Wounded Warriors and the Healing Power of Stories: How Veterans’ Narratives Can Help Us Understand and Address the Public Health Impacts of War

Abstract

The aftermath of war affects the health of individuals who served, their families and the communities in which they live and work. Since September 2001, roughly two million troops have deployed in support of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Of these, about 1.2 million have separated from active-duty military service (Bilmes 2007). For many of these men and women, the transition from active-duty military to post-deployment civilian life is complicated by long separations from family and friends, interruptions to employment and education, physical injuries, and the ‘invisible wounds of war’ such as traumatic brain injury and post-traumatic stress. For some, serving in combat can exact the highest price of all; current figures in the U.S. estimate that war veterans are at least 2 times more likely to commit suicide compared with non-veterans (Mills et al. 2011). Meeting the needs of returning combat veterans and promoting their physical, psychological and emotional health will be one of the greatest public health challenges of the next 50 years.

Despite widespread support for deployed troops, there remain formidable challenges to successful reintegration of returning veterans into family and community. With less than one percent of the U.S. population currently serving in the military, many civilians lack a basic understanding of military culture and values. This contributes to a disconnect between veterans and the very people who most want to help them—family and friends,  healthcare providers, employers, educators and community organizations—leaving many veterans feeling isolated and alienated at a time when they are most in need of connection to others.