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A unique analysis of the moral weight of warfare today through the lenses of philosophy and psychology.
Philosopher, ethicist, and psychoanalyst Nancy Sherman explores the psychological and moral burdens borne by soldiers. By illuminating the extent to which wars are fought internally as well as externally, this book expands the national discussion about war and the men and women who fight our nation’s battles. With close-up looks at servicemen and —women preparing for, experiencing, and returning home from war, Sherman probes the psyche of today’s soldiers—examining how they learn to kill and to leave the killing behind. Bringing to light the moral quandaries soldiers face—torture, the thin line between fighters and civilians, and the anguish of killing even in a just war—Sherman bares the souls of our soldiers and the emotional landscape of soldiering. At the heart of the book are interviews with soldiers, from the current wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, but also from Vietnam and World Wars I and II.
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Philosopher and psychoanalyst Sherman brings both perspectives when listening to soldiers sort out their feelings about war, the killing, reintegration into society, and survivor guilt. Sherman focuses on interviews with 40 soldiers—from the Vietnam era through the current wars in Iraq and Afghanistan—at various points in their military careers and expands her examination to the impact of war on the families of soldiers. Referring to philosophers from Aristotle to Seneca to Epictetus, she explores the moral dilemma of justifying killing in war, struggles with the morality of some wars, the political obfuscation for war, denigration of the enemy, torture of prisoners, the morality of interrogators, and the worries of being held prisoner. On a broader level, Sherman explores the practical need to compartmentalize military and civilian life but the moral need not to compartmentalize so much that humanity is lost. Sherman, who has worked with the military on trauma and ethics issues, offers penetrating portraits of the individual struggles of soldiers and profound insights on aspects of war that civilians rarely consider. --Vanessa Bush
Review
“Nancy Sherman, a professor of philosophy at Georgetown University who has written a book about the moral implications of war on troops, The Untold War, said dehumanizing the enemy can be a psychological defense mechanism for the troops whose job is to kill that enemy. 'Desecrating bodies is not routine, nor is it expected or condoned,' Ms. Sherman said. 'But you can understand it, in complicated ways. Because war requires a very complicated moral psyche.” (James Dao - New York Times )
“Starred Review. At a time when suicide rates among veterans is increasing sharply, this empathic examination of ‘the moral weight that soldiers carry on their shoulders’ is essential reading.” (Publishers Weekly )
Nancy Sherman, a distinguished University Professor of Philosophy at Georgetown, writes on ethics and military ethics. She served as the first Distinguished Chair in Ethics at the U.S. Naval Academy and has been a fellow at the Woodrow Wilson International Center. In her new book The Untold War, she argues that the wounds of war are not simply physical or even psychological injuries, but also moral injuries. The book draws on her training as both a philosopher and psychoanalyst, and is based on interviews with some 40 soldiers, most from the current wars. The Untold War was selected as a recommended "pick" by TIME Magazine and as an "Editors' Choice" by the New York Times. Sherman is also the author of Stoic Warriors: The Ancient Philosophy Behind the Military Mind as well as Making a Necessity of Virtue and The Fabric of Character.
Sherman's work on military ethics has been featured in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Time Magazine, Newsweek, The Boston Globe, The San Diego Tribune, The Atlanta Journal Constitution, The Baltimore Sun, The Hartford Courant as well as in many other metropolitan and regional newspapers. She has appeared on CNN, MSNBC, PBS, WB11, FOX news and Bob Abernathy's Religion and Ethics Newsweekly. She has been a featured guest on over 50 radio stations nationwide, including NPR's "Diane Rehm Show," "This American Life," and the "Kojo Nnamdi Show." She has also been featured on radio stations abroad, including the Australian Broadcasting Company. Sherman lectures widely at universities, institutes, and war colleges here and abroad. She lives in the Washington D.C. area with her husband, Marshall Presser. They have two grown children.
I met Nancy Sherman at the Malogne House, a former VIP hotel converted to soldiers' quarters for returning OEF/OIF veterans. I agreed to the interviews because of her obvious dedication to getting the story of the Untold War from the soldier's perspective. Despite how hard it may have been to talk about, Dr. Sherman's warmth and genuineness came through during every session. This book tells many stories far more deserving and intense than my own, both accurately and well. Her style takes you back in time to Homer, the Stoics, and incorporates ancient and more recent psychology on war and warriors - the warrior code, the effects of war on the hardened Ranger infantry officer and the young twenty year old sniper. As a reservist there is another dimension. You have a full time commitment mentally and spiritually, but must balance this against the normal rigors of life... until you get the phone call that changes everything. Nancy Sherman understands the dynamic of the dedicated reservist as well as the fully devoted and hardened life-long career soldier. This book should be required reading for anyone sending America's best into harm's way, and just as importantly, welcoming them home again.
MAJ(R) Anthony F. DeStefano US ARMY Signal Corps OEF/OIF 2001-2003
No one says it better than those who have been there, and the reality is that there is a gap between behavioral health providers' experience, both uniformed and civilian, and the opportunities to truly walk in the shoes of our soldiers. Bridging this gap is the book "The Untold War," which is a dramatic culmination of stories from soldiers struggling and forging resolutions for events previously thought to be unspeakable. Dr. Sherman's book is a powerful guide both for clinicians who have never been there, and for those in uniform still trying to find a way to dig themselves out from the seemingly bottomless pit of guilt and demoralization. Abbey-Robin Durkin, Ph.D., Military Psychologist, former US Army Officer.
We often hear about the physical effects of war on soldiers but rarely do we as a society examine the ethical and moral dimensions of soldiering. The Untold War offers valuable insight into these less tangible struggles and wounds of soldiers. It is an invaluable read and will make you think about war and the individual soldier in a differnt light.
