The Costs of Courage: Combat Stress, Warriors and Family Survival, by Josephine G. Pryce, David H. Pryce, and Kimberly J. Shackleford, Chicago, IL,  Lyceum Books, 2012,  203 pp., $36.95. When Johnny and Jane Come Marching Home: How All of Us Can Help Veterans, by Paula J. Caplan, Cambridge, MA,  The MIT Press, 2011,  282 pp., $27.95.

Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF), the war in Afghanistan and Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF) the war in Iraq have been abstract for many of us because, with our all volunteer military, less than two percent of our citizens serve. Yet over 1.6 million Americans did serve and now return, dealing with physical and psychological sequelae of war and increasing our population of veterans. Since there is no such thing as a warrior without a family, we also see an exponential number of family members impacted by the service of a loved one in the war zone. The signature wounds of OEF and OIF are Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) and Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), both invisible wounds with overlapping symptomatology. According to the Rand Report (Tanielian & Jaycox, 2008), three hundred twenty thousand will be diagnosed with TBI and three hundred thousand with PTSD and major depression. Demand for treatment is overwhelming the VA and may flood mental health resources, ill prepared to handle the influx. Since the symptoms of both PTSD and TBI include difficulties with affect regulation and impulse control, veterans and their families are being charged in the legal system with complaints ranging from road rage to felony murder and referred to domestic violence agencies because of increased incidences of intimate partner violence (IPV). Suicide is epidemic among both active duty military and veterans.

Mental health carries great stigma within the military despite campaigns by the military to reduce the stigma. The Defense Department Center of Excellence for Psychological Health and Traumatic Brain Injury has run a multiyear campaign, “Real Battles, Real Warriors,” that highlights soldiers and veterans who have successfully sought treatment for PTSD. Military posts have conducted full day stand-downs, stopping all other activities, to teach suicide prevention. The military is currently involved in a debate as to whether soldiers with PTSD from service in combat should be awarded