Book Description
The bravery displayed by our soldiers at war is commonly recognized. However, often forgotten is the courage required by veterans when they return home and suddenly face reintegration into their families, workplaces, and communities. Authored by three mental health professionals with many years of experience counseling veterans, Courage After Fire provides strategies and techniques for this challenging journey home.
Courage After Fire offers soldiers and their families a comprehensive guide to dealing with the all-too-common repercussions of combat duty, including posttraumatic stress symptoms, anxiety, depression, and substance abuse. It details state-of-the-art treatments for these difficulties and outlines specific ways to improve couple and family relationships. Courage After Fire also offers tips on areas such as rejoining the workforce and reconnecting with children.
Customer Reviews:
2 tours and it nearly killed me.......2007-10-04
It wasn't the war, it was when I returned home and could not function. I applaud this book for it's intent and gratitude that it gives to our young warriors. It is one of the few written for "our" generation. Thank you
-Timothy Kendrick author-PTSD: Pathways Through the Secret Door
Great Book.......2007-09-01
I was skeptical when purchasing this book, but the topics are discussed in such a way that you do not feel like you're reading "self-help". The focus is not on PTSD (although that is one of the topics covered), but more on a healthy transition from a chaotic environment. I would recommend this to any serviceman, spouse, parent, or close friend.
Compelling and pragmatic.......2007-05-13
As a disability service provider, I found this book particularly helpful. It is practical and to the point. Veterans can find tips on everything from how to sleep better to how to relax and cope with stressors. The triggers of anxiety are explained well, as are the ways veterans typically handle their pain. At the end of each chapter are helpful tips for family members. After I read it, I ordered ten copies of this book to give away to student veterans and their families.
Courage After Fire.......2007-04-02
Books such as these are essential for the friends and family of returning Veterans of Foreign Wars, as well as for those who have experienced war firsthand.
Very Accurate and Helpful to returning troops & families.......2007-01-06
This is a must read for all service members exposed to combat and or traumatic situations. It will help individuals and families adjust to civilian life again. It should be required reading by the Department of Defense. Great Job
Book Description
In 1969 six psychiatrists were assigned to combat divisions in Vietnam, charged with treating soldiers showing psychiatric symptoms in order to get them back into battle. Doug Bey, whose radio call name in the 1st Infantry Division was Wizard 6, was one of those psychiatrists.
Drawing on graphic detail gleaned from a journal Bey transcribed when he got back stateside, this psychiatric specialist describes the daily life of a military support unit, the boredom and mind-numbing routine, but also the social issues and psychiatric crises he confronted. In Vietnam he treated people with a range of coping mechanisms, including counter phobic reactions, self-medication with drugs and alcohol, and "gross stress reaction," as well as the gamut of psychiatric illnesses.
Each month Bey and his staff saw some four hundred men, including characters like the Vietnam equivalent of Klinger from M*A*S*H, a killer dentist, soldiers addicted to killing, and others who did not want to go home. He witnessed firsthand black pride, Vietnamese prejudice, racial conflict, and the Viet Cong's fear of mental illness.
Customer Reviews:
Wizard 6--Compelling Read.......2006-07-18
This book provides a unique account of the Viet Nam war seen through the eyes of psychiatrist. Doug Bey's account of treatment in the battlefields and the sidelines was compelling; I read it cover to cover and ignored all other demands until done.
I was captured by this journey of war that unfolds in stories both large and small with the insightful commentary that comes from the original experiences, tempered by long years in the field of psychiatry.
While this memoir is rooted in the Viet Nam experience it has implications for the current men and women in the armed forces and should be required reading for those involved in the treatment of mental illness and the trauma of war.
However, the heart of the story remains one man's voice telling us the stories of war with all it's characters, events, and personal change. It's a gem of a book.
'Nam from a psychiatrist's perspective.......2006-07-04
War memoirs rarely show up on my reading list. Therefore, my enthusiasm about this book is not based on widely comparative reading in this area, but rather on the merits of this book itself. I really enjoyed reading this book, viewing familiar material from a completely different perspective than I would ever have had from my own experience, and it is a darn good read as well. Bey was a young psychiatrist in his early 30s when his induction notice arrived. His time of military service included a tour of duty in Vietnam at the height of the war, 1969-1970, reflections on which form the heart of this book. Bey was one of a small group of psychiatrists assigned to combat divisions (Wizard 6 was his radio handle). Each of these divisions had one psychiatrist, one social work officer, and several social work and psychology techs. These teams of mental health specialists found themselves in the strange position of helping others adjust to an environment that was itself plainly bizarre. Bey relates these initial impressions in a masterful chapter, "Stepping Through the Looking Glass," drawing the comparison to the Lewis Carroll classic. As just one example among many of the young doctor learning the rules by which this strange world was governed, Bey relates a time early in his tour in which he was requested by a military court to evaluate a prisoner charged with criminal offenses. Bey dutifully wrote a lengthy evaluation, stating in as many ways as he knew how that this prisoner suffered from a personality disorder, not a mental illness, and was therefore likely to repeatedly criminally offend. Surprised that the court let the man off, Bey found out that the court had not read his evaluation at all, but surmised from the heft of it that this man had genuine psychiatric problems. However, they were so miffed at having to let this criminal offender off the hook that they really threw the book at the poor guy following in the docket!
