A professional's book that is accessible for non-professionals

When I got a copy of this book I anticipated that it would be a very scholarly treatment of the subject matter. While clinical issues are definitely addressed, this book reads as a much more personal account of what the author has learned from his 20+ year career of working with veterans suffering from combat-related stress disorders. I was struck by the author's deep respect for the veterans and their recollection of wartime experiences. I also found the way he presented the long-term effects of life or death decisions that his patients' had made during combat especially interesting. It gave new meaning to the old clichý "Damned if you do and damned if you don't." With the Iraq war churning out more vets who will face PTSD problems, the timeliness of this book is obvious. I just hope the family members and friends of vets who need insight into what their loved ones have suffered will look past the clinical title of this book and get a copy. It's very accessible and informative.

Rating:


War and Redemption

War and Redemption
By Dr. Larry Dewey

It has been my great pleasure to sit and discuss post traumatic stress disorder for several hours with Larry Dewey. I want to assure those interested in this subject that Dr. Dewey is not one of those "Ronald McDonald" quick fix phony psychologists that we see making the rounds of morning talk shows hawking their latest book. Dr. Dewy is a real psychiatrist who has spent over 20 years practicing psychiatry at the V.A. Hospital in Boise, Idaho. In his practice he has facilitated support groups for veterans from every conflict from WWII to date and restored peace to their lives.
From the comments of the hundreds of patients he cared for Larry Dewey, and many of his patients, concluded that those who have successfully dealt with their PTSD symptoms shared many things in common. In War and Redemption he tells the stories of these vets and how they learned to successfully cope with their experiences.
Dr. Dewey describes the darkest part of the treatment in a chapter called "The Burden of Breaking the Geneva Convention of the Soul". In that part of the treatment, many veterans will say, in some form or another that "we are all murderers". Furthermore, they were unable to control the circumstances as they were swept into swirling currents of war. Any considerate, rational person must confront the fact that "but for the grace of God, go I".
This book is written for PTSD patients and their family members. As you read you realize you are not in this alone and there are ways to escape from your devils and nightmares.

Bill Speer
Roland's Captain
Pg 155


Rating:


If you know a combat veteran, please buy this book

I bought Dr. Dewey's book because I know him and I wanted to contribute to his royalties. I started to read it because I was stuck at a car wash having my car detailed. I finished it because I could not put it down.

I have never understood how or why combat veterans survive psychologically. Becoming a psychotic or severely addicted veteran has always seemed to me a rational, reasonable response to having to be the sanctioned murderer war demands. War and Redemption explains it all. It is written conversationally, there are gentle notes to the combat veteran which chapters to skip: the chapters that vividly explain combat. The steps to self-forgiveness are clearly outlined; as is the importance of listening, allowing a veteran to talk through combat experiences.

For me war has never been romantic. I read One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich (sic) when I was 13. I was never so cold in my life. I never look at fish eyes without thinking about this book. I read the Rise and Fall of the Third Reich while in high school. I tried to read Bruce Catton's Civil War trilogy but I could never get past the initial description of the battlefield carnage. Then I saw Dr. Strangelove and some obscure movie about World War II that included the news clip of the American deserter being executed in the snow. After reading The Naked Ape, I knew about the propaganda required to lead a nation to war. Then came the 6 o'clock news footage of the Viet Nam war. War was Hell.

In 1969, I met and worked with a Viet Nam veteran. Over drinks I listened to his story of a child throwing a hang grenade to his friend, who caught it and was blown to pieces.
"What did you do," I asked.
"I blew the kid away," he answered. "It was an automatic response. I never even thought about it before I did it."
In silence we drank a lot more.

This is a book for family, friends, and healthcare workers to read so that we can understand. It is a book for combat veterans to read so they know they are not alone and peace is possible.


Rating: