Wounded war journalist Bob Woodruff among participants on panel in Hadley following presentation of war drama, 'Johnny Got His Gun'

Discussion to focus in part on how returning iveterans can be better served.

HADLEY –The presentation of an adaptation of a 1940 radio play about war and its effects will provide the backdrop for a conversation on returning veterans and their needs with a noted journalist wounded while reporting on the Iraq war and other panelists.

“Johnny Got His Gun,” and conversation with former TV anchor Bob Woodruff and others, takes place May 11 at 7:30 p.m. at Wesley Church, 98 North Maple St. It is being presented by Old Deerfield Productions.

The drama, directed by Kevin Maroney, is based upon Arch Oboler radio play broadcast in March, 1940, starring James Cagney. It’s an adaptation of Dalton Trumbo’s 1938 anti-war novel of the same name in which the main character, Joe Bonham, is badly wounded in World War I.

“This is a hard-hitting play that has as deep an impact today as it did in 1940, perhaps more, as we face the challenges of so many more of our soldiers coming home with injuries,” said Linda C. McInerney, artistic director of Old Deerfield Productions. “This is a play with deep integrity and high quality.”

McInerney said the post-show conversation will deal with the effects of war upon soldiers, a reflection on how to help veterans when they return from war, what issues must be dealt with and the role of the arts in presenting such themes.

“’Johnny’ also gives us the opportunity to reach out and connect seemingly divergent audiences to bring them together in common cause,” McInerney said.

Other participants will include: Lee Woodruff, whose books include “Those We Love Most,” recently out in paperback; contributing editor for CBS "This Morning" and wife of Bob; David Pakman, progressive radio and television program host; Stewart "Buz" Eisenberg, a Northampton civil rights attorney who has represented seven detainees at the detention camp at the U.S. Naval Base in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba; Kathy Belanger, whose son Greg was one of the first soldiers killed in Iraq; Lt. Col. Hank Detering, a U.S. Marine Corps Vietnam veteran; Rev. Andrea Avazian, senior pastor of the Haydenville Congregational Church and an activist in movements for social and political change since 1970; and McInerney..

The Old Deerfield Productions cast includes Nico Lawson as Joe, with James Cameron Emery, Emma Jimerson, Joan Holliday and A.J. Maroney.

McInerney said the play digs into the emotional life of the main character and the many experiences that a wounded soldier might experience.

“Though Trumbo took a strong anti-war stance, we hope to look beyond to deal with the reality of what we as a people can do to help our vets come home,” she said.

Bob Woodruff is a former ABC World News Tonight anchor who was wounded while reporting from Iraq in 2006 when an improvised explosive device was detonated while he was looking from the top of the tank.

He is the co-founder of The Bob Woodruff Foundation, a national nonprofit that works to ensure that the nation’s injured service members, veterans and their families return to a home front ready to support them. In January, it distributed some $1 million in grants to 11 national and community-based nonprofits. Its website is ReMIND.org

Respect, support and jobs are what returning vets need, Woodruff said.

Anger, suicide, divorce are not uncommon themes among the wounded, he added.

Military medical advances and better evacuation have given U.S. troops wounded in countries like Iraq and Afghanistan a chance of survival put at 90 percent. It is estimated that more than 50,000 American troops have suffered combat wounds in Afghanistan and Iraq.

“Now the lives are saved but injured both physically and mentally,” Woodruff said of returning veterans.

Woodruff will also speak about the practice of journalists being embedded with troops for safety reasons and its impact on balanced reporting.

There has been extensive outreach to veteran organizations in the area and beyond 50 tickets donated to Vettix.org so that veterans may attend the show free of charge.

“At the same time we have done outreach to the local activist organizations and have invited them to engage,” McInerney said. “And our panel of speakers is a mix of points of view. In this way, we can create a bridge to connect with one another and find common ground.”

Tickets for “Johnny Got His Gun” are $12 and $10 with $20 seating up front. Tickets are available at the door as well as at http://www.olddeerfieldproductions.org