There are many very interesting features of this memoir. Bey deals very forthrightly with issues of racial, class and cultural differences in relation both to military justice and to psychiatric and mental health issues. He approaches these issues with a clear, personal point of view, but is refreshingly aware of the strengths and limitations of his own perspectives. He also recognized the peculiar position he and his fellow medics were in as relatively high-ranking officers who had no long-range military career goals. Their indifference to military protocol was sometimes comical, sometimes rebellious, sometimes useful in getting things accomplished outside of channels, but it was also always a position of privilege.
One of the things that surprised me in this memoir was the almost complete absence of any discussion of politics. Although Bey does suggest that he was politically very conservative (just to the right of Genghis Khan, he says...) and generally supported the war effort (albeit, with grave doubts about the way the war was being conducted) candid discussion of war politics simply does not come up, either in the direct talk among the officers or in Bey's own interpretive narrative. The nearest to it is one episode in which, at the behest of a black fellow officer with whom he was very close, Bey attended a meeting of black enlisted men and relates the speeches presented there, which focused on their anger and resentment at fighting for the freedom of Vietnamese while having freedoms denied to them in the USA. This episode is related, however, not in the context of discussion of the war itself, but of racial tensions within the military. The main sense one gets here is that, aside from brief episodes of extreme action, the war was experienced by the soldiers themselves as grindingly boring. I suppose this strikes me so strongly exactly because, as I remember those years, heated discussions about the war seemingly consumed us stateside, and this brings home again the chasm of difference in perspective between those who actively participated in the war and those, like me, who did not.
A Review of Wizard 6.......2006-06-29
"Velcome Captain. You are the new Vizard-Ya?" "Ya. I mean, yes sir." "Vell, I must tell you dat I don't know if I believe in psychiatry." "That's okay, sir; I'm not sure I belive in colonels." This interchange took place in 1969 when Doug Bey M.D. aarrived at the base camp of the 1st Infantry Division (The Big Red One) in Di An, Vietnam, to begin a one year tour of duty. His reponses to the U.S. Army Lieutenant Colonel with the German accent are vintage Doug Bey. They show his quick wit and his way with words, his irreverence and his college-wrestler toughness.
I write with familiarity because Doug and I took psychiatric residences togther at the Menninger School of Psychiatry in Topeka, Kansas. We were goth in the Berry Plan, in which the Army allowed us to complete our training but then expected us to go on active duty for two years. Doug and I both ended up in Vietnam. I was hospital based at the 67th Evaucation Hospital in Qui Nhon.
Being assigned to a division meant that Doug had a Jeep and the freedom of movement to get a good pulse of the whole unit. His radio call sign was Wizard 6. He and his talented techs took care of all kinds of emotional problems but found the so-called combat fatigue of previous wars less prevalent in Vietnam. Instead were acting up personality disorders, racial issues, communications problems between officers and the often quite young soldiers, alcohol and drug problems, and anti-establishment attitudes reflective of the anti-warm movement in the U.S.
In Topeka Doug had studied the psychology of organizations under Dr. Harry Levinson. Doug applied the techniques of organizational case study to the 1st Infantry Division. His goal was to find stress points, such as abusive officers or nonsensical regulartions, and to try to deal with such problems before they became major. This emphasis prevades the book and provids exceptional insights of a unit at war.
Doug also writes of his own coping devices in an unpopular war far from home. He tried to forget about home, immersed himself in his work, developed relationships with his colleagues, observed and kept notes, isolated negative feelings and stayed away from war politics.He also admits that he overused alcohol to self-medicate. He reports one frightening experience when he was to intoxicated at the time of a Red Alert that he mistook a friend for the enemy and pointed and pulled the trigger on his .45. What saved a tragedy was that he forgot to remove the safety. Throughout the book he is unsparing in presenting his own failings, which makes his story ring true.
