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Hidden Battles on Unseen Fronts: Stories of American Soldiers with Traumatic Brain Injury and PTSD
When the war comes home . . .
This book is crafted around soldiers’ personal descriptions of their war experiences in Iraq and Afghanistan that culminate in life-altering injuries to the brain and psyche, along with the equally dramatic story of their recoveries. An irony of America’s 21st century wars has been that while our combat medical and medevac capabilities have grown enormously (from a rough average of 4:1 wounded to dead in WWII to 8:1 today), the nature of many of our soldiers’ wounds has undergone a subtle change. Men and women who survive the thick of combat, including repeated concussion blasts, increasingly present a difficult-to-detect kind of injury, no less debilitating then wounds from bullets or shrapnel.
Hidden Battles on Unseen Fronts documents the ever-increasing cases of physical or mental brain trauma among our vets that has risen as a direct result of more soldiers surviving their flesh wounds on the battlefield. The chapters are crafted from interviews with troops and their family members, and bridged with essays by internationally known mental health professionals, veterans’ advocates, and members of the Veterans Administration and Department of Defense, all of whom are working in the front lines of what is quickly developing into a national crisis of unfathomable cost in both lives and money.
From combat Army soldiers and Marines, even amputees, who eventually discover that their greatest disability is in their head, to support personnel such as Devore Barlowe, who returns from Iraq having witnessed atrocities that leave her with severe PTSD, but perseveres juggling her job and the single mothering of two young children, the voices of these warriors reinforce the book’s over-arching theme of resilience and courage.
Thankfully the U.S. military’s battlefield support has vastly improved since prior wars. However, the signature wound of 21st century warfare—Traumatic Brain Injury, as well as PTSD—may lie beyond the current reach of standard medical procedures, and is more evidenced by the postwar stories of the soldiers themselves. In this book we get a thorough look at the travails of our veterans who may currently be undiagnosed and without help, but whom we are all committed to support.
Celia Straus is author of the national bestseller, Prayers On My Pillow, and an award-winning film writer/producer who has been writing about the war-related experiences of service members and their families since 2003. The Armed Forces Foundation is a non-profit organization dedicated to serving the men and women of America’s military.
All royalties from this work will go directly to the front line of support for wounded warriors with PTSD and TBI, and their families .
Table of Contents
Foreword
World War II
Introduction
1. DEPLOYED, DECORATED AND LIVING IN A The Story of Marine Corps Sergeant Christopher Horman
2. DECIDING WHO IS SANE ENOUGH TO The Ethics of Military Medicine in a Time of War by Alice Psirakis, LCSW
3. LANDMINE BLAST TO A The Story of Army SPC Walter Blackston
4. AMERICA KEEPS ITS The Truth About Military Care of Warriors with Traumatic Brain Injury by Colonel Christopher S. Williams
5. BRINGING THE WAR The Story of Army Chief Warrant Officer Richard Gutteridge
6. HEALING THE HUMAN SPIRIT, HOUR BY HOUR by Barbara V. Romberg, PhD
7. DEEPER THAN The Story of US Marine Corps Captain Tyler Boudreau
8. THE VA’S SUICIDE PREVENTION Saving the Lives of Veterans by Dr. Janet Kemp
9. A SHARPSHOOTER FIRES The Story of Army PFC Robert Kislow
10. THE EXPERT OUR PATIENTS by Kelly Petska, PhD, and Donald MacLennan, PhD
11. WAR The Story of Army Sergeant John “Medicine Bear” Radell
12. THE WEAPON OF CHOICE—PATIENCE by Dr. Charles “Chip” West
13. A WOMAN AT The Story of Army 2nd Lieutenant Sylvia Blackwood-Boutelle
