Marine Sergeant Clint Van Winkle was part of the first wave of soldiers to fight in Iraq in 2003. When he returned home, however, the images of war would not leave his mind. He often experienced fragmented memories of Iraqi men hiding behind old stone walls, blood splattered on his armored assault vehicle, and saw the bodies of casualties, both soldiers and civilians, lying in the streets. He tried to suppress these memories with alcohol, but could not. In a Veterans Administration hospital, he was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder, given a cursory examination, and sent home with a few pills. Van Winkle continued to struggle, not only with the images of war, but also to find a place in American society that did not understand the war he had fought, the personal losses he had experienced, or the sense of duty that he felt. This personal story gives insight into the experiences of a soldier during and after the Iraq War.This book can be found in HECSA Library:
Soft Spots: A Marine's Memoir of Combat and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder
Clint Van Winkle
DS 79.76 .V36 2009
