The Commandant Journal is excited to host renowned war journalist Hollie McKay to discuss her illustrous career covering armed conflict all over the world as a War Correspondent. Her new book, “Only Cry for the Living: Memos from Inside the ISIS Battlefield, ” chronicles the rise and fall of Daesh in Iraq and the group's geopolitical impact based on her own on the ground reporting. In 2021, Hollie relocated to Afghanistan to report on the Fall of Kabul, and remained in-country even after the rise of the Taliban, becoming the only western journalist to provide sources and direct information on the new regime.

The event will consist of a 45 minute guided discussion, followed by a 20 minute Q & A from the audience.

The event will be donation optional for Canadian Connections, a grassroots charity focused on helping with the Resettlement of Afghan Interpreters and their families in Canada.

ABOUT THE GUEST: Hollie S. McKay is a writer, war crimes investigator and author of “Only Cry for the Living: Memos from Inside the ISIS Battlefield.” (Jocko Publishing/Di Angelo Publications 2021) She was an investigative and international affairs/war journalist for Fox News Digital for over fourteen years, where she focused on warfare, terrorism, and crimes against humanity through to early 2020.

Hollie then re-located to Afghanistan in the summer of 2021, where she was of the few western journalists to remain in the country through the government fall to the Taliban. She was then the only American journalist to stay behind for the long haul, witnessing the first four months of the new regime. Hollie continued to write and report on Afghanistan for numerous publications, including the New York Post, Empire Media Group, National Interest, Deadline Hollywood, The Independent, Dallas Morning News, Recoil Magazine and SmartHer News.

Hollie also provided television and radio coverage for dozens of major outlets, including BBC World Service, NPR, ABC News Australia, Fox News, Sky News, The Ben Shapiro Show and KTLA.

Her coffee table book collaboration with combat photographer Jake Simkin entitled “Afghanistan: The End of the U.S. Footprint and Rise of the Taliban Rule” (DiAngelo Publications) is slated for release in Spring 2022.

In 2022, Hollie was appointed to the Executive Position of Director of Content Creation for defense and veteran-orientated platform Liberty Blockchain to document stories of war and survival around the world.

Over the past decade, Hollie has worked on the frontlines of several major war zones and covered humanitarian and diplomatic crises in Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Syria, Iran, Turkey, Yemen, Saudi Arabia, Burma, Russia, Kenya, Colombia, Venezuela, Mexico and several other areas.

She has spent considerable time embedded with U.S. and foreign fighting forces, conducted extensive interviews with survivors of torture, sex slavery and forced child jihadist training, refugees, and designated terrorists to communicate the complexities of such catastrophes and war crimes on local populations.

In addition, Hollie serves as an honorary board member for EMERGENCY USA, a non-governmental organization that endeavors to assist victims of conflict worldwide. She is the 2021 recipient of the EMERGENCY honors award for “her commitment and dedication to providing surgical and medical care to people affected by war and poverty.” Moreover, Hollie serves as the Outreach Director for Burnt Children Relief Foundation (BCRF) to bring severely bomb-burned Syrian children to the U.S. for life-saving treatment.

Zoom link to event: https://utoronto.zoom.us/j/82474192554