The stories “For Many Returning Vets, ‘Moral Injury’ Just As Difficult” written by Rachel Martin, who got her information through Timothy Kudo, “Where Have You Gone, Charming Billy?” written by Tim O’Brien, and “A Horseman in the Sky” by Ambrose Bierce point out the psychological effects war can have on a person. These stories are very different from each other but they also support each other on a psychological aspect. These stories also give multiple examples of these long term mental effects. “For Many Returning Vets…” by Rachel Martin is a very good example of mental strife, provided by Tim Kudo, we learn that during a war there are very important decisions you must make for instance, deciding whether or not to save your group or let a…
A collaboration of short stories behind the scenes of an exciting era in American history. The author portrays many different point of views throughout the stories from the actual soldiers to the people who worked around the bases of Iraq and Afghanistan to the priests and chaplains that helped keep the soldiers sane. Though the book suffered slightly from its overuse of military jargon it flourished with great imagery and the clear, enjoyable voice. Also, the different point of views help correlate the different perspectives and at times touches upon Phil Klay’s personal connections to the book.…
Today many school teachers as result of the political interventions prefer not to be at helm of the process of developing a school. This has been the case in the recent past since the general election. This has really caught up my attention so much that I have now given up listing to music on my way to school and have sought to listen to the daily news on the radio instead to find out on the educational plans, economic reforms and budget cuts of the coalition government.…
division of soldiers as they contract with death of fellow soldiers, depression and battling with the war…
On June 28, 2005 The SEAL team, led by LT Michael P. Murphy and consisting of petty officers Matthew Axelson, Danny Dietz and Marcus Luttrell, were on a mission to kill or capture Ahmad Shah, a Taliban leader who commanded a group of insurgents known as the "Mountain Tigers," west of Asadabad. The initial counter-insurgent mission in Kunar Province, Afghanistan seemed to be running accordingly with a successful infiltration into enemy territories until local Goat herders stumbled upon the teams hiding spot. While very concerned with their own well being the Seal team was unable to verify Hostile intent from the herders. LT Murphy put the final decision of the goat herder’s fate up to vote by the team. Axelson voted to kill the Afghans, stating, "The military decision is obvious," in reference to the near-certainty that the herders would alert the Taliban. Dietz on the other hand simply abstained. It was up to Luttrell to make the deciding vote, a vote which would later be found to be the most crucial decision of the entire mission.…
The cries of war come in different shapes and sizes. While Anthony Swofford cried most of his tears through his memoir, others who served in the Marine Corps during his time had found other ways to cry. In the Swofford’s memoir, Jarhead, he illustrates how one of his former comrades at war had handled the aftermath of service in the Marines during the Gulf War. “I asked him if maybe he should talk to someone at the Veterans Administration hospital, and he declined, insisting that they could not tell him anything he didn’t already know. Before we hung up, he said, “We fired the same rifle. You have the same problems as me.”” While Swofford seemed to be in good functioning condition, his old comrade Fergus seemed to have been struggling psychologically with the aftermath effects of the war. Fergus’ psychological issues seemed to be his own cry into the world outside of the Marine Corps. Swofford and all of his crew mates experienced the horrors…
Phil Klay’s Redeployment tells the stories of different American Veterans experiences as they fought in Iraq and as they attempt to return to a “normal” civilian lifestyle. Each of these soldiers faces the realities of war that cause them to change the way they see the world and how they fit into it. As they return home and begin to interact with people outside of the war, Klay describes the difficulties they face as they try to adjust to a “normal” life after months of deployment. Klay bring awareness to the stories of these veterans as they return home as a means to critique society’s lack of understanding on the struggles of veterans as they transition back into civilian lives.…
Imagine facing the horrors of a war at the young age of 19. In the real world as well as fictional novels, the Vietnam War was considered to be a war unlike any other. Many soldiers faced untold brutal challenges, and often wondered who the enemy really was. In many depicted pieces of literature such as Fallen Angels the fictional stories cannot begin to compare to the real traumatic ones. Research has shown that the traumatic circumstances have caused soldiers mental stress. Research shows the brutality that the soldiers of the Vietnam War went through, the novel Fallen Angels and the video series “Dear America: Letters Home” are very similar in this depiction, but also have slight differences.…
Many soldiers after World War I suffered from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. War veterans with PTSD faced flashbacks, nightmares, and fight-or-flight response. These war veterans must find "a good place" (184) in life to help calm and relax them, so they can be in a healthy state, like before the war. Nick, who was in war, relaxes himself by fishing for trout in a river, something he did before the war. Additionally, many veterans strive to find the "live feeling" (197) they experienced before the war, after they have had their life returned to them. Soldiers must emerge from a terrifying past, to a hopeful future.…
References: Anthony Swofford (2008). What Happens in War.? Columbia Journalism Review, 47(3), 54-56. Retrieved November 19, 2008, from ABI/INFORM Global database. (Document ID: 1562680141).…
War is and always has been a topic of discussion in the world whether it be in the daily newspaper, a presidential campaign speech or a history classroom. Often we focus on past wars, current wars, fatalities, battles and countless other topics. Then, there is the occasional talk about men that have fought in history’s brutal wars. Veterans could tell story after story of the pain and suffering that they saw and experienced themselves. But you can only begin to imagine. Also seen in the movie Apocolypse Now.…
This essay is based on Combat High written by Sebastian Junger first published in Newsweek Magazine in 2010. The article was adapted from the author 's book War which describes life in a platoon in the Korengal Valley of Afghanistan. He spent fourteen months during 2007 and 2008 embedded in the platoon. Junger points out the costs of the war in terms of the soldiers psychological aspects, explaining how being in combat can be damaging. Another cost of war is caused by lack of proper medical and psychological care to returning soldiers to help in the re-insertion to society.…
War forces people to think and act in ways that are often thought to be inhumane. Long lasting effects emotionally and physically are a sad reality for veterans and their family. Post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is one of the disabilities many veterans suffer from. According to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, PTSD may breakdown families and close relationships due to the fact they may no longer feel emotions(----). The sniper portrays situations where the I.R.A. sniper has to put emotions and morals to the side in order to complete the mission and survive.…
Our soldiers leave wars in foreign countries only to fight another war at home. David Finkel explores the hidden pain and suffering of war-families and veterans in his book Thank You For Your Service. Finkel, winner of the Pulitzer Prize and author of a New York Times Best Book of the Year, has spent hours upon hours researching, interviewing, and simply documenting what a two-decade war does to a soldier and their family. With no specific target audience, it is at least suggested those unfamiliar with PTSD and TBI should spend some times diving into the heart-breaking and up-lifting stories. Finkel uses stories and their meanings to appeal to the emotions of the readers to support his idea of the hidden pain and suffering of our veterans and…
The history of war is what many spend time reading about in textbooks. Few, however, experience war and all that it encompasses. David Leckie, a marine during World War II, uses his book, Helmet for My Pillow, to share with readers the truth of what it was like to be a soldier. Rather than skimming the surface of his time on Parris Island and the Pacific Islands, he goes into unmatched, excruciating detail; every trench dug, every shot fired, and every fallen soldier passed was recounted by Leckie. Setting this story apart from any other, the first-hand accounts of combat, unlikely descriptions of the day-to-day actions of the soldiers, and the heart that Leckie intertwines with each part of his story all combine to make this thought-provoking,…