Phil Klay's Redeployment Analysis

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. In order to understand the experiences of veterans returning
In her article Sørensen writes that “…veterans have all experienced and come to appreciate the confidence, loyalty, solidarity, and support that the collective offers. When faced with the challenges of reintegration into civilian life, they mimic their past and establish veteran communities around, for instance, political agendas, hobbies, and interests” (239). This can be seen when a group of veterans support their fellow Corporal after they return home and find that his wife had abandoned him. One of them recalled “We had somebody with him the whole weekend until we were sure he was good” (Klay 10). This support from a group of veterans shows that the comradery created from being in a war together can be very important for times when veterans cannot connect with society or their loved ones. Even though these vets had their own lives with loved ones to reconnect to, they immediately reached out to their fellow vet who had lost someone he cared for. This support shows that society may not understand how to help soldiers integrate back into a non-military lifestyle and sometimes other vets are needed to provide this support