heatherbermingham's review against another edition
5.0
This book is, in a word, devastating. Finkel wrote about being embedded with the men of the 2-16 in his previous book, "The Good Soliders." In "Thank You for Your Service," he checks in with a few of them as they struggle to reintegrate into life at home.
The main figures in the book are Adam Schuman, a solider evacuated mid-deployment because of mental health issues that have overtaken him during his third trip to Iraq, and his wife, Saskia. Schuman struggles with many of the things that I've read about in other articles about this kind of thing: angry outbursts, paranoia, extremely high frustration, lack of motivation, nightmares, suicidal thoughts, and an overabundance of medications to help him deal with all of the above. For me, the most interesting part of the book was Saskia's story. I don't think we hear as much detail about what the wives of these soldiers experience and it's pretty harrowing at times. On one hand, she wants to do everything she can to support him as he tries to heal, on the other hand she wants him to just be better already. On one hand, she knows she needs to be extra patient and loving, on the other hand she's as angry and frustrated as he is. When he first points a shotgun at his head and threatens to pull the trigger, she almost wants him to, just so it's all over. In the next second, she's panicked and desperate to get the gun away from him. She's trying to hold him together, trying to hold their children together, trying to hold herself together, trying to make sure money is coming in, that bills are getting paid, that the house is still standing around them. And she's doing all of this while dealing with the fact that the husband who came home to her is so different from the husband she sent off to Iraq that he may as well be another person. Extremely powerful stuff.
Finkel does check in throughout the book with some other people: a solider who was shot in the head and is learning to live with new physical and mental limitations, a widow who lost her husband during the war, and a widow who lost her husband to suicide during the after-war. Alcoholism, domestic abuse, divorce, suicide, PTSD, TBI, it's all here and all pretty awful. Finkel does look at different programs and treatments and what may contribute to certain people being particularly susceptible to PTSD. He also checks in with the Pentagon and how it's struggling to make sense of what's happening post-war and how it can best support soldiers like these and their families. They don't have a lot of answers, however.
Overall, definitely a bleak but needed reminder of just what we're asking of people when we send them off to war.
The main figures in the book are Adam Schuman, a solider evacuated mid-deployment because of mental health issues that have overtaken him during his third trip to Iraq, and his wife, Saskia. Schuman struggles with many of the things that I've read about in other articles about this kind of thing: angry outbursts, paranoia, extremely high frustration, lack of motivation, nightmares, suicidal thoughts, and an overabundance of medications to help him deal with all of the above. For me, the most interesting part of the book was Saskia's story. I don't think we hear as much detail about what the wives of these soldiers experience and it's pretty harrowing at times. On one hand, she wants to do everything she can to support him as he tries to heal, on the other hand she wants him to just be better already. On one hand, she knows she needs to be extra patient and loving, on the other hand she's as angry and frustrated as he is. When he first points a shotgun at his head and threatens to pull the trigger, she almost wants him to, just so it's all over. In the next second, she's panicked and desperate to get the gun away from him. She's trying to hold him together, trying to hold their children together, trying to hold herself together, trying to make sure money is coming in, that bills are getting paid, that the house is still standing around them. And she's doing all of this while dealing with the fact that the husband who came home to her is so different from the husband she sent off to Iraq that he may as well be another person. Extremely powerful stuff.
Finkel does check in throughout the book with some other people: a solider who was shot in the head and is learning to live with new physical and mental limitations, a widow who lost her husband during the war, and a widow who lost her husband to suicide during the after-war. Alcoholism, domestic abuse, divorce, suicide, PTSD, TBI, it's all here and all pretty awful. Finkel does look at different programs and treatments and what may contribute to certain people being particularly susceptible to PTSD. He also checks in with the Pentagon and how it's struggling to make sense of what's happening post-war and how it can best support soldiers like these and their families. They don't have a lot of answers, however.
Overall, definitely a bleak but needed reminder of just what we're asking of people when we send them off to war.
dreavg's review against another edition
5.0
This is the best representation of living with PTSD I have ever read.
crocketraccoon's review against another edition
4.0
Tough read...but really good. The book is definitely better than the movie and gives a better picture of what vets are going thru trying to get services for PTSD.
lynnedf's review against another edition
3.0
This is a 3.5 star read.
Heartbreaking. The affects of PTSD are truly heartbreaking - and not only for the brace soldiers who return from War but also for their families - who without having been deployed to a war torn place, are still being forced to deal with the horrors.
This read very much like a multi- week special in a newspaper or magazine which might be the reason I haven't given it 4 stars - at times each chapter felt a little disjointed with the previous one, even though we are following the same individuals throughout.
I believe this should be required reading in civics classes - it would provide a more rounded look at what vets are dealing with, hopefully encouraging empathy and better support for our returning troops.
An important read and I'm thankful I read it.
Heartbreaking. The affects of PTSD are truly heartbreaking - and not only for the brace soldiers who return from War but also for their families - who without having been deployed to a war torn place, are still being forced to deal with the horrors.
This read very much like a multi- week special in a newspaper or magazine which might be the reason I haven't given it 4 stars - at times each chapter felt a little disjointed with the previous one, even though we are following the same individuals throughout.
I believe this should be required reading in civics classes - it would provide a more rounded look at what vets are dealing with, hopefully encouraging empathy and better support for our returning troops.
An important read and I'm thankful I read it.
caseyrose88's review against another edition
4.0
Working at a VA hospital, I am able to read about veterans and their health and mental issues from their medical charts. That is comparable to reading this book.
We can only imagine the terror and horrific things these guys went through while serving us and their country. This was a somber but somewhat hopeful read.
We can only imagine the terror and horrific things these guys went through while serving us and their country. This was a somber but somewhat hopeful read.
booksandchicks's review against another edition
3.0
Sigh. I am so grateful to all of our countries service men and women! For the freedoms they fight for. What they do for me and my family. This book addresses the aftermath of battle. What our service men and women battle at home. PTSD being a huge battle. It is quite devastating these amazing men go through so much and are so strong to then have such huge scars to battle their whole lives. This book gives a very raw glimpse into what their lives and their family life becomes once they come home. Honestly, I think it's tragic!
jenlowe's review against another edition
5.0
Having grown up with a veteran of WWII, Vietnam, & Korea, I felt grateful for the accuracy of the nearly relentless hopelessness of this book. The author does a stunning job of representing institutional complexity.
bobbo49's review against another edition
5.0
A book that should be required reading for every American - or at least every politician in DC (and the voters who put them there) responsible for the decisions to send our military into endless combat, and for the failure to provide highest level care for our veterans when they return. Finkel focuses on the post-combat lives of a few veterans of the never-ending wars in Iraq/Afghanistan, all with severe PTSD, telling their stories in both first and third person accounts, in their own voices and those of their partners at home and at war. Incredibly powerful, compassionate, disturbing, enlightening, emotionally challenging. Instead of saying "thank you for your service" and continuing your privileged life without another thought about them, these veterans remind us, how about actually providing real and concrete evidence of your appreciation and concern. Read it and weep.