He writes of how his Vietnam experiences affect him even to this day. He has a lifetime of things to ponder, such as the obviously battle-hardened infantryman who barged into Doug's office and announced that he wanted the doctor to know that he was gay and who then ran off; or the grieving crowd around a Vietnamese boy who lay next to his mangled bicycle, the victim of a US military truck that didn't stop.
Doug also compares and contrasts Vietnam with Iraq. His disquieting conclusion is that the two conflicts are becoming more and more similar.
This book has value not only for the people with military interests but also for mental health workers. The descriptions of the smells and noises of the country and of the people and their sad plight rang so true to me. I found myself nodding my head in agreement as I read. Doug really got it the way it was. My biggest disappointment is that I didn't write this book. But I'm glad somebody did.
Ed Colbach M.D.
A Must-Read for Boomers.......2006-06-26
We all know, or knew, someone in Nam. An easily readable, enlightening chronicle of the time with touches of humor. I highly recommend this book.
Wizard 6 - Loved it!!.......2006-06-19
Great narration of life in a support unit in Vietnam, the problems faced when returning home and the lasting effect on the lives of those who served. Very much enjoyed and appreciated.
Book Description
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in our returning combat troops is one of the most catastrophic issues confronting our nation. Yet, despite the fact that nearly 20 percent of the over half million troops that have left the military since 2003 have been diagnosed with PTSD, and that many who suffer symptoms are unlikely to seek help because of the stigma of this terrible disease, our government and media have remained silent.
Moving A Nation to Care: Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and America's Returning Troops is a grassroots call to action designed to break the shameful silence and put the issue of PTSD in our returning troops front and center before the American public. In addition to presenting interviews with Iraq and Afghanistan veterans suffering with PTSD, such as Blake Miller, the famous "Marlboro Man," this book will be the most comprehensive resource to date for concerned citizens who want to understand the complex political, social, and health-related issues of PTSD, with an eye toward "moving our nation to care" to do what is necessary to help our fighting men and women who suffer from PTSD.
Ilona Meagher is editor of the online journal
PTSD Combat: Winning the War Within and author of the PTSD Timeline, a comprehensive database of PTSD incidents. She has appeared on Fox News and numerous other media outlets.
Robert Roerich, MD, is one of the world experts in trauma therapy and PTSD and a board member of the National Gulf War Resource Center.
Customer Reviews:
An illuminating resource on PTSD.......2007-07-16
Those of us who diagnose PTSD are faced with daunting challenges in its treatment of many facets: therapy, support groups, community based resources, and medication management. Post Traumatic Stress becomes a disorder when that person is no longer able to function adequately. Friendships drift apart, marriages dissolve and increasing stress can overwhelm anyone whether it is the result of rape, natural or manmade disaster, or the horror of war. Knowing what PTSD is is half the battle in getting treatment.
Mental health professionals may hear from patients, "You weren't in combat; how would you know what PTSD is like?" Ilona Meagher has written an illuminating resource, gleaned from many hours of research and interviews with our military and veterans to bring Moving a Nation to Care: Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and America's Returning Troops to our attention. You will discover through the words of our warriors what PTSD is.
A 19th century poem by Will Allen Dromgoole called the "The Bridge Builder" describes an older man who had a journey to make on foot, through a river over a deep canyon. After crossing it, he stayed and built a bridge across the stream.
"Old man," said a fellow pilgrim, near,
"You are wasting strength with building here;
Your journey will end with the ending day;
You never again must pass this way;
You have crossed the chasm, deep and wide-
Why build you a bridge at the eventide?"
The builder lifted his old gray head:
"Good friend, in the path I have come," he said,
"There followeth after me today,
A youth, whose feet must pass this way.
This chasm, that has been naught to me,
To that fair-haired youth may a pitfall be.
He, too, must cross in the twilight dim;
Good friend, I am building the bridge for him."
Let us build it through knowledge and support.
What do the soldiers & their families think about Moving a Nation to Care?.......2007-07-08
Soldiers and their families love Moving a Nation to Care. They look at this easy to read, easy to understand book as a WORKBOOK, a RESOURSE GUIDE, and, in some cases, a MIRROR to their own on-going experiences.
In early May of this year I gave two copies of Ilona Meagher's book to the top Sergeants of two locally-based military units which had recently returned from Iraq. I hoped that they would read the book, but knew they might not. Each of them read it. Their wives read it. It took them weeks to get through it. The material was helpful, the resources excellent, and the information relevent to their own problems and the problems the members of their unit were having. One wife was afaid that her marraige was skidding out of control. The book opened the door to conversations with her husband she never believed possible.
When I talked with one of those Sergeants and offered to get more copies for his unit if he wanted them, he lept at the chance. Through our local Elks Lodge we are furnishing 20 copies of the book to his unit.
