Fields of Combat: Understanding PTSD among Veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan (The Culture and Politics of Health Care Work)

About this book

"If you consider Iraqlike I do probably twenty-nine out of thirty daysto be the pinnacle of your life then where do you go from there? And Im sure that a lot of veterans feel that way. To them that was it. That was everything. So now what? They have to find something meaningful and purposeful." "When I got back from Afghanistan there was not even so much as a briefing that said Let us know if youre having problems. There wasnt so much as a phone number. There was literally nothing." "I knew it was crazy. I was thinking the guy on the roofs either a sniper or hes going to radio ahead. And then I thought this is San Antonio. Theres not snipers on the roof nobodys going to blow me up here." "Whenever I look at people back here at home I know what theyre going to look like dead. I know what they look like with their brains blown out or jaws blown off or eyes pulled out. When I look at somebody I see that to this day." Voices of veterans interviewed in Fields of Combat For many of the 1.6 million U.S. service members who have served in Iraq and Afghanistan since 2001 the trip home is only the beginning of a longer journey. Many undergo an awkward period of readjustment to civilian life after long deployments. Some veterans may find themselves drinking too much unable to sleep or waking from unspeakable dreams lashing out at friends and loved ones. Over time some will struggle so profoundly that they eventually are diagnosed with post-traumatic stress Disorder (PTSD). Both heartbreaking and hopeful Fields of Combat tells the story of how American veterans and their families navigate the return home. Following a group of veterans and their personal stories of war trauma and recovery Erin P. Finley illustrates the devastating impact PTSD can have on veterans and their families. Finley sensitively explores issues of substance abuse failed relationships domestic violence and even suicide and also challenges popular ideas of PTSD as incurable and permanently debilitating. Drawing on rich often searing ethnographic material Finley examines the cultural political and historical influences that shape individual experiences of PTSD and how its sufferers are perceived by the military medical personnel and society at large. Despite widespread media coverage and public controversy over the militarys response to wounded and traumatized service members debate continues over how best to provide treatment and compensation for service-related disabilities. Meanwhile new and highly effective treatments are revolutionizing how the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) provides trauma care redefining the way PTSD itself is understood in the process. Carefully and compassionately untangling each of these conflicts Fields of Combat reveals the very real implications they have for veterans living with PTSD and offers recommendations to improve how we care for this vulnerable but resilient population.