Odysseus in America: Combat Trauma and the Trials of Homecoming

In this ambitious follow-up to Achilles in Vietnam, Dr. Jonathan Shay uses the Odyssey, the story of a soldier's homecoming, to illuminate the pitfalls that trap many veterans on the road back to civilian life. Seamlessly combining important psycho- logical work and brilliant literary interpretation with an impassioned plea to renovate American military institutions, Shay deepens our understanding of both the combat veteran's experience and one of the world's greatest classics.

Jonathan Shay, M.D., Ph.D., is a staff psychiatrist in the Department of Veterans Affairs Outpatient Clinic in Boston. His patients are Vietnam combat veterans with severe, chronic posttraumatic stress disorder. Visiting scholar-at-large at the U.S. Naval War College in 2001, Dr. Shay speaks frequently at the invitation of U.S. military services, universities, and colleges. He lives in the Boston area.

Contents

Foreword

Acknowledgments

Preface

1. Introduction

PART I

UNHEALED WOUNDS

2. Odysseus Among the Rich Civilians

3. Pirate Raid: Staying in Combat Mode

4. Lotus Land: The Flight from Pain

5. Cyclops: The Flight from Boredom

"LAWLESS BRUTES"

CUNNING

"AND KNOW NOT ME" — LOSS OF IDENTITY AND BOASTING

6. Odysseus Gets a Leg Up — and Falls on His Face: The Workplace

7. A Peaceful Harbor: No Safe Place

8. Witches, Goddesses, Queens, Wives — Dangerous Women

9. Among the Dead: Memory and Guilt

THE DEAD (TRY TO) REPROACH THE LIVING

"I WON'T FORGET A THING" — KEEPING FAITH

Timmy

ANYONE CLOSE WILL BE HARMED

IRRETRIEVABLE LOSSES

10. What Was the Sirens' Song?: Truth As Deadly Addiction

THE LANGUAGE OF TIMES THAT MAKE A WORLD

MEMORY UNCONNECTED TO COMMUNITY

TOTAL CERTAINTY IS JUST AS DAMAGING

11. Scylla and Charybdis: Dangers Up, Down, and Sideways

12. The Sun God's Beef: The Blame Game

WHY ODYSSEUS' ADVENTURES ARE AN IRONIC ALLEGORY

13. Above the Whirlpool

GUILT AND GOOD CHARACTER

14. Calypso: Odysseus the Sexaholic

15. Odysseus at Home

LIES, TESTS, DISGUISES

SLAUGHTER OF THE INFAMOUS SUITORS

COLDNESS AND CRUELTY TO NEAREST AND DEAREST

TRAUMA AND ODYSSEUS' CHARACTER

HE LEAVES — AGAIN!

PART II

RESTORATION

16. Introduction

AVERSION TO RETURNING VETERANS IS AN OLD STORY

DAMAGE TO CHARACTER — INJURED THUMOS

ARISTOTLE AGAIN — HUMAN IS POLITIKON ZOON

17. From the Clinic to the Wall

STAGES OF RECOVERY

A TRIP TO THE WALL WITH VIP

18. Lew Puller Ain't on the Wall

PART III

PREVENTION

19. Introduction

20. Preventing Psychological and Moral Injury in Military Service

COHESION — THE HUMAN ELEMENT IN COMBAT

Why Does Cohesion Matter?

Cohesion, from the Point of View of Ethics...

Unit Associations — A Neglected Resource

Training

Training, From the Point of View of Ethics...

Leadership

Leadership, from the Point of View of Ethics...

21. Odysseus As a Military Leader

THE TROJAN HORSE

SUMMARY OF THE CHARGES AGAINST CAPTAIN ODYSSEUS

ACHILLES, ODYSSEUS, AND AGAMEMNON

22. Conclusion

THE CIRCLE OF COMMUNALIZATION OF TRAUMA

PURIFICATION AFTER BATTLE

WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO "BE HOME"?

TRAUMA STUDIES AND OTHER FIELDS OF KNOWLEDGE

A NEW ABOLITIONISM

SEPTEMBER 11, 2001

Appendix I: A Pocket Guide to Homer's Odyssey

PART ONE (BOOKS 1-4): A HOME WITHOUT HUSBAND OR FATHER

PART TWO (BOOKS 5-8): ODYSSEUS STARTS THE LAST LAP FOR HOME

PART THREE (BOOKS 9-12): ODYSSEUS TELLS HIS ADVENTURES IN WONDERLAND

PART FOUR (BOOKS 13-16): FATHER AND SON RETURN TO ITHACA AND ARE REUNITED

PART FIVE: (BOOKS 17-20): STRANGER AT HOME

PART SIX (BOOKS 21-24): VETERAN TRIUMPHANT

Appendix II: Information Resources for Vietnam Veterans and Their Families

Appendix III: Some Proposals

OBSOLETE ASSUMPTIONS BUILT INTO THE CURRENT MILITARY PERSONNEL SYSTEM

SOME SPECIFIC RECOMMENDATIONS

HOW WE GET THERE FROM HERE

Notes

Bibliography

Index