Is this book any good? Ask a soldier who has read it. "Yep. It sure is."
Must read for all high school seniors!.......2007-05-21
This book should be read by all, especially, high school seniors who are being hounded by the recruitment "bullying" staff of the military.
If these young adults knew what was in the future for them if they joined the military, they would think twice. They would learn [...] the wars of today and what effects they have on the human psyche. Instead of just being exposed to the "glorified" commercials to join the military, this book should be required reading in all high schools.
Our kids deserve to have all the facts before they make one of the biggest decisions of their lives, and reading "Moving a Nation to Care" would be a great start.
Must Have Referance.......2007-05-21
Much has been learned about PTSD but there is much more that should be understood, especially as to Combat PTSD, for anyone who experiances a traumatic event can develope the lasting effects.
Many of us 'Nam Vets and those from that time have been helping our brothers who suffer from and trying to get more of the populations involved, for PTSD knows no borders.
Ilona has written a must have referance book for this generations Military personal, with fighting going in two theaters and multiple tours, and for the Public as well.
War brings on extreme trauma, not only for Military Personal but the Innocents as well. It changes ones being and inner soul, completely reversing what was taught from young age, It Changes Ones Being and Mind!
This generation must come together in better understanding to hopefully save the next generations!
Customer Reviews:
Recovering from the War: A Woman's Guide to Helping Your Vie.......2004-07-02
I highly recommend this book to ANY combat veteran's wife and family. It should be required reading for any wife of a combat veteran even if her husband has not been diagnosed with PTSD.
I have been with my wife for ten years. Last year she took our children and left me becuase she thought that she was going to lose her mind. She always thought that if she could do better then I would be OK. It didn't work and I blamed her for everything.
When she left, I promised her that I would get counseling. I did and was diagnosed with PTSD. I've had it for twenty years and never knew. After three months, she returned home and began to study this book. She totally understands now and we are healing together. We are both amazed at how accurately this book portrays our own life.
She is now my BEST FRIEND and only support system (nobody else understands). We finally have a real relationship.
My wife gets frustrated when she re-calls all of the people who told her to leave me. If it wasn't for this book she may have. Thanks Ms. Mason for opening your life to help others. You have blessed another family.
This book is the best!.......2002-07-23
This book was so helpful to me... I keep buying it and giving it away! It is the best book I have read on coping with PTSD, and I have read them all. It tells you what to expect and why. Who to contact in the VA for help. What forms will need to be filled out and how to deal with all the government agencies. Also lists several self-help groups. Everything from A to Z. It will give you a whole new understanding of your father, brother, husband, or significant other.
I'm not alone!.......2002-03-06
This book is an excellent counseling tool for the spouses of combat veterans who live with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. I have given this book the many spouses. Many say that the greatest thing the book does for them is help to show that they are not alone in their experience with the veteran PTSD sufferer. Patience Mason gives the spouse an understanding of what is going on that leads to a sense of comfort and the courage to continue the battle. The battle, is to find a way to stay with their vet and at the same time preserve their own sanity. This is the best book out there for contents and ease of reading!
A book that really helps.......2002-03-06
Patience has been able to visualize and understand the realities of what has happened to the Vets who served in Vietnam, either directly or indirectly. She will cause you to remember those things which were long forgotten, or filed away deep in your mind. I want to read this book again and again, to help bring my life back out of the dark. THANK YOU Patience
Encouragement for every day.......2001-02-02
This book has been one of the most treasured, comforting and hope-giving literary works for me and many other women and families. Whenever I have mentioned this book to women who have been struggling with dealing with a loved one suffering with PTSD, they have described it as 'a manual' It is so filled with pratical information and real life experiences, that you feel compelled to read and reread every word. I checked it out at the public library and didn't want to return it, because I wanted to always have it on hand. But alas, I am aware that it would benefit so many others if I returned it. I have borrowed it again and again. I have been unable to find it,available in a bookstore, because the title has been changed and I was not aware of that. I am so very happy to find it available again, and the price is so reasonable, that I know I will be able to tell others and they too will want to purchase. Actually, I was given the job of tracking this book down, so that it might be purchased by the women in my spousal support group, and also by the facilitator. They will all be happy that I was successful in locating this book. Already I have three people committed to purchasing it. Thank you Patience Mason, for having the insight to write this book and to share it with all of us. I have also read Chickenhawk by Patience Masons' husband. It was a very powerful book also, but more difficult to read, for me. The events were so vivid, and the emotions so filled with pain , it helped to understand better the conflicts experienced and also the repercussions to the continuing lives of the Vet and their families.
