Parkway Central Grad Writes Book on Israeli-Palestinian Conflict

This week, Patch introduces you to Parkway Central High School grad Greg Myre, a former foreign correspondent and current editor of NPR's, “Morning Edition.” Myre and his wife, journalist Jennifer Griffin, have recently published, “This Burning Land,” an account of their years covering the Israeli-Palestinian conflict in Jerusalem.

In Greg Myre's remarkably eventful career as a foreign correspondent for the Associated Press (AP) and the New York Times, he's witnessed and documented many dramatic events. But as Chesterfield resident and student at  in the mid-1970s, he hadn't even thought of being a journalist. In fact, when he speaks of influential teachers, he names his coaches.

“I was really into playing sports,” Myre said. “I hadn't really thought of writing. It's a good school with good teachers. I still go to all the reunions.”

He attended Meramec Community College so he could play basketball. There, he learned he wasn't as good a basketball player as he thought. As an avid reader of Sports Illustrated, he began to think he might become a sports writer.

He attended Yale University, where he played both basketball and football. His desire to travel gradually sparked his interest in writing, but he still hadn't focused on it. “I'm sure learning in school is great, but journalism I think you learn by doing,” Myre said.

There was only one entry level position with the AP in Washington, D.C. As luck would have it, the position was open when Myre graduated, and he got the job.

“It was a great learning opportunity—being in Washington,” Myre said. “It was great, great work. I was a gopher and did all kinds of things. I used to take dictation from the Washington correspondent.”

Myre eventually went to Miami and New York with AP. In 1987, he got his break. He was sent to Johannesburg as a foreign correspondent. He was in Cape Town when Nelson Mandela was released in 1990.

“When I got there, you didn't know what would happen,” Myre said. “When (Frederik Willem) de Clerk came to power, he decided to release Mandela. For the next four years, there was tremendous violence and negotiations going on at the same time. It was really a dramatic time to be a young reporter around that. I met my wife there.”

Myre and his wife, Fox News correspondent Jennifer Griffin, relocated to Islamabad in 1993. Ramzi Yousef, who was responsible for the bombing of the World Trade Center that same year, was arrested a few blocks from Myre's house.

The couple traveled throughout the area to cover hot spots. Myre made many trips to Afghanistan to cover its Civil War. Although al-Qaida got its start in the war, they had not yet entered the public consciousness. It was the Taliban that caught Myre's attention.

“They were these wild, crazy fighters,” Myre said. “I was one of the first reporters to start writing about the Taliban. I tried to interest my editors, but they just weren't interested. I was aware of al-Qaeda, but (Osama) bin Laden wasn't known as the leader. He was in Sudan at that point.”

Myre and Griffin would follow the exploits of al-Qaida until bin Laden was killed in May.

“I didn't imagine that they would do things in the scale that they did,” Myre said. “All the clues were there, but it was hard to imagine. When he was captured, it was an emotional moment for both of us. Jennifer covers the Pentagon, so she heard the rumors before the announcement. We were stunned.”

When Myre and Griffin moved to Jerusalem in 1999, it seemed like peace was about to be reached in the area. But in 2000 it all blew up. The couple spent the next seven years covering the turmoil there. Myre said the conflict was particularly intense; suicide bombings occured so close to his home that they rattled the windows. These years became the basis for their book.

This Burning Land: Lessons from the Front Lines of the Transformed Israeli-Palestinian Conflict examines individuals in the conflict in order to reveal how they feel their actions are justified. It's a detailed look at the struggle based on hundreds of interviews and first-hand experience.

“It expresses how we felt,” Myer said. “We liked people on both sides. It was sad and tragic to see people on both sides getting killed. There are some incredibly human stories. It's been going on for 40 years. It's about like if America was still fighting World War II.”

Myer doesn't blame one side or the other for the conflict. “Both sides are to blame,” he said. “Both sides have done things that make it difficult to resolve. Both sides have legitimate claims. They've lived there for centuries."

Myre has mixed emotions about no longer being overseas. “We enjoy Washington, but we miss the action. We loved it. It was really exciting. It was a rush. We covered great and horrible events.”

Myre will take on new responsibilities as the foreign editor for NPR's website in August, and Griffin continues as Fox’s national security correspondent.

This Burning Land: Lessons from the Front Lines of the Transformed Israeli-Palestinian Conflict is available at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Books A Million and Borders online.