14. I JUST WANT TO BE BACK IN IRAQ by Alice Psirakis, LCSW
15. AT HOME OUTSIDE THE The Story of Marine Corps Corporal William Berger
16. WINNING HIDDEN Defense Centers of Excellence for Psychological Health and Traumatic Brain Injury by Bill Yamanaka
17. A NEVERENDING The Story of Army Corporal Jonnei Campaz
18. THE REAL STORY BEHIND YOUR STORY by Dr. Rick Levy
19. AGAINST ALL The Story of Marine Corps Corporal Joshua Hoffman
20. A VETERANS’ GUIDE TO MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES IN THE VA by Ira R. Katz, MD, PhD, and Bradley Karlin, PhD
21. WHEN MOMMY COMES The Story of Army Sergeant Devore Barlowe
22. WHY ARE YOU ALWAYS ANGRY, MOMMY? Children in Wartime—How to Know When Help Is Needed by Michael Genhart
23. A GOOD The Story of Army Sergeant David Emme
24. THE MENTAL TRANSCEIVER by Norman McCormack
25. I’LL NEVER LEAVE The Story of Army National Guard Sergeant Jose Pequeno and His Mother, Nelida Bagley
26. THE FACES BEHIND THE The VA’s Polytrauma System of Care by Dr. Barbara Sigford, MD, PhD
27. PORTRAIT OF The Story of Army Sergeant Brent Bretz
28. FAMILIES OF HONOR by Dr. Mary Car-Blanchard
29. DELTA FORCE The Story of Army Special Operations Sergeant Br...
This book is crafted around soldiers’ personal descriptions of their war experiences in Iraq and Afghanistan that culminate in life-altering injuries to the brain and psyche, along with the equally dramatic story of their recoveries. An irony of America’s 21st century wars has been that while our combat medical and medevac capabilities have grown enormously (from a rough average of 4:1 wounded to dead in WWII to 8:1 today), the nature of many of our soldiers’ wounds has undergone a subtle change. Men and women who survive the thick of combat, including repeated concussion blasts, increasingly present a difficult-to-detect kind of injury, no less debilitating then wounds from bullets or shrapnel.
Hidden Battles on Unseen Fronts documents the ever-increasing cases of physical or mental brain trauma among our vets that has risen as a direct result of more soldiers surviving their flesh wounds on the battlefield. The chapters are crafted from interviews with troops and their family members, and bridged with essays by internationally known mental health professionals, veterans’ advocates, and members of the Veterans Administration and Department of Defense, all of whom are working in the front lines of what is quickly developing into a national crisis of unfathomable cost in both lives and money.
From combat Army soldiers and Marines, even amputees, who eventually discover that their greatest disability is in their head, to support personnel such as Devore Barlowe, who returns from Iraq having witnessed atrocities that leave her with severe PTSD, but perseveres juggling her job and the single mothering of two young children, the voices of these warriors reinforce the book’s over-arching theme of resilience and courage.
Thankfully the U.S. military’s battlefield support has vastly improved since prior wars. However, the signature wound of 21st century warfare—Traumatic Brain Injury, as well as PTSD—may lie beyond the current reach of standard medical procedures, and is more evidenced by the postwar stories of the soldiers themselves. In this book we get a thorough look at the travails of our veterans who may currently be undiagnosed and without help, but whom we are all committed to support.
Celia Straus is author of the national bestseller, Prayers On My Pillow, and an award-winning film writer/producer who has been writing about the war-related experiences of service members and their families since 2003. The Armed Forces Foundation is a non-profit organization dedicated to serving the men and women of America’s military.
All royalties from this work will go directly to the front line of support for wounded warriors with PTSD and TBI, and their families .
