U.S. soldiers, with whom I now have more than a passing acquaintance, joke that they track my movements in order to know where they will be deployed next.

And then theres always the crying and the weeping that we hear-children, women, even men. And these images and these sounds are always with me.

Because if we the storytellers don't do this, then the bad people will win.

If you have a child, I said, you have a responsibility at least to stay alive.

But 17 years ago, I arrived at CNN with a suitcase, with my bicycle, and with about 100 dollars.

In Bosnia, little children shot in the head by a guy who thinks it's okay to aim his gun at a child.

People are interested if you tell stories well and relevantly.