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Daniela Cediel
English 101
Professor Kim
July.20.2016
Journey towards forgiveness
The article Atonement by Dexter Filkins, is an article about a veterans journey to find
himself after being scarred by the Iraq War. Lu Lobello returned from Iraq war very unstable. He
dealt with drug and alcohol abuse, along with many sleepless nights. This was all after he
accidentally killed three men from the Khachadoorian family during a gun battle. Filkins shows
Lobellos journey in finding the survivors of the Khachadoorian family, Nora and Margaret.
Filkins demonstrates the lives of veterans and victims after war to inform the public how both are
traumatically impacted emotionally, mentally, and spiritually.
In various parts of the article, Filkins references the victims and their families to illustrate
their emotional instability following the war. As Filkins talks about life after war with Lobellos
wife, she explains that From the moment he returned from Iraq, Lobello found that he couldnt
sleep, and he became more aggressive and erratic (Filkins 6). Lobello was not emotionally
stable to live a normal life. After testing positive for drugs, he was stripped of the command of
his squad (Filkins 6). Although Lobello wanted to continue his service, his drug use got in the
way of him going back. Filkins included this to show Lobellos emotional stage. Depression
causes people to turn into drugs and alcohol as a getaway from reality. Filkins wanted to show
these emotional stages of anger and abuse for people to see how war impacts a person
emotionally. He wanted to show that his experiences throughout the war had a really negative

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effect on his emotions. However, Lobello, as a member of the army, is not the only one who feels
emotionally unstable after the war. The Khachadoorians fled from Iraq and tried to find refuge in
the United States. Filkins wanted to include this to show the Khachadoorians needed to run away
from the trauma they had to go through during the war. Running away shows the instability the
khachadoorian women found themselves in. They wanted to get away from the all the troubles
they had to go through. When they were able to move to San Diego, Filkins explains that Nora
and Margaret were still emotionally unstable. When they realized that Lobello was trying to find
them, they didnt know what to expect. Assad, Noras husband said that They cry all the time.
Every night (Filkins 9). This emotional stage is continued, as they both remember the loss of
lives. Lobello and the Khachadoorian women all experience emotional trumas. This is due to the
fact that this event scarred their life. Filkins wanted to describe Lobello and the Khachadoorian
women as sensitive, to show how much harder it is for all of them to deal with loss, as well as
making it very hard to live without remembering what happened to them. Talking to their family
members explained the emotional struggles these victims had to face. Filkins used close relatives
to show how unaware they are of their emotional trauma, and only their loved ones see the
changes and struggles they have to face.
Lobello as well as the Khachadoorians had their own mental struggles. The war impacted
their minds very traumatically, leaving them in a very anxious state of mind. After war, Lobello
was left mentally damaged. He was diagnosed with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. This
completely changed his life. Lobellos wife talks about times in which he goes completely
insane. As she speaks to Filkins, she begins to tell a story about how One time, Lobello ran into
the parking lot of his apartment building in his underwear, clutching his AR-15, preparing to
shoot a man he believed had been following him (Filkins 6). Filkins decided to include this

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small story to show Lobellos state of mind. PTSD is a mental scar in a veterans life. Showing
Lobellos PTSD helps the reader understand what is going through Lobellos mind, and that the
mental trauma is very hard to deal with. Filkins also mentions that when Lobello recorded the
video sent to Nora, he apologized. However, Lobello mentions how he doesnt want to apologize
for what he did because he felt like at the moment he was only trying to protect his men and
himself. Filkins shows the confusion in Lobellos mind so the reader can feel his mental
instability. He shows how Lobello wants to be sorry for what he did, but his military state of
mind tells him that he shouldnt be because he didnt really mean to kill the Khachadoorian men.
This is called moral injury according to Jonathan Shay, a military psychiatrist. Shay explains that
this occurs when youve done something in the moment that you were told by your superiors
that you had to do, and believed, truthfully and honorably, that you had to do it, but which
nonetheless violated your own ethical commitments (Filkins 7). Filkins talks about this state of
mind to explain the way Lobellos mind is working and to why he does not feel like he needs to
apologize for what he did. Filkins wants to show that Lobello was searching for something
deeper than just the Khachadoorian family. He truthfully wanted forgiveness for what he did
because deep inside, it did affect his morals. He wants to show the way Lobellos struggle and
mental impact was changed by the military. The Khachadoorian family was also impacted
mentally. Filkins wants to show the mind of the victims after war. He does this by including the
conversation he had with Nora where she says: I think he want to kill me and kill my mother,
Nora said, with a small laugh. He want to kill the rest of the family (Filkins 8). He includes
this conversation to show the way victims in these countries feel about Soldiers. The way war
has impacted their life makes them feel traumatized and unsafe later on. Nora cannot think

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anything good from a former Solider trying to reach out to her. She is mentally scarred to the
point where she cannot trust that Lobello doesnt want to harm her.
Filkins lastly includes spiritual beliefs in order to show the way veterans avoid religion
due to their PTSD and regret they carry for lives they have taken. He also includes the way
victims turn to their spiritual life in order to forgive the traumatizing events of war. Filkins makes
sure to include the importance of religion in the Khachadoorians lives. He includes many Bible
verses that the Khachadoorian women mention in the article. He also shows the way Nora and
Margaret talk about God. In a conversation between Margret and Filkins she says that If he is
asking for forgiveness, then we will give him forgiveness, Margaret said. God ordered us to
forgive (Filkins 8). Nora and Margaret have faith and reach out to God to be able to forgive
Lobello and the men who killed their family. This is something that Lobello tends to lack, as he
cant forgive himself for what he did. When Nora asks Lobello if he reads the Bible, he responds
to I used to, Lobello said. A lot more than I do now. Maybe I should start again (Filkins
11). Filkins wants to show the way Lobello lacks of a spiritual life. This happens after being
mentally disoriented, and feeling regret of killing people. This tends to distance Veterans from
their religious beliefs. Lobello includes this comparison to show how important having a spiritual
belief can be in ones life. Lobello is confused and is looking for forgiveness in other people
rather than finding forgiveness in himself.
Overall, Filkins wants the public around the world to see the way victims and veterans
are impacted through war. He does this to show how it changes them emotionally, spiritually, and
mentally. With all of these impacts, Filkins wants the public to see how horrifying war is and
how much we need to be at peace with each other so we can be at peace with ourselves.
Work Cited: Filkins, Dexter. "Atonement." (2012): 1-12. Web. 29 Oct. 2012.

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