HIDDEN BATTLES ON UNSEEN FRONTS: Stories of American Soldiers with Traumatic Brain Injury and PTSD [Hardcover]

Patricia Driscoll (Author), Celia Straus (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 7, 2009

When the war comes home . . .

This book is crafted around soldiers' personal descriptions of their war experiences in Iraq and Afghanistan that culminate in life-altering injuries to the brain and psyche, along with the equally dramatic story of their recoveries. An irony of America's 21st century wars has been that while our combat medical and medevac capabilities have grown enormously (from a rough average of 4:1 wounded to dead in WWII to 8:1 today), the nature of many of our soldiers' wounds has undergone a subtle change. Men and women who survive the thick of combat, including repeated concussion blasts, increasingly present a difficult-to-detect kind of injury, no less debilitating then wounds from bullets or shrapnel.

Hidden Battles on Unseen Fronts documents the ever-increasing cases of physical or mental brain trauma among our vets that has risen as a direct result of more soldiers surviving their flesh wounds on the battlefield. The chapters are crafted from interviews with troops and their family members, and bridged with essays by internationally known mental health professionals, veterans' advocates, and members of the Veterans Administration and Department of Defense, all of whom are working in the front lines of what is quickly developing into a national crisis of unfathomable cost in both lives and money.

From combat Army soldiers and Marines, even amputees, who eventually discover that their greatest disability is in their head, to support personnel such as Devore Barlowe, who returns from Iraq having witnessed atrocities that leave her with severe PTSD, but perseveres juggling her job and the single mothering of two young children, the voices of these warriors reinforce the book's over-arching theme of resilience and courage.

Thankfully the U.S. military's battlefield support has vastly improved since prior wars. However, the signature wound of 21st century warfare-Traumatic Brain Injury, as well as PTSD-may lie beyond the current reach of standard medical procedures, and is more evidenced by the postwar stories of the soldiers themselves. In this book we get a thorough look at the travails of our veterans who may currently be undiagnosed and without help, but whom we are all committed to support.

Celia Straus is author of the national bestseller, Prayers On My Pillow, and an award-winning film writer/producer who has been writing about the war-related experiences of service members and their families since 2003. The Armed Forces Foundation is a non-profit organization dedicated to serving the men and women of America's military.

All royalties from this work will go directly to the front line of support for wounded warriors with PTSD and TBI, and their families .

REVIEWS

" ...a thorough resource guide...an invaluable volume for vets and their families, and yet another important cry for the proper treatment of the nation's defenders on the field and at home."Publisher's Weekly, 03/2009

",,,heartrending accounts of wounded Soldiers and Marines make it a most worthwhile read." Proceedings, 04/2009

"These inspirational stories demonstrate the successful use of resources by motivated families and individuals. However, they also highlight the difficulties that soldiers and their families face in gaining access to resources against seemingly insurmountable odds, and the economic hardships that characterize life with TBI and PTSD. . . . Recommended."-CHOICE, 12/2009

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In 2003, author and film producer Straus (Prayers on My Pillow) began interviewing troops in Iraq and Afghanistan for the non-profit Armed Forces Foundation; as they returned home, she found their psychological wounds going unaddressed by the Departments of Defense (DoD) and Veterans Affairs (DVA). In 42 harrowing, inspiring stories, Straus crafts a multi-faceted view of the neglect and bureaucratic nonsense faced by returning warriors and their families. Though neurologist Col. Christopher Williams denies that the DoD or DVA are "falling short" in caring for vets with "invisible wounds" like traumatic brain injury (TBI) and post-traumatic stress disorders (PTSD), the stories of servicemen like Marine Corp Sergeant Christopher Horman speak for themselves: discharged with noted injuries, including PTSD, he secured treatment (with help from the AFF) only after he had lost his job, was forced to send away one of his sons, pawn his and his wife's wedding rings and move the family into a motel. With a thorough resource guide and input from caregivers and family members, often dealing with their own psychological hurdles, this is an invaluable volume for vets and their families, and another important cry for the proper treatment of the nation's defenders on the field and at home.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Review

...a thorough resource guide...an invaluable volume for vets and their families, and yet another important cry for the proper treatment of the nation s defenders on the field and at home. --Publisher s Weekly

