Wounded Warrior, Wounded Home by M. Waddell and K. Orr, Book review

Wounded Warrior, Wounded Home: Hope and Healing for Families Living with PTSD and TBI 

Publisher: Revell (March 1, 2013)

ISBN-13: 978-0800721565

Synopsis:

For every wounded warrior, there is a wounded home--an immediate and extended family and community impacted by their loved one's war experiences. Every day service members are returning from combat deployments to their families. And every day war comes home with them.

When a combat veteran struggles with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and/or traumatic brain injury (TBI), every member of the family experiences the effects. Spouses, parents, and children must undergo changes on the home front, a process that resembles the phases of grief. Confusion, hurt, anger, guilt, fatigue, and fear lie behind their brave smiles and squared shoulders.

Wounded Warrior, Wounded Home gives hurting families a look inside the minds and hearts of wounded warriors and guides them in developing their own personal plan for physical, emotional, and spiritual wholeness in the wake of war. The authors, one the wife of a career US Navy SEAL and the other a clinical psychologist and Vietnam veteran, speak from their own experiences of living with PTSD and TBI. They also share insights from dozens of families and careful research, offering readers a hope-filled way forward.

My thoughts:

When Wounded Warrior, Wounded Home was offered for review, I was happy to know I had been chosen to read it and offer my opinion. 

Ours is a military family covering 2 continents and 3 nations with many years of service as way of explaination.

Ex-RAF flyboy (husband) was one of the last conscripts in the UK and perhaps the only member of the Armed Forces to decry everything he expected and was promised by his recruiter came to be, in fact, a dream come true for a young lad who wanted to travel!  

Stress related to traveling from base to base around the world three weeks out of every four and flying in/out or around conflicts sums up his many years in Her Majesty the Queen' service. His deployment(s) was indeed a relatively safe service time. 

Others like my maternal grandfather were not so lucky during WW1. Four years in trench warfare amidst poisonous gases left him with one lung and the fear of any whistling such as the sound of the wind. A single flash (from a lightbulb blowing) set him back so at 6'3" this honour soldier depended on his 5' tall wife to change a simple lightbulb.  
I could go on and on about others we know and care but let's leave it at that.

As a ret. AFES caseworker for ARC and a Soldier's Angel I have worked for years with servicemen and women as conflicts continues around the world.  
Their sacrifice is immense, their families' above and beyond the call of duty!

I had actually mixed feelings about the book but I am very glad for the opportunity to read it and I will tell you first and foremost this is a book well written! Both authors are reaching out to military families in a compelling way and I believe relatives and friends will find it immensely helpful!

I have personally gained a much greater understanding of the challenges both PTSD and TBI presents but also found a great deal of information on how to cope with these, including confusion, hurt, anger, guilt, fatigue, and fear, for all parties involved.  

Even better, this book uses God's inspirational words providing hope and comfort to returning warriors as well as strength and healing for their families and loved ones.   

A 5 stars book I would  recommend to anyone involved in the military in one capacity or another and a great addition to any pastor/church library! 

 

About the Authors:

Marshéle Carter Waddell served with her husband, CDR (ret) Mark D. Waddell, USN, a career Navy SEAL, for 25 years around the world. Marshéle is an international speaker for military, corporate, government, and women's events and the founder of Hope for the Home Front, a ministry of One Hope, Inc., based in Fort Worth, Texas. She has been featured in Time magazine, the BBC, the LA Times, the Washington Post, Fox News, the 700 Club, the Armed Forces Radio Network, and Focus on the Family's radio broadcast. She is the author or coauthor of several books, including Hope for the Home Front and When War Comes Home and is widely published in national women's and military magazines.

Kelly K. Orr, PhD, ABPP, has more than 30 years experience in behavioral medicine and pain management. He serves on the advisory council and speaking team of Hope for the Home Front. Dr. Orr completed his PhD in Clinical Psychology at Biola University, Rosemead School of Psychology in 1978. He reentered military service with the Air Force in 1987 and retired in 2004 with a combined USMC and Air Force career of 25 years. He now makes his home in Colorado Springs with his wife Kathy, enjoying the mountains, hiking, fishing, and spending time with his eight grandchildren.  

 I received this book free from BAKER REVELL as part of their blogger review program. I am disclosing this in accordance with the FTC 16 CFR, Part 255 'Guides concerning the use of endorsements and testimonials in advertising. I was not asked to write a positive review and all opinions expressed are entirely my own.