Camillo Mac Bica is an American philosopher, poet, activist, and author.

Biography

Bica was born on January 7, 1947, in Brooklyn. He received a

Bachelor of Arts A Bachelor of Arts (abbreviated B.A., BA, A.B. or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is the holder of a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the liberal arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts deg ...

from

Long Island University Long Island University (LIU) is a private university in Brooklyn and Brookville, New York, United States. The university enrolls over 16,000 students and offers over 500 academic programs at its main campuses, LIU Brooklyn and LIU Post on Long I ...

in 1968 and a

Master of Arts A Master of Arts ( or ''Artium Magister''; abbreviated MA or AM) is the holder of a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is usually contrasted with that of Master of Science. Those admitted to the degree have ...

from

New York University New York University (NYU) is a private university, private research university in New York City, New York, United States. Chartered in 1831 by the New York State Legislature, NYU was founded in 1832 by Albert Gallatin as a Nondenominational ...

in 1986. He then attended the

Graduate Center of the City University of New York The Graduate School and University Center of the City University of New York (CUNY Graduate Center) is a public research institution and postgraduate university in New York City. Formed in 1961 as Division of Graduate Studies at City University ...

, where he received a Master's of Philosophy in 1993 and a Ph.D in Philosophy in 1995. Since 1990, he has served as a professor at the

School of Visual Arts The School of Visual Arts New York City (SVA NYC) is a private for-profit art school in New York City. It was founded in 1947 and is a member of the Association of Independent Colleges of Art and Design. History This school was started by Silas ...

(SVA) in New York City where he teaches courses in philosophy, peace studies, and war. In 2003, he was awarded SVA’
Distinguished Scholar-Teacher Award.
In 1964, Bica entered the United States Marine Corps Platoon Leaders Class and upon graduation from college in 1968 was commissioned a 2nd Lieutenant. He spent three years on active duty as a Marine Corps Officer, serving 13 months with the 26th Marine Infantry Regiment in the

Vietnam War The Vietnam War (1 November 1955 – 30 April 1975) was an armed conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia fought between North Vietnam (Democratic Republic of Vietnam) and South Vietnam (Republic of Vietnam) and their allies. North Vietnam w ...

. Upon his discharge from active duty, Bica spent many years recovering from his service in Vietnam eventually founding, with a number of other Veterans, and coordinating for six years, the very successful ''Veterans Self-Help Initiative'', AKA ''The HOOTCH Program'', at the Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Brooklyn. He is a long time member of the

Vietnam Veterans Against the War Vietnam Veterans Against the War (VVAW) is an American non-profit organization and corporation founded in 1967 to oppose the United States policy and participation in the Vietnam War. VVAW is a national veterans' organization that campaigns for ...

an
Coordinator of the Long Island Chapter
of Veterans For Peace. Bica has authored over fifty articles dealing with social policy, the ethics of war,

posttraumatic stress disorder Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a mental disorder that develops from experiencing a Psychological trauma, traumatic event, such as sexual assault, domestic violence, child abuse, warfare and its associated traumas, natural disaster ...

moral injury A moral injury is an injury to an individual's moral conscience and values resulting from an act of perceived moral transgression on the part of themselves or others. It produces profound feelings of guilt or shame, moral disorientation, and soci ...

, and related topics published in the ''Humanist Magazine'', numerous alternative news sites such as Truthout.org, OpEd News,

Common Dreams Common Dreams NewsCenter, often referred to simply as Common Dreams, is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, U.S.-based news website with a stated goal of serving the progressive community. Common Dreams publishes news stories, editorials, and a newswire of c ...

AlterNet AlterNet is a left-leaning news website based in the United States. It was launched by the Independent Media Institute. In 2018, the website was acquired by owners of '' Raw Story''. Coverage Coverage is divided into several special sections re ...

, and numerous philosophical journals. The first installment of Bica’s ''War Legacy Series'', ''Worthy of Gratitude: Why Veterans May Not Want to be Thanked for their Service in War,'' was published in 2015. The Second book in the series, ''Beyond PTSD: The Moral Casualties of War'', was published in early 2016. In 2010, Bica testified at the Truth Commission on Conscience in War at the

Riverside Church Riverside Church is an interdenominational church in the Morningside Heights, Manhattan, Morningside Heights neighborhood of Manhattan in New York City, United States. The church is associated with the American Baptist Churches USA and the Un ...

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

. He currently serves on the National Advisory Board of the Soul Repair Center, a

think tank A think tank, or public policy institute, is a research institute that performs research and advocacy concerning topics such as social policy, political strategy, economics, military, technology, and culture. Most think tanks are non-governme ...

dedicated to research and public education about recovery from

from war located at

Brite Divinity School Brite Divinity School is a divinity school at Texas Christian University, a private university in Fort Worth, Texas. It is affiliated with the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), approved by the University Senate of the United Methodist Church ...

Fort Worth, Texas Fort Worth is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the county seat of Tarrant County, Texas, Tarrant County, covering nearly into Denton County, Texas, Denton, Johnson County, Texas, Johnson, Parker County, Texas, Parker, and Wise County, Te ...

Books

*2015: ''Worthy of Gratitude: Why Veterans May Not Want to be Thanked for their Service in War''. . *2016: ''Beyond PTSD: The Moral Casualties of War''.

Articles

*Meeting With the Enemy: Vietnam From a Vietnamese Perspective *Don't Thank Me for My Service *Blood On All Our Hands: Don't Thank Me For My Service Redux *When Soldiers Say No To War
Protected Speech?Inappropriate Art: "Open Casket" and "Portraits of Courage"Whose "Truth" Matters Most When We Recount the War in Vietnam?“Thank You for Saving My Son From All the Grief and Pain!”

References

External links

Official WebsiteAuthor's Page
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bica, Camillo Mac 1947 births Living people United States Marine Corps personnel of the Vietnam War Poets from New York (state) Writers from Brooklyn Long Island University alumni New York University Stern School of Business alumni CUNY Graduate Center alumni United States Marine Corps officers American anti–Vietnam War activists School of Visual Arts faculty Activists from New York (state)