bobbo49's review
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.
kobowden's review
5.0
This book is more cohesive than I could even fathom expecting and it's a masterpiece.
“‘The brave individuals who wear the cloth of this great Nation in combat deserve our deepest gratitude. It is remarkable all they have accomplished. I am incredibly proud of them and of their families. That said, they are tired. The persistent high operational tempo of this war, the terrible things some have seen or experienced in combat, have undoubtedly taken a toll on them. Many are struggling with the “invisible wounds” of this war, including traumatic brain injury, post-traumatic stress, depression and anxiety.’” (157)
“‘The brave individuals who wear the cloth of this great Nation in combat deserve our deepest gratitude. It is remarkable all they have accomplished. I am incredibly proud of them and of their families. That said, they are tired. The persistent high operational tempo of this war, the terrible things some have seen or experienced in combat, have undoubtedly taken a toll on them. Many are struggling with the “invisible wounds” of this war, including traumatic brain injury, post-traumatic stress, depression and anxiety.’” (157)
ceagled's review
4.0
I read David's book The Good Soldiers and really enjoyed it so I picked up this book. This book goes into the lives of a couple of soldiers who had traumatic experiences in Iraq after they arrive back in the US. One can see how ill prepared the armed services and members themselves were initially.
Even after the armed services instituted programs to help these soldiers you could still see the gaps. A lot of the gaps occurred, in my opinion, by human error. Whether that was being too rushed, lazy, or incompetent is not known. For instance one of the soldiers was deemed high risk and was only supposed to have one week's worth of his medications (he was prescribed around 20 different rx's in total). He was told to bring all his pills in and they would go thru them and dispose of any excess. The staff member doing the review didn't note he was high risk and didn't dispose of any of his medications. Only by happen chance when this high risk soldier bumped into a sergeant with his bag full of pills was the error noticed. The sergeant had interviewed this soldier the day prior and knew he was not supposed to have a bag full of pills. So much of this is random just like being in the wrong place at the wrong time for a lot of these soldiers when they were injured.
Then throwing into the equation the family situation, which is often not great, makes it very difficult for these soldiers to recover.
I enjoyed this book and have a much deeper appreciation of what these soldiers who were injured in battle come back to
Even after the armed services instituted programs to help these soldiers you could still see the gaps. A lot of the gaps occurred, in my opinion, by human error. Whether that was being too rushed, lazy, or incompetent is not known. For instance one of the soldiers was deemed high risk and was only supposed to have one week's worth of his medications (he was prescribed around 20 different rx's in total). He was told to bring all his pills in and they would go thru them and dispose of any excess. The staff member doing the review didn't note he was high risk and didn't dispose of any of his medications. Only by happen chance when this high risk soldier bumped into a sergeant with his bag full of pills was the error noticed. The sergeant had interviewed this soldier the day prior and knew he was not supposed to have a bag full of pills. So much of this is random just like being in the wrong place at the wrong time for a lot of these soldiers when they were injured.
Then throwing into the equation the family situation, which is often not great, makes it very difficult for these soldiers to recover.
I enjoyed this book and have a much deeper appreciation of what these soldiers who were injured in battle come back to
pkadams's review
5.0
Describes the cost of war paid by the surviving veterans, their families, and the widows. It is a well written deeply compassionate book on a sobering topic.
sbartol's review
4.0
An interesting insight into the struggles of those returning home from war and the impact that has on their families. Well written and researched.
tanyarobinson's review
2.0
I didn't like this book at all, and I would have put it down early on had I not felt somehow that this would be turning my back on the soldiers who served in Iraq and Afghanistan. Thank You For Your Service is about the after-war, the terrible time that so many of them have had dealing with PTSD, depression, suicidal thoughts, nightmares, anger, and more. It's about the people and programs that are trying to help them, despite how hopeless it sometimes seems.
Finkel's book is purposefully raw and gritty. The language is terrible, so bad that I switched from audiobook to printed format so I could more easily pass over the way the broken soldiers and their overburdened wives speak. Everything that happens is depressing, and I can only hope that most of the returning soldiers are able to recapture more meaningful lives than the handful featured in this journalistic work.
Even though I suppose Finkel did a good job capturing these soldiers' dark reality, I felt miserable the whole time I read it, and finished with less hope than I had at the beginning. I heard him out, I didn't quit halfway, I listened to the hardships of those who sacrificed for our country, but I didn't like it.
Finkel's book is purposefully raw and gritty. The language is terrible, so bad that I switched from audiobook to printed format so I could more easily pass over the way the broken soldiers and their overburdened wives speak. Everything that happens is depressing, and I can only hope that most of the returning soldiers are able to recapture more meaningful lives than the handful featured in this journalistic work.
Even though I suppose Finkel did a good job capturing these soldiers' dark reality, I felt miserable the whole time I read it, and finished with less hope than I had at the beginning. I heard him out, I didn't quit halfway, I listened to the hardships of those who sacrificed for our country, but I didn't like it.
christineyen's review
4.0
Intense. A window into the postwar struggles of soldiers and their states of mind, without an agenda or thesis beyond showing and telling.
bartendm's review
4.0
These stories bring to life the difficulties that many veterans and their families have to face. In serving their country, many have sacrificed very much. We should support veterans in their struggles with PTSD and their families with all we can give them.