Courage After Fire: Coping Strategies for Troops Returning from Iraq and Afghanistan and Their Families

Many Thanks to the authors for their service in writing this much needed and welcomed book. As a person w/family deployed to Iraq as well being an avid supporter of our Troops I learned early on that our men and women were coming home only to realize that their deployment wasn't over even though they were stateside. No one returns from war w/out side effects. Their lives are changed and they are no longer the same person they were before deployment. All their dreams and fantasy of returning home and "everything is going to be all right" is quickly shattered. I highly recommend this book to all active duty military and their families. As a society we must dissolve the fear and stigma of reaching out for support post deployment as a sign of weakness, this book is a step in the right direction. I find the family unit is the least educated in terms of compassion, understanding, and what to expect when their loved ones return...which leads to conflict, confusion, disappointment and misery. A suggestion would be for the spouses to sit and read the book together so that as pertaining issues come up in regards to their circumstances the window of opportunity for discussion and communication is opened. This book guides both the Soldier and loved ones on what to expect, feel, and resources where to get support as well as instructions on how to deal with common problems that all the Troops experience. It is easy to read and comprehend. Since discovering the book I have started including it in care packages before the re-deployment process starts. So often our Soldiers are not given the knowledge of what to expect when they return home, especially the Nat'l Guard and Reserves, and even if they are, they don't "get it" until they actually have been home for a few months...then it starts to sink in. Courage After Fire is a very useful tool in taking care of our Troops returning and their families. I can easily recommend the book to civilians that don't have deployed family in that it offers knowledge of what our Troops have given to us as a nation and what they continue to go through once home.

My husband deployed for Baghdad in '03, shortly after the war broke out. We are both active duty, but I did not deploy during that time. Not being there to experience all the same things, I never fully understood the severity of daily events over there. He came home a completely different man: not sleeping or waking up from nightmares when he did sleep, drinking & smoking more heavily, distant and just overall jumpy/more alert. He was immediately diagnosed with PTSD upon return. He gave many attempts to explain the things he was feeling and how detached he felt from the things he used to know before the war. It has been frustrating as a spouse, not knowing how to help or what to do to help him get through the things he is experiencing, even still today. He found this book in the store and brought it home, suggesting that I read it. I could not put it down...it totally hit home! It put everything that a veteran (especially a PTSD sufferer) thinks, feels, and experiences...things my husband had tried so hard to talk about, but often couldn't. It is very well written, and gives you many example scenarios of the things our deployed soldiers experienced abroad, as well as upon their return. This book also has exercises for the veterans and their loved ones to try, to help everyone get thru this, one step at a time. I fully recommend this book to anyone who has come home from Iraq, as well as their loved ones helping them cope with the remaining fragments that war has left embedded in their memory.

I am a librarian and mother of a soldier. My daughter is currently serving in Iraq and I read the book in preparation for the difficult times ahead. It is an excellent resource for families to understand what is going on and how to support the troops. The practical advice including breathing exercises and routines for daily living would be a help to a lot of people in stress related situations but for soldiers returning to an open life from a regimented one in a danger zone, they are a must for transition. My father was a WWII veteran and there have been other military relations, who would have been served well by this information, and I am just very glad that it is out there now for my daughter and her fellow service personnel.

Courage After Fire provides a much needed resource for veterans readjusting after returning from combat. It assists the veteran in recognizing their skills used in combat, as well as providing clear and user friendly skills and ways to address the anxiety they may be experiencing after returning from the combat zone. It is one of the first resources available to veterans and clinicans alike, that provides needed insight into the impact on the family as a whole, and how veterans can reconnect to those they need the most upon their return. It is strength based and will be a vital resouce to our veterans and those who work to help them, in their journey to return home.

As a clinical psychologist who retired from the VA a few years ago, I was interested to read this book targeted at returning Iraq and Afghanistan veterans. The book uses short, well composed exemplary vignettes to focus the reader on particular issues such as cognitions, coping behaviors or emotional reactions necessarily affected by the demands of functioning and surviving in a war zone. Common problems such as stress-response syndromes, depression, anger dyscontrol, and substance abuse are explored carefully. These sections are always accompanied by practical suggestions and exercises the veteran can use to evaluate and modify these areas. The list of readings and websites at the end of the book will be particularly helpful for veterans and their families wanting further information on a particular topic. This is an excellent and accessible compilation of wisdom, ideas and techniques that VA mental health professionals use successfully to help veteran clients seeking help with reintegration into their families and society.