Veterans' Journeys Home: Life After Afghanistan and Iraq

by Lori Holyfield

Overview

Veterans' Journeys Home is a vivid portrayal of military life and its aftermath for US troops who have served in Iraq and Afghanistan. Highlighting the challenges US veterans face in today's changing military culture, the book depicts the haunting and visceral memories of returning soldiers, conversations with mental health providers, and offers an alternative approach to healing the emotional wounds of war. For anyone seeking a deeper understanding of the human costs of recent wars this book is invaluable. It combines a moving narrative with a penetrating analysis of the welfare and post-conflict treatment of veterans.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781612050515
Publisher:	Taylor & Francis
Publication date:	10/30/2011
Pages:	208
Product dimensions:	6.10(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.80(d)

About the Author

Associate Professor of Sociology at the University of Arkansas, Lori Holyfield is the author of Moving Up and Out: Poverty, Education and the Single Parent Family, with a Foreword by Hillary Clinton.

Table of Contents

Introduction; Chapter One War, Those Who Fight It, and Shifting Images of the Warrior; Chapter Two Socialization of the Contemporary Soldier; Chapter Three Reluctant Edgework and “Nonstandard” War; Chapter Four Sister Soldiers: Women and Military Service; Chapter Five Military Masculinity and Combat: The Perfect Storm for Post Traumatic Stress Disorder; Chapter Six History of Vets Journey Home; Chapter Seven “Welcome Home”; Chapter Eight The Power of Ritual and the Importance of Storytelling; epi Letters September 11, 2001;

Editorial Reviews

"War wounds go deep – and not just the physical wounds. The unseen emotional wounds can be as traumatic as the seen physical wounds of war. Veteran’s Journey Home is a must read for Veterans who wrestle with emotional wounds and the Family members of Veterans who need to understand the sacrifices of service and the toll that sacrifice lays upon Veterans. Lori has captured the emotional trauma that warriors receive during times of war and how those emotional wounds impact the Veterans’ lives and the lives around them. She reveals a National level workshop that provides a safe space for Veterans to tell their story and begin their healing process. Veteran’s Journey Home is about war, it’s about the Veterans who return from war, it’s about Families of Veterans who return from war, and most importantly it’s about healing from the emotional trauma caused by war. My wish, my want, and my hope is that all Veterans who suffer from emotional trauma have the opportunity to begin their healing process – Lori provides a first step for those Veterans wanting to tell their story." —Robin J. Stauffer, US Army, Colonel (Retired)

"The pride that comes with serving one's country, the masculine military culture, the closer-than-family bonds, the stigma surrounding emotional trauma, undiagnosed brain injury, the rising rates of substance abuse and suicide: what makes this book so valuable is Holyfield's ability to make a cohesive whole of a multitude of fragments and shards."
—Brigid Brett, The Huffington Post “Exploring Their Private Wars” 10/13/11

From the Publisher