IRAQ: Separated by 2,500 years, the Marines and Sophocles share a bond

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When it comes to the ancient Greeks, the Marines lean toward the Spartans. Steven Pressfield’s novelistic treatment of the battle at Thermopyalae, ‘Gates of Fire,’ is on the official Marine Corps reading list and has achieved cult status among officers and the enlisted.

True enough, but the Marines also have an affinity for the Athenians, particularly the playwright/military leader Sophocles.

So it was a natural coming together of audience and subject matter at the Marine Corps Combat Operational Stress Control Conference in San Diego when four New York actors did dramatic readings from ‘Ajax’ and ‘Philoctetes.’ Both plays explore the physical and spiritual pain inflicted by war on the warriors.

The Marines -- also the sailors and healthcare professionals -- gave the troupe a standing ovation. The actors, all with major stage and film credits, said it was one of the most attentive audiences they’ve had.

Go to the full story on the Marines and dramatic reading.

-- Tony Perry, in San Diego