Interview Part 1 of 7 Q & A with Phil Donahue View it, in its entirety, at: http://www.q-and-a.org/Video/?ProgramID=1172 Read the transcript of the interview at: http://www.q-and-a.org/Transcript/?ProgramID=1172 Also check the interview with the suave, urbane and articulate Dr. Hans Blix, maliciously maligned by the Bush administration, politely answer all questions on his NOT finding any WMD: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3RnQaVS_rRE Washington, District of Columbia (United States) -Brian Lamb: - Chief Honcho at C-SPAN. -Phil Donahue: Renown Talk-Show Host; exiled for being skeptical, Executive Producer, Co-Director of "Body Of War". -Tomas Young: Honorably discharged Iraqi Invasion Veteran, T-4 Quadriplegic; Cenral character of this heart-wrenching documentary. -Ellen Spiro: Award winning Director and Educator. -Phillip Schopper: Documentary editor. -Bernadine Colish: "..assembled the whole thing for us." -Cathy Smith: Tomas Young's mother; Stalward physical/emotional/psychological supporter, tireless worker, and nurturer; with another son in Iraq. -Brie Young: Ex-wife of Tomas Young, also loving, affectionate, reduced to acting mainly as a servant. -Cindy Sheehan: Well known anti-war activist. Phil Donahue Co-Director & Executive Producer BRIAN LAMB, HOST: Phil Donahue, where did you get the title, "Body of War," for your documentary? PHIL DONAHUE, EXECUTIVE PRODUCER, "BODY OF WAR": Well, that was mine. It came to me after watching our own film on this young man. He's shirtless in one of the scenes. You can see the spot on his head where he wasn't moved in transit. So, literally, the hair roots died, because he never was moved. There's a little on the back. And you can see the laminectomy. He has a T4. So, the bullet came through here, right between the shoulder blades, and he is paralyzed from the nipples down. LAMB: Where did you find him? And who is he? DONAHUE: Tomas Young is an honorably discharged 1st Cavalry United States Army Specialist. Signed up 9/13. And he was at Fort Hood in basic when the light bulb went on for him. "Why am I going to Iraq," he said to himself. "I wanted to go to Afghanistan." He saw the president on the pile, getting the evildoers, and he wanted to help him. Anyway, it's too late now. He goes. He's there five days, and he gets whacked from above while he's in the back of a truck -- no top -- going through Sadr City. And our film shows him trying to rise from the ashes. A life-altering injury, alters not only him, but the lives of the whole family. And Brian, I don't have to tell you. This is the drama that is taking place behind the closed doors of thousands of homes across this country -- homes occupied by very brave, patriotic people who went to Iraq, who answered the call of their commander in chief, and have come home with -- Tomas has bowel and bladder. He's sick every morning. He throws up. His pills have pills. I mean, the closer you -- he can't cough, because he can't move his stomach muscles. He has erectile dysfunction -- 27 years old, the prime of life. I mean, what's a sacrifice to you? And the American people, by and large, do not see this. And this is just one story. There's 30,000 of these -- 30,000. LAMB: Besides Tomas Young, who else is there -- who are the main characters? The young lady that you -- well, not -- no, his mother. DONAHUE: His mother. LAMB: Who is his mother? DONAHUE: His mother is Cathy Smith. And also, he has a wonderful stepfather, who, by the way, is a dittohead. Tomas' stepfather listens to Rush Limbaugh. We have a heartland family -- Kansas City -- split. We have a blue-and-red family. Tomas has a younger brother who is in Iraq. Imagine. And Tomas is a warrior turned anti-warrior. The other star of the film is his mother, from this family. Cathy. She loomed over her son at Walter Reed. I mean, checking the temperature and how many blankets he had. And she's really been probably his most important emotional support. LAMB: What about Brie? Who is Brie? DONAHUE: Brie is Tomas' wife. Brie -- I went to the wedding. We filmed the wedding, and the wedding is part of the documentary, "Body of War." LAMB: And here it is on the screen. What year did they get married? DONAHUE: That would have been -- it'll be three years ago later this year, if I remember. I think it was an August wedding. We've been filming now -- we've been preparing this film now for three years. So, I'm saying this is about 2.5 years ago. LAMB: Can you remember the first moment you thought you wanted to do this? DONAHUE: Yes, indeed. I went to Walter Reed Army Medical Center, having been invited to accompany Ralph Nader. I was talking with Ralph after the '04 election. And he said, "A mother at Walter Reed wants to see me. Do you want to go?"