Today MTV announced an hour-long special event that will bring together Presidential candidates Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama, as well as eight young veterans just back from at least one tour of duty in Iraq, for an intimate discussion on the 5th anniversary of the Iraq war.

Taped in Pennsylvania, home of the next critical Democratic primary contest, each candidate will hear directly from those who have served on the frontlines of the war, as the soldiers engage the Senators, sequentially, in a dialogue on how they will lead America’s armed forces and a variety of other national security issues.

Sway Calloway will be the facilitator in each conversation, and the same group of veterans will participate with each candidate. Senator John McCain, who participated in an hour-long MTV/MySpace presidential dialogue, was invited to participate in this New Veterans special, but was unable to join due to scheduling issues.

Recent MTV research shows that nearly six in ten (58%) 18-24 year-olds personally know someone who has served in Iraq, and this special aims to ensure America’s youth get real answers from those vying to be the next Commander-in-Chief.

“Choose or Lose Presents Clinton & Obama Answer Young Veterans” will premiere Thursday, March 20th at 6pm (ET/PT) on MTV, mtvU, MTV2, MTV Tr3s, MTV Hits and MTV Jams with limited commercial interruptions.