University of Iowa to host ‘American Sniper’ panel Wednesday

The University of Iowa will host a veterans panel discussion Wednesday on the movie 'American Sniper” and the veterans-related issues surrounding it, one of the panelists said Monday.

The discussion will focus on public perceptions of the military and veterans' thoughts on the film, said Tim Bosch, a veteran of the Marines and the Iowa Air Guard and a Ph.D. student at the university.

The film, directed by Clint Eastwood, tells the story of former Navy SEAL Chris Kyle, an Iraq War veteran and sniper. It became the subject of controversy after its release last month, when filmmaker Michael Moore and actor Seth Rogen posted critical messages about it on Twitter.

Bosch said the resulting public dialogue about Kyle's character spurred his interest in discussing the movie further.

'There's been a lot of good war movies out, and I wondered where the interest in this came from,” Bosch said. 'The public felt a need to put this one person in a category - he's either a coldblooded killer or a hero.”

General perceptions of war and the military can influence individual military members and veterans, Bosh said. People who are not directly connected to a war can stereotype veterans as 'broken,” he added.

Other panel members include Nick Misiano, a veteran of the 2004 invasion of Fallujah; Rick Williamson, the father of a Marine deployed to Fallujah; Troy Lewis, a retired Army First Sgt.; and Terry Goodell, a veteran and mental health professional.

Bosch said the panelists also will discuss post-traumatic stress disorder and the experiences of multiple generations of veterans.

The event is scheduled for 5 p.m. Wednesday at the Teacher Leader Center in the university's College of Education. It is scheduled to run for about 90 minutes.