Book Description
This book describes the history of the human stress reaction and the biological reactions that relate to war. It includes the author?s personal involvement with war, veterans and PTSD (PostTraumatic Stress Disorder). The book was written for victims of PTSD, their families, and friends of such victims. PTSD can strike victims of traumas other than war, such as, rape, child molestation and abuse, earthquakes, accidents, and crime. Research has shown, people reaching retirement age can develop PTSD years after experiencing the trauma that caused it. The book could be very helpful to such people. It covers the political and cultural aspects of the Vietnam War and Vietnam veterans who are just now developing PTSD.
Book Description
War is hell, and the return to civilian life afterwards can be a minefield as well, especially for veterans of a "bad war." Soldiers coming home from Vietnam faced unique challenges as veterans of a controversial war whose divisiveness permeated every step of the re-entry and readjustment process. In his balanced and highly readable account, Vietnam Veterans since the War, sociologist Wilbur J. Scott tells the story of how the veterans and their allies organized to articulate their concerns and to win concessions from a reluctant Congress, federal agencies, and courts.
Scott draws on published records, hours of personal interviews with veterans, and his experience as an infantry platoon leader in Vietnam to explore the major social movements among his fellow veterans in the crucial years from 1967 to 1990, including the antiwar movement, the successful effort to win recognition of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) by the American Psychiatric Association, the establishment of veterans' outreach centers, the controversy over the defoliant Agent Orange and its long-term effects, and the struggle to create the National Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C. His new afterword brings the story up to date and demonstrates that while the United States' involvement in Vietnam continues to be controversial, many of the tensions engendered by the war have been overcome.
Product Description
A heart-to-heart commentary on spirituality after war from a Vietnam Veteran's wife and Community Pastor. To share hope with families, friends, and care-givers who witness daily the challenges facing a combat veteran whose wounds of war extend far deeper than what meets the eye.
Customer Reviews:
The endless Tour.......2006-08-26
I had no idea of the scope of problems that the men in my age group that went to Viet Nam have experienced. It wasn't until I met one of them personally that I began to investigate. PTSD is truly a physical and emotional disorder and this book shows how it has affected many men my age and explains a lot of the problems that we have seen and experienced. Any woman or child involved with a Viet Nam vet should definitely read, explains a lot of things.
More about Amy Snow than PTSD.......2005-05-07
As a combat wounded, PTSD disabled Vietnam Vet I would like to point out some misinformation within the book. The war ended in 1975. After 1973 there were very few combat troops left in country. The US started pulling troops in July, 1969. Aproximately 3 million men and women served in Vietnam. During the same time frame over 9 million men and women served in the military. The majority of men and women who served in Vietnam volunteered for that specific duty. The Vietnam Veterans Memorial is inscribed with the names of over 58,000 who died while serving in Vietnam. About 48,000 were combat fatalities, and the other 10,000 were deaths caused by accidents, suicides, and illness.
Mrs. Snow is accurate in her difinitions, symtoms and problems encountered by someone who has PTSD. Mrs. Snow paints a rather desolate picture of what help is available. The VA has several in-patient PTSD treatment programs, plus mental health programs, and Vet Centers, all of whom assist the Vet and his family in learning how to live with PTSD. The therapists I have worked with are well aware the lack of spirituality found within veterans. Granted, one may not find the right therapist the first time, but I think these programs should have been mentioned in the book as resources.
I will give the Snows credit for doing something right and staying married, but I believe the book is more about Mrs. Snow's ability to persevere.
Living with a Vietnam Vet. with PTSD.......2002-10-11
How is one to understand the erratic behavior, the sudden overwhelming anxiety and unprovoked angry outbursts, and the general difficulty of living with someone suffering from PTSD? Amy L. Snow, an ordained minister with degrees in nursing, psychology, and religious leadership, ought to know, for she married Dwight, who is 100% totally disabled with PTSD. Amy is a kind and compassionate person who can be gentle when appropriate and firm when necessary. Her secret weapon is love, but not love alone, for her love is combined with understanding and an ability to protect her own integrity. She is also an astute observer of human behavior. She tells her story of what it is to live with Dwight and how she tries to understand and help him. In the process she has acquired a great deal of knowledge about the nature of PTSD, and she has gained wisdom about how to live with someone suffering from it without being overwhelmed herself. Dwight has had five wives before Amy. He and Amy have now lived together for 20 years and they are raising a family together, so it is apparent that she is doing something right, and what she is doing right is well communicated in the book. I enthusiastically recommend this book not only to those who wish to be helpful to loved ones with PTSD, but also to professionals, who will find they have much to learn about the nature of PTSD from someone who has been living day in and day out for many years with someone suffering from it...
