Several depictions of PTSD. ( )

I do not know what to say after listening to the stories of these soldiers and their families.

I know what PTSD. I made myself sick with the thought of doing something last week. I do get it. BUT, it's not the daily fear of every day you could die.

I understand pain. My onslaught of book-reading is part of my pain-management therapy. Keep my mind from the pain.

These soldiers have come home with injuries that cause constant pain. Pain management therapies without narcotics are a must.

I hope that our vets and their families are getting the services they need. ( )

"Thank You for Your Service" has to be one of the important military books you'll ever come across. It's not about military battles on the front line, rather it talks about the after effects of war on the soldiers who were there. Medical improvements on the battlefield have saved the lives of many soldiers wounded in combat. However, the less obvious injuries, traumatic brain injuries (TBI) and post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) may not be receiving adequate attention.

Suicide rates among military members exceeded the rate of combat deaths in 2013, and that rate continued in 2013. One soldier takes his own life at a rate of one every 17 or 18 hours. The stresses of combat, and the brain injuries sustained by explosive devices, have led to countless of our returning servicement and servicewomen coming home to lead tortured lives. And that's the story of David Finkel's book.

Finkel follows a number of soldiers lives after they have returned from the war in Iraq. The stories he tells, that of family break-ups, nightmares, destroyed family lives, and even suicides, is heartbreaking. We send these young men and women to war, and our lives back home are hardly impacted. Yet what the military members sacrifice is extrordinary. Finkel's book truly brings that message home to the reader. He tells some of their stories, and of their wives, friends and family, and describes some of the damage which has been done to them collectively. It's far from an easy read, but it's something we all need to be aware of.

And if you haven't already seen this, you should know that this book is highly acclaimed by the publishing industry, including being one of Publishers Weekly’s Best Nonfiction Books of 2013; one of The Washington Post’s Top 10 Books of the Year; a New York Times Notable Book of 2013; an NPR Best Book of 2013, and a Kirkus Reviews Best Nonfiction Book of 2013. ( )

Finkel, a journalist, follows the soldiers who serve in the Iraq War as they struggle to reintegrate into American society.

I read this book because I had been so very impressed by the "powerful narrative" of the author's previous book, The Good Soldiers, which covered American combat troops in the Middle East conflicts. This book follows combat troops home to the United States, now broken men, and the families in America dealing with them and with those who did not make it home. Frankly, this book should have been part of the first. The two narratives are inexplicably linked. Perhaps, readers could not have handled that much raw emotion in such a large dose. Neither book is something a reader can take in large gulps. Combined, they are devastating. Ironically, I finished this book on the day of the second important Fort Hood shooting. No matter what you may read or hear in the media about that recent event, you will not truly understand the dynamics until you have read this book -- or lived it for yourself. ( )