From the Newsroom to the Battlefield with Journalist and Author Jessica Donati

Jessica Donati never expected to write a book about her experiences in Afghanistan, but then again, she never could have predicted that her journalism career would place her in the middle of some of the fiercest conflicts of the 21st century.

In her book, Eagle Down: The Last Special Forces Fighting The Forever War, Jessica describes in powerful, personal detail the scenes on the ground from her time spent following US and Afghan special forces as they fought to stabilize Afghanistan.

Describing herself as someone “guided by curiosity,” Jessica Donati is a person driven to understand the world through perspectives different from her own. Born in Italy, and raised in a stable environment in which survival was not a daily concern, Jessica understands the relatively privileged position she was born into as compared to many others around the world.

Today, as a reporter covering foreign affairs for the Wall Street Journal, Jessica’s job aligns well with her innate desire to seek out truth and understanding, and to tell stories that need to be told, no matter where the job may take her.

But the trajectory of her career - of her life - wasn’t so clearly defined from the outset.

After graduating with a degree in economics, Jessica combined her college education with her passion for writing, landing a job at Reuters as a financial reporter. Primarily writing on the oil war, Jessica eventually received an offer to travel to ground zero of the ongoing crisis in Libya, to continue her reporting and to see firsthand the places and people she had been writing about from afar. Although she knew the decision would change her life forever, she accepted seemingly out of necessity - it was almost a non-choice due to her principles and values.

After Libya, Jessica thought she might end up in Iraq, one of the central points of conflict in the global oil economy. Instead, she was tasked with going to Afghanistan - a place that she had never been to, and a place that frankly struck fear in her more than anywhere else she had been. In further pursuit of broadening her perspective and understanding of the world, she graciously accepted the offer.

Through her time spent living and working Afghanistan - a total period of four years - Jessica would connect with a region of the world she had never understood. She would gain a firsthand perspective into one of the world’s longest-lasting conflicts. And through her bravery and dedication to her work, she would join Afghan and US forces on the ground to gain a better perspective into the real story of the United States’ involvement in the conflict. The collection of writings and experiences from the latter would go on to serve as the premise for her new book.

Tune in to this episode of Stories of Transformation to hear the story of how Jessica Donati went from newsroom-based economic reporting to war reporting in some of the world’s most war-torn regions. Jessica also shares some details and stories from her book - Eagle Down: The Last Special Forces Fighting The Forever War - which tell the real story from the ground of the US’ involvement in Afghan affairs up until just a few years ago.

Other topics include personal accounts of her times spent in Libya and Afghanistan; emotions that arise for Jessica thinking back on her time spent in these war-torn regions; the unsung heroes of the conflict in Afghanistan; and the hope that remains for Afghanistan thanks to the ongoing peace talks between Afghan government and the Taliban.

For full show notes
https://www.baktashahadi.com/podcast

Connect with Jessica Donati
Website: https://www.jessicadonati.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/jessdonati
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/jessica-donati-b3425621

Resources
Purchase Eagle Down: The Last Special Forces Fighting the Forever War by Jessica Donati:
https://amzn.to/2MtzzVC

Read Jessica Donati’s work for the Wall Street Journal:
https://www.wsj.com/news/author/jessica-donati

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Credits

Produced by: Joseph Gangemi
https://www.linkedin.com/in/joseph-gangemi-audio/

Digital Marketing & Media by: Katherine An
https://www.linkedin.com/in/katherine-a-91081b56/

Theme music by: Qais Essar
www.therabab.com

Artwork by: Masheed Ahadi
https://www.LinkedIn.com/in/masheed

Episode Music Credits
"Burst" by Borrtex
"Take My Hand" by Sid Acharya
"Early Morning Haze" by Yehezkel Raz
"Metamorphosis" by The Bows