Private Screening
“He watched Shriver intently, as if comparing what he heard to what he knew. Edgy, Lord wondered if he were there for Stacy Tarrant, or himself; the unanswered question of what Damone and Carson had faced in Vietnam ran through Shriver’s testimony.
“So your opinion,” Lord summarized, “is that service in Vietnam changed Harry Carson.”
Shriver nodded. “It’s like a fault line—before and after are two different people. There’s no clue in his childhood or adolescence to what he’s become.”
“Does that ...apply to shooting Senator Kilcannon?”
“Yes.” Lord could hear conviction in the calm, slow rhythm of his answer. “To me, it’s inconceivable that Harry Carson would be here if not for Vietnam.”
“Can there also be a pattern to the way that some particular trauma affects postwar behavior?”
“It’s called the anniversary reaction.” Facing the jurors, Shriver explained, “It’s like recalling when a parent died or got divorced, but much worse. To survive for one year was the draftees’ obsession—they counted each day they had left.MoreLess
“So your opinion,” Lord summarized, “is that service in Vietnam changed Harry Carson.”
Shriver nodded. “It’s like a fault line—before and after are two different people. There’s no clue in his childhood or adolescence to what he’s become.”
“Does that ...apply to shooting Senator Kilcannon?”
“Yes.” Lord could hear conviction in the calm, slow rhythm of his answer. “To me, it’s inconceivable that Harry Carson would be here if not for Vietnam.”
“Can there also be a pattern to the way that some particular trauma affects postwar behavior?”
“It’s called the anniversary reaction.” Facing the jurors, Shriver explained, “It’s like recalling when a parent died or got divorced, but much worse. To survive for one year was the draftees’ obsession—they counted each day they had left.MoreLess
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