Following the terrorist attack in the United States on September 11, 2001, the U.S. and Great Britain launched an invasion of Afghanistan, what President George W. Bush called a “first-strike” initiative. For Marine recruits and new graduates the following year, the war gave them a fresh focus. Veteran journalist Steve Roberts travels to Parris Island, a primary training ground for Marines, to talk to soldiers, new graduates, their training personnel and chaplain. It’s a Marine Corps that is quite different from that of their parents: far more women are part of the Corps; there are two-career families, single parent households and a sizable ethnic population. The war in Afghanistan made theoretical combat concrete. For seasoned soldiers, it heightened anxiety about deployment. For the newly enlisted, it was a time of untested confidence. Defending the Future is a portrait of a young generation preparing for battle in what would become the longest war the U.S. has been engaged.

The Soundprint documentary series features the best work of top radio producers. The award winning documentaries are renowned for drawing the listener into the story with compelling interviews, authentic voices and rich sound. From memoirs to science, health and popular culture, Soundprint creates a powerful experience the listener will not soon forget.

Here are some related Soundprint documentaries:

24 Hours on the Edge of Ground Zero Produced by: Soundprint

The Bonus Army March Produced by: Lex Gillespie

The Arc of Crisis: Bringing Context to Journalism Produced by: William Drummond

Legacies Produced by: Soundprint

We Were on Duty Produced by: Richard Paul

Soundprint Executive Producer: Moira Rankin

WAMU Executive Producer: Mark MacDonald

Reporter: Steve Roberts

Producers: Sesh Kannan and Carol Beach

Technical Director: Anna Maria de Freitas

Audio Engineer: Alexandra Gardner and Jared Weissbrot

Production Assistant: Stephanie Kaye and Anu Yadav