Book Description
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. In addition to killing the enemy on the field of battle, he was witness to countless cruelties including murder both cold-blooded and casual, cowardice under fire, and a callous disregard for life beyond most people's imagination. With each new insult, he lost a little bit of his soul, clinging to his Bible as his only solace while equally certain of his own imminent demise. Upon returning to civilian life after a two year enlistment, he found himself with nightmares during sleep, intrusive thoughts while awake, a hypervigilant stance combined with an exaggerated startle reaction, and a seeming inability to control basic emotions like anger and sadness.
The price he paid for what would only be diagnosed decades later as Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder was broken marriages and relationships, inability to hold down jobs leading to bankruptcy, alcohol abuse, and having to hide the service he willingly gave to his own country.
In 1989, David eventually recovered through a simple but powerful technique known as
Traumatic Incident Reduction (TIR) and is now symptom-free. Not just for veterans, TIR has since been successfully applied to crime and motor vehicle accident victims, domestic violence survivors, and even children. His story shows what is possible for anyone who has suffered traumatic stress and that hope, healing, and recovery can be theirs too.
""His autobiographical work is a must read for veterans who remain stuck between two worlds. Healing is not forgetting; healing is making sense of the past in order to live life in the present with a restored hope for the future. Powell articulates this process very well and has given a tremendous gift to the combat veteran community of any generation."
- Father Philip G. Salois, M.S., National Chaplain, Vietnam Veterans of America
"The connection of David's problems in his current life and his Viet Nam experiences is one of the clearest descriptions of how trauma affects our lives I have ever read. My Tour in Hell is a tribute to David's unwillingness to give up on himself in the face of great unhappiness."
-Laura W. Groshong, LICSW (Seattle, WA)
"Years in combat zones, group psychotherapy with combat vets diagnosed with PTSD and TIR training qualifies me to recommend this book. My Tour in Hell attests to David's journey from the boundary of a Marine grunt's PTSD despair to the horizon of integration, risk, and new meaning. Those in the helping professions will learn how the negative emotional 'charge' of trauma can be partially or totally eliminated through the adept facilitation of Traumatic Incident Reduction."
-Sister Kateri Koverman, LISW, ICDC
"Powell presents a brutally honest and riveting account of one man's descent into the dehumanizing realities of war. However, the journey is worth it to relive his dramatic ascension and redemption from the abyss through the life changing, powerful, and therapeutic techniques of Traumatic Incident Reduction."
- Rev. James W. Clifton, LCSW, PhD
Customer Reviews:
So Sad, yet So Hopeful!.......2007-07-06
David Powell's book "My Tour In Hell" broke my heart. This well written account of a, may I say, sensitive young man having to find a way to deal with being thrown into a hell-ish situation. The amazing thing is that it did not break him. May this book, and David's story, be a testament for veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, as well as any other traumatic stituation, that it is worth it to travel the path towards healing.
Quynn Elizabeth, author of "Accepting the Ashes- A Daughter's Look at Post Traumatic Stress Disorder"
Still suffering emotional fallout from the past? Read this book........2006-12-20
Echoing Mr. Vaknin's five stars, I would also assert that the images of war and PTSD, while poignant and moving, are secondary in this volume to the "way out." Far more than a mere glimpse of hope, Powell's overriding point seems to be that Traumatic Incident Reduction, in fact, does "take the war out of the soldier." That's life-saving information for those who continue to suffer the past (i.e. most of us!), military and civilian "warriors" alike.
A Vietnam Veteran's Battle with PTSD - A Success Story!.......2006-12-14
Author David W. Powell was a U.S. Marine enlisted man who saw his share of combat in Vietnam around the same time period that I did in late 1966 - 67. He writes a moving chronicle of his experiences there and his subsequent return back to civilian life in his book "My Tour In Hell - A Marine's Battle with Combat Trauma."
The story of his life is at times, hard hitting, sad, remorseful, angry and lonely. But always hidden in the fabric of his tale, you will find hope. He may have been traumatized by battles and war and much worse - but he continues to move forward looking for his life's purpose. He doesn't give up when others may have thrown in the towel. His story is about a man who had his compassion and faith almost destroyed by events beyond his control. His reactions lead to self-destructive behaviors as he tried to self-medicate his feelings, fears and depression with booze and activity.
There is an inner spiritual hunger that Powell had, and still has, that keeps him pushing onward with his life in spite of how he was feeling, or being treated by the world around him. You can feel his heart reaching out to be "hugged" and appreciated. He seems to find rejection, lack of compassion in others and very little understanding of what he went through and was feeling. That is why his struggles for loving acceptance and for inner peace strike the reader so powerfully.
