Dr. Andrew Burtch (Moderator) has been Historian, Post-1945, at the Canadian War Museum since 2006 and is curator of Gallery 4: From the Cold War to the Present. His research focuses on the Cold War, the Korean War, United Nations peacekeeping, Canada’s mission in Afghanistan, war and memory, and oral history. He is the host of The Long War: Canada in Afghanistan podcast and has curated numerous exhibitions on Canada’s modern military history.

Dr. Michael Petrou is a historian at the Canadian War Museum and a former foreign correspondent who reported from Afghanistan and other regions around the world. He is the author of Renegades: Canadians in the Spanish Civil War and Is This Your First War? Travels Through the Post-9/11 Islamic World, and co-editor of the forthcoming Ripples of War: The Canadian Veteran Experience. He holds a doctorate in Modern History from the University of Oxford and is an adjunct professor at the Royal Military College of Canada and Carleton University.

Chief Warrant Officer (Ret’d) John G. Barnes, MMM, MSM, CD served in the Canadian Armed Forces for 36 years, with operational deployments to Cyprus, the Persian Gulf, Croatia, Bosnia, and Afghanistan. He retired in 2017 as Chief Warrant Officer of the Canadian Army Soldier Care Unit. Barnes is the author of White School, Black Memories, a memoir reflecting on his military service, and donated all book royalties to Homes for Heroes. A volunteer at the Canadian War Museum, he continues to share his experiences through public speaking.

Ahmad Shuja is an Afghan interpreter and guide who worked alongside Canadian Forces in Afghanistan. Following the Taliban’s return to power in 2021, he fled the country. He now shares his experiences to foster a deeper understanding of the war and its human consequences.

Lieutenant-Colonel (Ret’d) Dr. Alexandra Heber, MD, FRCPC is Chief of Psychiatry at Veterans Affairs Canada and Assistant Professor of Psychiatry at the University of Ottawa. A former Canadian Armed Forces psychiatrist, she deployed to Afghanistan in 2009 with Task Force Kandahar. An internationally recognized expert in military and Veteran mental health, her work focuses on post-traumatic stress disorder, operational stress injuries, and improving the mental health and well-being of Canada’s Veterans.