Military Mental Health

Suicide rates among Army soldiers increased 80 percent between 2004 and 2008, according to a recent report published in Injury Prevention. In the last several years, the number of soldiers returning from the Middle East with mental and physical wounds has continued to climb. According to Dr. Simon Rego, a supervising psychologist at Montefiore Medical Center, "Unlike any other time in history, U.S. military suicide rates now appear to have surpassed those among comparable civilian populations. It is therefore critical that we address this emerging public-health problem."

David W. Powell enlisted for a tour of duty in April 1966 with the US Marines after receiving an imminent draft notice. Believing he would be able to leverage his existing skills as a computer programmer, he never thought all they would see on his resume was his Karate expertise. Even less that he would wind up serving as a Rocket man in the jungles of Da Nang and Chu Lai for a 13 month tour in hell. David's journey from naive civilian to battle-hardened combat veteran shows us all how fragile our humanity really is.

"The book that America needs right now." --Tom Brokaw, journalist and author of The Greatest Generation "Jake Wood offers one of the most soaring definitions of service I've ever seen." --Maria Shriver, award-winning journalist and author of I've Been Thinking From Marine sniper Jake Wood, a...

The system built you for war. Nobody built you for this. You did everything right. You served. You sacrificed. You came home. And now you are sitting in a VA waiting room with a number, filling out the same form for the fourth time, being told that the approved treatment is available in seventeen days — while the thing you came in for does not pause for the appointment. Mind of a Soldier is not a self-help book. It is not a memoir. It is a field manual — written by a retired Special Operations EOD Sergeant Major who was the first Black Tier One EOD operator in U.S. history a — for the...

The groundbreaking work on trauma that remains a “classic for our generation” (Bessel van der Kolk, MD, author of The Body Keeps the Score) Trauma and Recovery is the foundational text on understanding trauma survivors. By placing individual experience in a political frame, psychiatrist...

This 1,000-entry A-Z by the author of Air Crashes and Miracle Landings explains the “nuts-and-bolts” of aviation. The entries are written simply and effectively with narratives that keep the readers intrigued and well informed even about topics loosely related to aviation such as the madman theory in international relations. Entries of special interest have been placed under the letter E as “EXCEPTIONAL ENTRIES” so the reader can pick them out. These include: FAMOUS FEATS OF AIRMANSHIP ~ Captain Moody, BA Flight BA9, June 24, 1982* ~ Captain Pearson, Air Canada AC 143, July 23, 1983...

"The trilogy is trying to tell something about the parts of war that don't get into the official accounts" –Pat Barker The first book of the Regeneration Trilogy and a Booker Prize nominee In 1917 Siegfried Sasson, noted poet and decorated war hero, publicly refused to continue serving as a...

What Color Is Your Parachute? meets Out of Office in this inspiring, practical playbook to achieve sustainable work-life balance while optimizing your happiness, personal growth, and bank accounts. Pouring yourself into a single full-time job is the riskiest move you can make. Your parents’...

Rich, Bret, Ken, and Josh have dedicated their lives to ensuring that people can grow in the aftermath of trauma, and live great lives — filled with Posttraumatic Growth. This remarkable book harnesses the power of all their experience, and the incredible true stories of combat veterans and military and veteran family members who have transformed loss into gain and pain into purpose.

From New York Times bestselling author and former Navy SEAL Brandon Webb comes a simple yet powerful five-step guide to transforming your life by making your fears work for you instead of against you. Brandon Webb has run life-threatening missions in the world's worst trouble spots, whether that...

A DVF Book Club Pick! True love never fades—and old secrets never die… Nora hasn’t looked back. Not since she fled Texas to start a new life. Away from her father’s volatile temper and the ever-watchful gaze of her claustrophobically conservative small town, Nora has freed herself. She...

"I don't think I've ever read a book that paints such a complex and accurate landscape of what it is like to live with the legacy of trauma as this book does, while offering a comprehensive approach to healing." --from the foreword by Bessel van der Kolk A pioneering researcher gives us a new...

You Just Survive is a combat veteran memoir that pulls no punches. These modern war stories from Iraq and Afghanistan sit beside plain spoken accounts of PTSD and trauma recovery, raw combat moments and the quiet battles that follow when the uniform comes off. This is not a sanitized war book. It is a combat veteran memoir told hour by hour, from turret scans in Ramadi and Marjah to patrols that ended with IEDs, mortars, and decisions you carry forever. If you search for modern war stories from Iraq and Afghanistan, you will find the real, unfiltered scenes that define this book. The book ...

The Roots of Military Science: Understanding the Intersection of Conflict, Mental Health and Wellness is about the psychology of conflict, the scars conflict leaves behind, and the generational healing that must follow. It is a plea for empathy, a call to learn from the past, and an optimistic blueprint for a future where the pen is mightier than the sword.

Are demons real? Do ghosts exist? Do some unresolved medical and mental health issues have a spiritual connection? In When Demons Surface, former senior military chaplain Steve Dabbs answers those questions and more. Exploring more than fifty true stories of supernatural encounters from pastoral and personal experiences as well as historical research, this book is scholarly yet simple, hair-raising and enlightening.

“Sexy and smart, with two compelling and appealing principal characters, Tight Quarters is a magnificent return to form for Ms. Albert.” —All About Romance Petty Officer Bacon, a navy SEAL and ace sharpshooter, has been on the front lines of more than his fair share of dangerous ops. Yet...

A revelatory examination of the most significant demographic shift since the baby boom—the sharp increase in the number of people who live alone—that offers surprising insights on the benefits of this epochal change. With eye-opening statistics, original data, and vivid portraits of people who go solo, Klinenberg upends the conventional wisdom to deliver the definitive take on how the rise of living alone is transforming the American experience.

From from New York Times bestselling author and retired US Army Staff Sergeant Travis Mills, here are twelve principles to heal after trauma and overcome adversity. “This book is a master class in recovery, renewal, and recalibration. Travis does not make excuses. Travis does not complain...

For the first time, Army Ranger hero Nate Self tells his story. Self recounts the Roberts Ridge Rescue mission, the ferocious battles in Afghanistan, and the lone war of attrition that Nate Self has waged against post-traumatic stress disorder. This audio will become a go-to work for understanding the long-term effects of the war on terror. Thousands of families are fighting this battle, and Nate Self opens up his whole life - tragedies, successes, failures, and a struggle with suicidal thoughts - to share the facts.

Reviewed by Doreen Chombu for Readers' Favorite U.S. Marine Vietnam Sacrifice is a memoir by Raymond Isaac Lindsey, a Vietnam veteran, of his experiences after the war, written by his wife, Crystal Mary Lindsey. At nineteen, Raymond (Ray) fought in the Vietnam War against children recruited by the Viet Cong. The experience left him with physical and mental injuries. His therapy and treatment in Japan caused more harm, and when he returned home, he experienced symptoms of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). Despite having a loving family and friends, Ray felt like he was in another world ...