Veteran Turned Novelist Discusses Lasting Impact of War at Annual Gianelli Lecture

A US Marine Corps veteran turned decorated novelist delivered a powerful message on the cultural impact of war at the second annual Arthur F. and Barbara Gianelli Lecture at St. John’s University.

Phil Klay, M.F.A., served in Iraq from 2007 to 2008 as part of a four-year US Marine Corps commitment that ended in 2009. His military experiences form the foundation of his three novels, including his breakthrough collection of short stories, Redeployment, which won the 2014 National Book Award for fiction.    

An audience of about 100 listened to his 90-minute lecture on October 22 at the D’Angelo Center ballroom. Titled “Catholic Witness Inside the Digital Coliseum: From St. Augustine to John Fosse,” it touched on the cultural and moral impact of modern warfare, including the disconnect that often exists between government, the military establishment, rank-and-file soldiers, and the public.

“Since Vietnam, politicians have understood that the murky wars of American superpower are not ones the public wants to sacrifice for,” Mr. Klay said. “After the September 11 terrorist attacks, President George W. Bush did not call for sacrifice; he called for shopping. ‘Get down to Disney World in Florida,’ he said. ‘Take your family and enjoy life the way we want it to be enjoyed.’ 

“We had, and still have, an all-volunteer military,” Mr. Klay continued. “So, unless you served or had a family member who served, the message was clear: Do not let the war affect you. As war is the most morally serious thing a nation can engage in, this struck me as deeply troubling.”

Mr. Klay served as a public affairs officer in Iraq. While he did not experience combat, he did witness its impact, particularly on his fellow service members and on Iraqi noncombatants. His books bring the underside of war to life with great psychological acuity, particularly Redeployment, which examines the homecoming struggles faced by returning service members.

In his talk and subsequent question-and-answer session, Mr. Klay often returned to the erosion of moral seriousness in public discussions about war, particularly as presidential administrations from both parties have turned to digital media messaging. Such messaging, Mr. Klay argued, makes it difficult for citizens to digest the true moral weight of warfare. 

“The moments of charged intensity that appear for people depend highly on the way algorithms interpret their individual preferences,” Mr. Klay said. “The overall structure of the platforms that deliver news stories with high salience for one group will simply not exist for another. Instead of real information about the killing being done in our name, we have gotten a series of sizzle reels and snuff films posted on White House social media accounts celebrating war by mixing images of death with footage from video games and sports highlights.”

Hosted by St. John’s College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, where he taught for five decades, the two-year-old Gianelli lecture pays tribute to the work of Arthur F. Gianelli, Ph.D., former Professor, Department of Philosophy, who died in 2023. Dr. Gianelli’s son, Arthur ’91SJC, established the Barbara and Arthur Gianelli Scholarship Fund in 2020 to support financially needy students enrolled in the University Honors Program.

Throughout his career, Dr. Gianelli inspired students with his intellectual curiosity, integrity, and faith. The annual lecture provides a forum for thought leaders to address the challenges posed to religious faith and ethical values emerging from scientific and cultural developments.

The inaugural lecture, in April 2025, featured Seth Lazar, Ph.D., Principal Investigator at the Machine Intelligence and Normative Theory (MINT) Laboratory, who discussed the legal and ethical implications of artificial intelligence personhood—the granting of legal rights and responsibilities to artificial intelligence.

Mr. Klay, an authority on St. Augustine’s just-war theory, is Professor of Religious Studies at Fairfield University in Connecticut. He was recently appointed president of PEN America, a nonprofit that defends free expression, literature, and human rights globally and within the United States.

In addition to his books, Mr. Klay caught the attention of the lecture committee through his insightful opinion essays and media interviews. Mr. Gianelli, President and Chief Transformation Officer of One Brooklyn Health, said his father would have found Mr. Klay’s perspective compelling.

“He has written extensively about Augustinian just-war theory, the depersonalization of war, and the disconnect between war and how we live as citizens,” Mr. Gianelli explained. “Plus, as a former Marine, he brings those real-life experiences to bear.”