,,,heartrending accounts of wounded Soldiers and Marines make it a most worthwhile read. --Proceedings

These inspirational stories demonstrate the successful use of resources by motivated families and individuals. However, they also highlight the difficulties that soldiers and their families face in gaining access to resources against seemingly insurmountable odds, and the economic hardships that characterize life with TBI and PTSD. . . . Recommended. --Choice

Product Details

• Hardcover: 320 pages
• Publisher: Casemate Pub (April 7, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1935149016
• ISBN-13: 978-1935149019
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 5.9 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,015,796 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Powerful true stories of our nation's most recent walking wounded and the valiant efforts of those who try to help them., April 23, 2009

By 

Cynthia Danute Cekauskas, LCSW "Lithuanian Am... (Savannah, Georgia) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: HIDDEN BATTLES ON UNSEEN FRONTS: Stories of American Soldiers with Traumatic Brain Injury and PTSD (Hardcover)

This is a most important book, timely and accurate yet full of sincere concern and compassion for those numerous servicemembers who have returned from Iraq and Afghanistan suffering from Posttraumatic Stress Disorder and Traumatic Brain Injury. As in the quote from Tracy Williams of the NEW ORLEANS PICAYUNE used in the Introduction "Every war has its signature wound. In World War I it was poison gas-damaged lungs. In World War II it was retaliation that caused cancer. In Vietnam it was Agent Orange that caused neurological damage and skin disorders, and for the Iraq and Afghanistan conflicts it is TBI." Chapter by chapter this book describes the struggles of many servicemembers and their families who having endured the horrors of war now having to face the challenges of readjustment to civilian life. A Navy Hospital Corpsman veteran myself I did not, however, serve during a wartime period. Now, however, reading the stories of what our newest warriors have to endure can only give one a source of renewed commitment to trying to be supportive today. It is shocking that so many servicemembers still have to endure the insensivity of a sensation driven media who on the one hand insists it supports our military but on the other, takes every opportunity it can to bash efforts taken for the military to "take care of their own."

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Inspirational understanding, July 26, 2009

By 

David Emme - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: HIDDEN BATTLES ON UNSEEN FRONTS: Stories of American Soldiers with Traumatic Brain Injury and PTSD (Hardcover)

This book gives inspiration and incite into those whom have Traumatic Brain Injury and PTSD problems.

First, let me say, everyone who deals with vets of OIF/OEF in the VA system and TBI patients should own a copy of this book. There is not much out there excet for the very technical books.

Some of this comes from a soldir's point of view and experiances as well as spouses and doctors/psychiatrists dealing with this issue.

This also should find its way into your library if you work at any of numerous military hospitals or command troops in the warzone, have troops in your unit from the warzone. This book will help you see some of the problems and your soldiers/marines might not even be aware of having some of the symptons of TBI or PTSD.

Also, this book should be owned by those who have been disgnosed with TBI.

The reasons why is because it shows you are not alone in your struggles and can see that those with serious TBI problems can live a normal life with some help. We are not so defective that we cannot have a normal life in the military and other civilian jobs.

In a sense, this book also helps dispell some of the myths of a TBI patient.

I say all this because I wrote the chapter on myself(23) and hope to inspire other TBI patients to realize our life does not have to be an abnormal life and unable to function in society or job vocations.

It takes work and sometimes can be hard, yet we determine the level of quality of life that we decide. TBI affects some people in many different ways. No TBI patient's experiance will ever be the same of another.

So I reccomemd this book to many who deal with TBI patients, TBI patients and anyone who commands troops.

5.0 out of 5 stars Brings attention to the real problem facing our recent war veterans, January 17, 2011

By 

Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Hidden Battles on Unseen Fronts: Stories of American Soldiers with Traumatic Brain Injury and PTSD (Paperback)

The worst of the war for many soldiers does not come on the battle field, but at home. "Hidden Battles on Unseen Fronts: Stories of American Soldiers with Traumatic Brain Injury and PTSD" is an examination of what many soldiers face in today's life of a veteran where the damage isn't immediately obvious by looking at straight physical health. Drawing from the reflections of soldiers as well as much psychological and medical insight, "Hidden Battles on Unseen Fronts" brings attention to the real problem facing our recent war veterans.