LETTER FROM
THE EDITOR
HUFFINGTON
03.16-23.14
ART STREIBER
A New
Start
I
N THIS WEEK’S double issue, we launch
a new series on an issue seldom discussed
among veterans: moral injury.
While most conversations
about returning veterans focus on
PTSD, David Wood puts a spotlight on an affliction that doesn’t
receive nearly enough attention —
a soldier’s sense that his barometer for what is right and wrong
has been thrown off, and the grief,
numbness or depression that ensue. David’s thorough investigation reveals that moral injury is
a major problem — with consequences that rival those related to
physical injuries and PTSD.
In this series, told in three parts,
David speaks to veterans who are
dealing every day with moral injury.
One struggles with having killed a
child; another grapples with knowing he took a man’s life only to find
out later that it wasn’t who he was
supposed to shoot. They are all
disturbed by their past decisions —
ethical calls they would have never
fathomed outside of the context of
war. Their stories are incredibly
powerful and give a real sense of the
depth of these veterans’ wounds.
David also speaks to researchers
and therapists about some of the
programs out there attempting to
help veterans deal with moral injury.
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