I could feel his pain and know how he felt with the homecoming reception he got when he returned. I think almost every Vietnam veteran can identify with the massive social rejection we received. That was the worse part for us young men coming home. I think we could have lived without parades but most of us did not even get loving hugs from our own families. No one wanted to listen to our stories about what happened to us. And no one ever asked how we really felt emotionally. I think Powell's book speaks not only for his own personal life experiences, but they also speak out for a generation of warriors like him. His voice needs to be heard and responded to before we lose another generation of veterans coming home from wars in the Middle East.
This book should be required reading by all those who were around in the 1960's and 1970's that they may fully understand the sacrifices that these American heroes gave so bravely of themselves. Those peace marching heroes of the "hippie generation" will never be able to walk in their shadow. These men were America's best! So on behalf of all veterans, I say to the author and the others who served, "Welcome Home!"
This book is highly recommended for those who are personally dealing with any combat trauma (PTSD) and for their families and friends so they can achieve some level of real understanding and compassion for what it means. This book is well written. The author writes in a style that makes it both easy to read and understand. He tells his story in a brutally honest manner - even when it does not shine a good light on his own actions or thoughts. His book will change lives and will bring some veterans in for help.
This book is highly recommended and is given The Military Writer's Society of America's Highest Book Rating of FIVE STARS!
This book also receives my personal endorsement. Buy it. Read it. Then share it with those who need assistance in finding their way home!
A gripping, powerful, and intensely personal true story........2006-11-06
My Tour In Hell: A Marine's Battle with Combat Trauma is the memoir of David W. Powell, a devout Christian who answered his draft notice to serve with the Marines during the Vietnam War. The horrors he experienced - cruelties, cold-blooded killing, and cowardice under fire among his allies, left a seemingly indelible imprint upon his life. Post-traumatic stress syndrome plagued him, contributing to broken relationships, alcohol abuse, fear of his own emotions and reactions, and a desperate effort to hide the service he willingly gave his country. In 1989, with aid from a technique known as Traumatic Incident Reduction, he was able to reclaim his life; My Tour In Hell spares no detail in recounting the horrors of war and the devastation left in its wake. A gripping, powerful, and intensely personal true story.
Riveting, Compelling, Poignant.......2006-08-27
David Powell recounts in "My Tour in Hell" his thirteen month assignment in Viet Nam from 1966 - 1967 and the impact it had on his life over the next twenty years. Broken marriages, inability to hold jobs, and alcohol abuse became a way of life for David.
Memories like these embedded deep in Powell's consciousness screamed for release in ensuing years: "It was grimmer than anything I had ever seen... blood weeping from my comrades' wounds, moaning and crying...my adrenalin flooded my veins and arteries....the smell of gun smoke was stifling. The sound of guns firing was deafening."
"Bullets continued to fire overhead. All I could do was lie as flat on the ground as possible and pray that I would not get hit again. I was scared out of my mind and disgusted that for the second time in three months, I had been abandoned under fire."
Years after his two year enlistment David, was still guardedly watching his back, distrustful, angry, afraid of making friends, and experiencing regular nightmares.
Desperate to find a solution, David joined a veteran's sponsored support group. A year of participation with this group failed to meet his need. However, a fellow member of the group later introduced him to a Traumatic Incident Reduction (TRI) counselor. These sessions were extremely successful and soon returned David to self acceptance and relief from the night mares and guilt of his Viet Nam experience.
The book is masterfully articulated and offers hope to a generation of battle scarred veterans. This book should be in the hands of every Veteran's Administration Counselor, Chaplain, and politician.
I salute you, David W. Powell, as a fellow veteran, a Patriot, and for your heroism in finding personal victory.
Book Description
Tormented by PTSD? is a book about hope and freedom for every soldier and veteran dealing with post-war trauma, or anyone suffering from PTSD. A landmine explosion changed Michael PetersenÂ's life forever. He thought it was overÂ…but God changed all that. This is the story of his strong desire and determination to live, the challenges of his adjustment to severe disabilities, the young lady in his life that encouraged him and the miraculous working power of GodÂ's Word that healed and freed him. The physical challenges were difficult but nothing like the memories of war that came back to haunt him. The book contrasts the developmental years of Vietnam veterans with those of todayÂ's soldiers and the torment that follows combat soldiers returning home. Michael Petersen shares how he overcame the emotional torment of his memories of war and how that freedom can be achieved by anyone.
