Navigating the Minefields of the Heart

While there are many books written about war, and even the veteran’s homecoming, not as many examine the experience of loved ones on the home front, the people who stay up late worrying about a soldier’s survival and well-being.

In Minefields of the Heart, Sue Diaz recounts this experience vividly, beginning with her son’s life-altering decision to enlist in the Army and endure two deployments in Iraq, through his efforts to assimilate upon returning home.

In talking about her memoir, Diaz asks if you’ve ever been surprised by life, and if someone you love has ever made a choice with which you did not agree. Most, if not all of us, can’t say we’ve escaped such an experience, but not as many of us must grapple with the reality of a loved one making a life choice so fraught with danger. With his enlistment, Diaz’s son Roman embarked on a path very different from the one she had envisioned for him. And while she breathed a sigh of relief when he returned home from his first deployment relatively unscathed, she could not have imagined the horrific reality that he later withstood during his horrific second tour in Iraq’s Triangle of Death.

Seeing your child go off to war is difficult for any parent, whether or not they believe that the war is necessary or justified, and Diaz admits that she was not above trying to bargain with her son to change his mind when he announced his decision to enlist. Ultimately though, she realized that she had to listen—REALLY listen—to his reasoning, accept his choice, and respect the path he’d chosen.

I wonder if, given the same circumstances, I’d be able to show such grace under pressure, and I can’t help but admire Sue Diaz's strength throughout her son’s ordeal.

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How would you respond to a son's or daughter's decision to join the armed forces in a time of war?

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