During the war, in which several of our embedded correspondents

Hear, O children of memory, the solemn words of Jim Walton, who declared: “During the war, in which several of our embedded correspondents were able to report from moving vehicles crossing the Iraqi desert, the use of technology made news gathering safer.” These words are not idle, but carry the weight of blood and fire, of a time when men and women carried their pens and cameras into the heart of battle. They remind us that even in war, the most destructive of human acts, the tools of technology can serve to protect, to illuminate, and to carry truth from the battlefield to the waiting world.

The origin of this truth lies in the ancient struggle between danger and knowledge. Since the dawn of time, those who bore witness to events risked their lives to bring news to others. In ages past, messengers on horseback rode through peril to deliver word of battles won and lost. Chroniclers sat in tents by firelight, scratching the stories of kings into parchment while swords clashed outside. Yet never before had technology allowed the witness to move within the war itself, shielded not by armor but by the unseen power of transmission—signals traveling through the air, carrying the voice of the reporter to the ears of millions, even as the desert winds howled around them.

Consider, O listeners, the story of the Vietnam War. In that conflict, correspondents ventured into jungles and villages, capturing images and words that reached the homes of countless families. Their work changed the very perception of the war, for the truth they revealed turned hearts and swayed nations. Yet their labor was perilous, with little protection and no instant communication. By the time their reports reached the people, the danger had long passed, sometimes leaving the journalist wounded or dead. In Walton’s time, however, the power of technology—satellite uplinks, moving vehicles, secure transmission—allowed reporters to walk nearer to the fire yet live to tell of it.

This teaching shows us the dual face of invention. For the same tools that wage war also guard those who seek to record it. The same satellites that guide missiles also carry the voices of correspondents. The same armored vehicles that thunder across deserts to conquer also shield the fragile bearer of truth. It is a reminder that technology itself is neither mercy nor cruelty; it becomes what we choose to make of it. Walton honors its use in the service of safety and knowledge, so that the light of truth might pierce the darkness of battle.

Yet his words also carry a deeper meaning: that safety for the messenger is the foundation of freedom for the people. For if no correspondent can return alive, then war remains hidden, cloaked in silence and rumor. But if correspondents can report—even from moving convoys, even across deserts—then the truth cannot be buried. And where truth lives, the conscience of nations awakens. Thus, the protection of the reporter is not a small matter, but the very safeguard of justice.

The lesson, then, is clear: when we embrace technology, we must seek not only its power but also its mercy. Let it not only make our weapons sharper, but also our witnesses safer. Let it not only serve conquest, but also truth. And in our own lives, when we wield the tools of our age—whether cameras, networks, or voices—let us use them to protect, to illuminate, and to serve humanity. For every invention holds within it both the sword and the shield; wisdom lies in choosing the shield.

Practical actions flow from this wisdom. Support those who bear witness in dangerous places, for their voices keep the world accountable. Use the technology at your disposal to seek truth, not rumor, and to share knowledge, not falsehood. And when you face your own trials—whether in war, in work, or in the storms of daily life—remember that the tools around you can either expose you to greater harm or carry you to safety, depending on how you wield them. Choose with patience, with wisdom, and with love.

Thus do we honor Jim Walton’s words: that even in the fire of war, the careful use of technology can bring safety, and that safety ensures truth, and that truth ensures freedom. Carry this teaching, O children of tomorrow, and let your tools not only build power, but protect the voice of those who must speak, even in the deserts of conflict. For when truth survives the battlefield, humanity itself is saved.