Navigating the Minefields of the Heart
Posted on Tuesday, March 19, 2013 by LibraryAdministration
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 . . . more »
In The Long Walk, Brian Castner writes about his three Middle East deployments while in the Air Force, during which he became commander of an explosive ordnance disposal unit. He and his squad endured the extreme tension and danger of bomb removal in an active combat zone. Castner now lives near Buffalo with his wife and four sons, but the memories of war still linger. . . . 
“Soldier’s heart”, “shell shock”, “battle fatigue”, the “thousand-yard stare”. The difficult adjustment to civilian life required by soldiers returning from deployment is not a new phenomenon. However, several factors distinguish today’s veterans from their predecessors. Our world has changed, the threats of the 21st century are different, and today’s battles require new ways of fighting. The conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan have been characterized by . . . 
After the Civil War, men returning from combat suffered from “Soldier’s Heart.” In World War I, some experienced “Shell Shock” and in World War II it was labeled “Battle Fatigue.” During Vietnam, it was the “thousand-yard stare”. Since Vietnam, veterans have been diagnosed with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) or Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI). Every war is different, but all leave indelible psychological, emotional and . . .