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While every war hero is honored by his country, few truly grasp the internal turmoil veterans endure from combat. They are irretrievably and irrevocably changed, often having sacrificed their former lives for their belief in the greater good. However, helping civilians, especially friends and family, understand this seismic shift due to what they’ve endured on the frontlines is nearly impossible.
In Kirkpatrick’s memoir of returning from Vietnam, readers encounter a turbulent PTSD journey and how it manifests into mayhem. Whether it was drug abuse and alcoholism or survivor guilt and constant paranoia, Kirkpatrick spent nearly four decades of his post-service life navigating through PTSD and inevitably interacting with it through dysfunctional methods. Digging deeper, the work is instrumental in shedding light on what PTSD truly is, and in that regard, the author has cut to the root and provided numerous authentic examples of behaviors, characteristics, and dispositions of PTSD that can potentially help loved ones identify and treat it before it has progressed exponentially.
The author also delves into being raised in Cleveland, attending a Catholic school, and even being bullied by his peers who made fun of the immense age gap between his father—who had also served—and his mother. As in life, every story has that sliver of light, of hope, and for Kirkpatrick, he finds it in friendship. His detailing of his diverse friend group is refreshing and heartwarming all at the same time. Whether they were Irish, Italian, Ukrainian, Polish, or Slovenian, each of the friends literally had their own unique background and upbringing. Still, they fit together almost seamlessly. Overall, Kirkpatrick’s work is a raw, genuine outpouring of his life journey, one that is living proof that PTSD should not be ignored but rather nurtured and treated with timely care.