea Chalfin reports, Ride has a specific audience in mind.
With the national conventions over for both Democrats and Republicans, and the general election less than two months away, attention now turns to nation-wide campaigning by both candidates. Democratic Senator Barack Obama has spent the past few days in the Midwest, while Senator John McCain and his running mate have focused some of their post-convention attention right
Colorado State University Professor Emeritus Maurice Albertson celebrates his 90th birthday at the end of this month. Albertson has influenced international education and world development programs for nearly 60 years. He’s served as a consultant to the World Bank as well as the United Nations. But as