When I was younger, my uncle, the Middle East correspondent for ABC News, was sent to the region to cover its many wars and conflicts. My mother assured me that he would be safe: The bulletproof vest was just a precaution, the combat boots for walking through the mud. Each night, we watched him report from Israel, Iraq, Afghanistan. We saw him work in deserts and cities and run-down villages. Once, we witnessed a nearby explosion and a second of blackness before the picture returned with my uncle unscathed.