Average customer rating:
- remarkable
- IMAGES FROM HELL
- As much a story told in verse as it is a work of poetry
- As much a story told in verse as it is a work of poetry
- Frank Riker's journey into hell
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Images From Hell
F. L. Riker
Manufacturer: AuthorHouse
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
 20th Century
| Poetry
| United States
| World Literature
| Literature & Fiction
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Poetry
| United States
| World Literature
| Literature & Fiction
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Poetry
| Literature & Fiction
| Subjects
| Books
United States
| Single Authors
| Poetry
| Literature & Fiction
| Subjects
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ASIN: 1420842854 |
Book Description
THE END Still the deep depression, thoughts of my own death Still the sleepless nights, no comfort in my bed Still the feeling I don't belong, after all these years of help Still the lifelong battle, the fight that takes my breath Still pushing people away, the friends I'll never have That Vietnam is always there, at night I go to hell I thought I'd reached a compromise, but all to no avail It's still within me, all the demons; death is at the ready for that one last rusty nail Post traumatic stress they call it, in me, a life long threat I feel I'm going backwards, the anger comes in waves Sleepless nights, the taunting dreams, still the feeling of insane A never ending battle, thoughts of suicide now a game So many years of fighting this, I fear I've lost my will Death itself means nothing, the demons in me still The marriage I'm in, the love I feel, doesn't dismiss my sins Depression getting the better of me, the devil always wins This poem is at the end to show there's no respite It's always there, this life long battle, in me and by myself Nothing more to write now, all is said and done I love my wife, she's all I have, but those fires of hell have surely won
Customer Reviews:
remarkable.......2006-09-03
This is a very heart-wrenching book, and will really open your mind to the pain and suffering felt by so many veterans. Even now, our sevicemen are returning from war, never to be the same again, to understand what they are going through read " IMAGES FROM HELL".
IMAGES FROM HELL.......2006-07-29
This book of poetry is really an eye opener of a vietnam combat veteran suffering from P.T.S.D. The poems are extremely vivid and allows people to see what a lot of war veterans are facing.
A very poignant story of the authors life after vietnam. Anyone who knows any war veteran needs this book. It will help all to understand what a lot of returning war veterans are going through.
As much a story told in verse as it is a work of poetry.......2006-02-12
Written by a Vietnam veteran who has coped with post-traumatic stress disorder for years, Images from Hell is as much a story told in verse as it is a work of poetry. The stark, brief lines tell of his suffering, forced into the crucible war as a naive young man, and the long, dark journey afterwards toward hope, love and redemption. A severe and intensely personal narrative, weighted heavily with nightmare experiences, yet ultimately transformative and life- affirming. "Duration": In these closed dark spaces of my mind / I feel the deepening horror, / Digging blood dripping pitchforks / Torture me throughout my whole, / Empty blackened walls they now surround me / Reaching hopelessly for a single blood soaked door, // In this dreadful while of time / I'll now spend with the devil in my soul / Never ending hell is all that's left for me / Nothing left of the world I knew / From now I'll never see.
As much a story told in verse as it is a work of poetry.......2006-02-12
Written by a Vietnam veteran who has coped with post-traumatic stress disorder for years, Images from Hell is as much a story told in verse as it is a work of poetry. The stark, brief lines tell of his suffering, forced into the crucible war as a naive young man, and the long, dark journey afterwards toward hope, love and redemption. A severe and intensely personal narrative, weighted heavily with nightmare experiences, yet ultimately transformative and life- affirming. "Duration": In these closed dark spaces of my mind / I feel the deepening horror, / Digging blood dripping pitchforks / Torture me throughout my whole, / Empty blackened walls they now surround me / Reaching hopelessly for a single blood soaked door, // In this dreadful while of time / I'll now spend with the devil in my soul / Never ending hell is all that's left for me / Nothing left of the world I knew / From now I'll never see.
Frank Riker's journey into hell.......2005-07-03
Those who have never been in combat can only imagine the horror of it. But the imagination can just take us so far. What this book by Frank Riker does is take us into the soul of a soldier who has been through the hell that we call war. All the negative emotions of confusion, loneliness, guilt, and fear, that a man facing death and dealing out death in the killing fields of Vietnam, are brought to life in this book. Gut-wrenching emotions that are coupled with the physical pain of being wounded in battle tear at both his soul and body.
"Images From Hell" is written by a man who has indeed been in hell. And as we have read elsewhere, those who have seen and experienced hell cannot easily shake it. It remains with them. Frank's journey is not over, but his P.T.S.D has been ameliorated by another emotion that can conquer all others -- the love that he found in a woman.
Frank Riker's journey into hell and back is told here with the honesty of a saint.
This book should be read by anyone who wants to understand what war can do to the soul of a man.
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