Veteran Health

In Achilles in Vietnam, Dr. Jonathan Shay used the story of the Iliad as a prism through which to examine how ancient and modern wars have battered the psychology of the men who fight. Now he turns his attention to the Odyssey, the story of a soldier's homecoming, to illuminate the real problems faced by combat veterans reentering civilian society. The Odyssey, Shay argues, offers explicit portrayals of behavior common among returning soldiers in our own culture: danger-seeking, womanizing, explosive violence, drug abuse, visitation by the dead, obsession, vagrancy and homelessness.

From Marine sniper Jake Wood comes a riveting memoir of leading over 100,000 veterans to a life of renewed service, volunteering to battle, hurricanes, tornados, wildfires, pandemics, and civil wars, and inspiring onlookers as their unique military training saved lives and rebuilt our country.

Decades before the American Revolution, Benjamin Franklin lamented that English settlers were constantly fleeing over to the Indians - but Indians almost never did the same. Tribal society has been exerting an almost gravitational pull on Westerners for hundreds of years, and the reason lies deep in our evolutionary past as a communal species. The most recent example of that attraction is combat veterans who come home to find themselves missing the incredibly intimate bonds of platoon life.

Known as Monsanto's Roundup by consumers, and as glyphosate by scientists, the world's most popular weed killer is used everywhere from backyard gardens to golf courses to millions of acres of farmland. For decades it's been touted as safe enough to drink, but a growing body of evidence indicates just the opposite, with research tying the chemical to cancers and a host of other health threats. In Whitewash, veteran journalist Carey Gillam uncovers one of the most controversial stories in the history of food and agriculture, exposing new evidence of corporate influence.

Veterans of the United States armed forces are entitled to a broad range of benefits and services provided by the US Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). Dr. Paul R Lawrence, former Under Secretary for Benefits in the Department of Veterans Affairs, provides an up-to-date, comprehensive and accessible guide to all the benefits and services available to veterans of the US armed services and how to make the most of these benefits and services.

Veterans, this workbook is designed specifically for you. It’s a companion that acknowledges the burdens you’ve carried and the immense courage it takes to release them. As you delve into the potential healing power of psychedelic medicines, this guide offers structure, support, and wisdom to help you prepare for your journey and integrate the insights that follow. Through journey logs and reflective exercises, you’ll be able to capture the indescribable and weave the wisdom of your experience into your everyday life.

WW II has ended, yet the extreme woes of wounded and mentally traumatized soldiers abound throughout the world. Teramo, Italy 1945Forty-two year old Sarah Puglia had been forced to remain in England during the horrors of WW II with her British family the Bentley's; due to it being extremely unsafe for a British subject to venture back into Italy which is where she calls home with Lorenzo her Italian husband. During the six excruciatingly long years apart, Sarah's husband had been conscripted to be a foot soldier against his will to fight for the Italian Army. In the final year of the war, ...

In this strikingly original and groundbreaking audiobook, Dr. Shay examines the psychological devastation of war by comparing the soldiers of Homer’s Iliad with Vietnam veterans suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder. Although the Iliad was written 27 centuries ago, it has much to teach about combat trauma, as do the more recent, compelling voices and experiences of Vietnam vets.

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder increasingly afflicts veterans of modern warfare. The RAND Corporation has reported that it affects almost 20 percent of military service members who have returned from Iraq or Afghanistan. Tragically, PTSD impacts all aspects of life. Some vets can’t hold jobs or sustain relationships. Others have recurrent nightmares or won’t leave home. To begin healing, says Edward Tick, we must see PTSD as a disorder of identity itself. War’s violence can cause the very soul to flee and be lost for life.

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."

Brian Reese was good at masking his PTSD, bipolar disorder, depression, and anxiety. He even told himself he did not “deserve” benefits, which he later discovered was complete bullshit. As an air force officer deployed to Afghanistan, he embodied the motto of “service before self”. Unfortunately, like many veterans, his service came at his own expense, and abusing alcohol and drugs to cope with mental health issues nearly ended his life.

My Illegally Blind Journey 2.5.

Warrior brings the worlds of the warrior and those they protect together to shine light on things that many of us thought we understood: trust, stigma, firearms, the imploding mind, and connection. Dr. Shauna Springer is a nationally recognized expert on initiatives that benefit the military community. Known as "Doc Springer", she is a trusted adviser for a vast network of veterans, military families, and fellow thought leaders.

For people serving in the military and for transitioning veterans, our critical mind can be unsettling, unruly, irreverent and ridiculous all at the same time. With the tools and resources found in this book, you’ll be able to apply this personal development approach to learning how to better self-regulate your triggers in your own life and will find it useful enough to pass along to other veterans in need. It’s also for families and friends of veterans who want to better understand how to be of support.

"Fall In" has multiple meanings. In the military, it means to assemble in formation or muster to be accounted for. In this case, it also meant falling into the grips of gambling addiction. This title symbolizes the devastation this addiction can cause, but also the return to living recovery can bring.

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.

Written by 46-year fire and EMS veteran Gary Ludwig, this book provides 385 tips and tricks of the trade from veteran EMTs and paramedics who have worked the streets delivering EMS care. You'll learn tips and tricks of the trade when it comes to teaching your new EMT or paramedic, assessing patients, managing airways, starting IVs, dealing with penetrating trauma, crimes scenes, dealing with patients experiencing medical emergencies, plus much more.

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.

Some wars don't end, some scars don't heal, and some bonds can't be broken. Former US Army Ranger medic Leo Jenkins picks up where he left off with his bestselling book, Lest We Forget, to explore the tribulations associated with attempting to reintegrate back into society after years at war. In what is being considered one of the most significant introspective books on veteran transition issues ever written, Jenkins lays it all on the line one more time with On Assimilation: A Ranger's Return From War. Contains mature themes.

The hallmarks of America’s War on Terror have been repeated long deployments and a high percentage of troops returning with psychological problems. Family members of combat veterans are at a higher risk of potentially lethal domestic violence than almost any other demographic; it’s estimated that one in four children of active-duty service members has symptoms of depression; and nearly one million veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan require increased care due to physical or psychological trauma.