Fields of Combat: Understanding PTSD Among Veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan

With 120,000 soldiers diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder since the beginning of the Iraq war in 2003, the tales of our returning troops demand the nation%E2%80%99s attention, argues Finley, a medical anthropologist with the Department of Veterans%E2%80%99 Affairs in Texas. Not surprisingly, the symptoms of PTSD have changed little since the Civil War%E2%80%94restlessness, nightmares, aggression, hyper-vigilance. Yet the diagnosis was officially recognized as a disability only 30 years ago. Treatment, while it has evolved, remains mired in conflict over best practices and mistrust between vets and civilian clinicians. Though Finley relies on 20 months%E2%80%99 worth of fieldwork, it%E2%80%99s the experiences of four soldiers that stand out in heartbreaking relief: O%E2%80%99Neil, whose wife was shocked to discover he carried grenades in his pocket while serving as a medic; Marine Tony Sandoval, who can barely complete a full sentence about the horrors he saw; soldier Jesse Caldera, who is haunted by fears he killed a child; and Derek Johnson, who lost a leg but, unlike many veterans, was able to reconnect with his wife. Finley declares there is great hope for the soldiers struggling to build a life worth living. (May)