Table of Contents
Foreword
World War II
Introduction
1. DEPLOYED, DECORATED AND LIVING IN A The Story of Marine Corps Sergeant Christopher Horman
2. DECIDING WHO IS SANE ENOUGH TO The Ethics of Military Medicine in a Time of War by Alice Psirakis, LCSW
3. LANDMINE BLAST TO A The Story of Army SPC Walter Blackston
4. AMERICA KEEPS ITS The Truth About Military Care of Warriors with Traumatic Brain Injury by Colonel Christopher S. Williams
5. BRINGING THE WAR The Story of Army Chief Warrant Officer Richard Gutteridge
6. HEALING THE HUMAN SPIRIT, HOUR BY HOUR by Barbara V. Romberg, PhD
7. DEEPER THAN The Story of US Marine Corps Captain Tyler Boudreau
8. THE VA’S SUICIDE PREVENTION Saving the Lives of Veterans by Dr. Janet Kemp
9. A SHARPSHOOTER FIRES The Story of Army PFC Robert Kislow
10. THE EXPERT OUR PATIENTS by Kelly Petska, PhD, and Donald MacLennan, PhD
11. WAR The Story of Army Sergeant John “Medicine Bear” Radell
12. THE WEAPON OF CHOICE—PATIENCE by Dr. Charles “Chip” West
13. A WOMAN AT The Story of Army 2nd Lieutenant Sylvia Blackwood-Boutelle
14. I JUST WANT TO BE BACK IN IRAQ by Alice Psirakis, LCSW
15. AT HOME OUTSIDE THE The Story of Marine Corps Corporal William Berger
16. WINNING HIDDEN Defense Centers of Excellence for Psychological Health and Traumatic Brain Injury by Bill Yamanaka
17. A NEVERENDING The Story of Army Corporal Jonnei Campaz
18. THE REAL STORY BEHIND YOUR STORY by Dr. Rick Levy
19. AGAINST ALL The Story of Marine Corps Corporal Joshua Hoffman
20. A VETERANS’ GUIDE TO MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES IN THE VA by Ira R. Katz, MD, PhD, and Bradley Karlin, PhD
21. WHEN MOMMY COMES The Story of Army Sergeant Devore Barlowe
22. WHY ARE YOU ALWAYS ANGRY, MOMMY? Children in Wartime—How to Know When Help Is Needed by Michael Genhart
23. A GOOD The Story of Army Sergeant David Emme
24. THE MENTAL TRANSCEIVER by Norman McCormack
25. I’LL NEVER LEAVE The Story of Army National Guard Sergeant Jose Pequeno and His Mother, Nelida Bagley
26. THE FACES BEHIND THE The VA’s Polytrauma System of Care by Dr. Barbara Sigford, MD, PhD
27. PORTRAIT OF The Story of Army Sergeant Brent Bretz
28. FAMILIES OF HONOR by Dr. Mary Car-Blanchard
29. DELTA FORCE The Story of Army Special Operations Sergeant Br...
- GenresWarMilitary Fiction
320 pages, Hardcover
First published March 5, 2008
9 people are currently reading
37 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
May 16, 2018
I found the soldiers' stories fascinating and inspirational, though occasionally gruesome and depressing at the same time. The therapists' chapters were a bit uneven; some told a good story, but others were so anonymized and incomplete that it's hard to learn anything from it. A few chapters weren't stories at all, but essays about the organizational structure at the VA. Overall, though, I found it a worthwhile read, and I think it'll help me to understand the political and bureaucratic challenges soldiers face when reintegrating into society.
October 19, 2021
This book is my life. But more than a book, this is a miracle bound together in book form. It helped me understand what was wrong with me when I was coming to terms with my health issues. If you know somebody suffering, you need to give them this. Seriously, it could save their lives. I was close to ending it, to giving up because I felt like I was out of hope and out of answers. With this novel, I found enough peace of mind to talk to my doctors in a more informed manner and get more than the platitudes that the Veterans Administration hospitals are known for. Every so often, I re-read this just to remember and be grateful. It's a powerful collection to my library.
September 21, 2009
The war doesn't end hen soldiers arrive home. There is so much readjusting for these men and women and their families. The authors show the effects of traumatic brain injuries and PTSD from both the medical perspective and as it plays out in daily life. After reading this, it is hard to believe that these injuries have been overlooked for so long. You will have a much greater respect and understanding for those who serve (and those who love them) from this book.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews