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Rating: 
Summary: The Commonality of the Combat Soldier
Review: As a Vietnam combat veteran, I was imbued with the belief that my war was "special," a unique experience in the world's military history. In reading Dr. Shay's book, I had to re-think that thesis and am now struck with the obvious conclusion that all combat, be it with Alexander the Great or Gen. Norman Schwartzkopf, inflicts psychological damage that can last a lifetime. Only geography changes. Realizing that and reading the vast parallels between The Iliad and Vietnam PTSD symptomology, I was able to understand my own emotional scars and through that self-realization, truly begin to heal those scars. I referred my therapist to the book and she told me it offered her more insight into the cause and treatment of PTSD among Vietnam veterans than any of the seminars or textbooks she'd ever encountered. This is a must read for Vietnam vets and those who care about them.
Rating:
Summary: BULL'S EYE
Review: I have always understood that being a combat veteran joins one up with all the warriors of the past. Somehow the U.S. Government, MacNamara, WW II vets, and many others forgot that about returning Vietnam vets. We were ostracized on all sides by youth and older men who "won their war." I found all this amusing for many a year. Luckily for me, I flew with the 175th Outlaws in the Delta, which had to be the most affectionate unit in the war. From the start of my tour in 1966-67 at Vinh Long, I knew I had a good deal, and so did all the men who ever served in this aviation company. Sometimes,over the years thereafter, we almost doubted our sense of personal history because of the suffering of so many other vets. "Vietnam was the best year of my life," so say many an Outlaw helicopter pilot and crew member. It is from this high point of contrast that I have had to evaluate many a war novel, or historical piece, or psychological treatise as the aftermath of the Vietnam war has gone on.
We lucked out.
I have contributed to a Vietnam PTSD control group out of the Manchester, NH VA office and know full well how this affliction has puzzled the top-most shrinks in the country. Here in the New England area of greater Boston, we at least had the best in the business--examining our heads and trying to come up with some answers of how Vietnam vets bore this distress more than any other group's individuals. I think I learned a lot donating myself as a "guinea pig" for all the developing ideas and research on assisting troubled minds from this experience.
It was this in mind, that I read this book by Shay. It was given to me in friendship by those kind to vets, who hope to be of some help in some way. I liked the book, and think it will be remain valuable for some time. Most of the things he recommends for veterans returning from the war I had already realized staying in touch with my fellow Outlaws over the years. We are special indeed..... I am glad to have finally written my book about flying those beautiful Hueys in Vietnam.
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Summary: Odysseus cried...
Review: In "Healing and Tragedy" (Chapter 11) Shay says that "Healing is done by survivors, not to survivors" and he is right. He also speaks of the healing power of narrative and says, "The ancient Greeks revered Homer, the singer of tales, as a doctor of the soul. In the Odyssey, Homer paints a (self-)portrait of the epic singer whose healing art is to tell the stories of Troy with the truth that causes the old soldier, Odysseus, to weep and weep again. (Odyssey 8:78ff)" Something like that seems to happen to Combat Veterans when they read this book. Shay is neither the bard telling the story nor the warrior who lived it, but he takes the stories of those who were there and presents them in such a way that, reading them, "the old soldier weeps and weeps again...". The truth is here. Another reviewer has viewed some of the stories with a measure of skepticism -- and there are some "red flags" in some of the stories -- but that is the nature of "War Stories" and those who know what "the facts on the ground" were can see therough all that to the essential truth that Shay so eloquently presents. I bought this book because it was recommended to me by readers of my own book, "Aftermath: A Song For Tyrone..." and I am glad I did! I wish I had read it years ago! If you are a Veteran -- or if there is a veteran who means a lot to you -- or if you just want to understand more about war and what it does to the soldier and to those who love him and to society in general -- buy this book! Buy it -- read it -- give it as a gift!
Rating:
Summary: Odysseus cried...
Review: In "Healing and Tragedy" (Chapter 11) Shay says that "Healing is done by survivors, not to survivors" and he is right. He also speaks of the healing power of narrative and says, "The ancient Greeks revered Homer, the singer of tales, as a doctor of the soul. In the Odyssey, Homer paints a (self-)portrait of the epic singer whose healing art is to tell the stories of Troy with the truth that causes the old soldier, Odysseus, to weep and weep again. (Odyssey 8:78ff)" Something like that seems to happen to Combat Veterans when they read this book. Shay is neither the bard telling the story nor the warrior who lived it, but he takes the stories of those who were there and presents them in such a way that, reading them, "the old soldier weeps and weeps again...". The truth is here. Another reviewer has viewed some of the stories with a measure of skepticism -- and there are some "red flags" in some of the stories -- but that is the nature of "War Stories" and those who know what "the facts on the ground" were can see therough all that to the essential truth that Shay so eloquently presents. I bought this book because it was recommended to me by readers of my own book, "Aftermath: A Song For Tyrone..." and I am glad I did! I wish I had read it years ago! If you are a Veteran -- or if there is a veteran who means a lot to you -- or if you just want to understand more about war and what it does to the soldier and to those who love him and to society in general -- buy this book! Buy it -- read it -- give it as a gift!
Rating:
Summary: A good book for shrinks and an GREAT book for veterans
Review: Most of the reviews I've read point out how scholarly this work is. It is, indeed, scholarly. But more importantly, it is accurate, well documented, and a MUST READ for Vietnam as well as other veterans. Been there, done that (30 months in-country). This book is a godsend. You need not be a rocket scientist to read Dr. Shay's current work. This book has explained more to me in the two days it took to read it than either experience or any other writing has explained to me in the past 27 years. Once I started reading I simply couldn't put the book down. BUY THE BOOK AND READ IT. You will be glad you did.
Rating:
Summary: BULL'S EYE
Review: Shay's 'Achilles in Vietnam' is the best, most realistic book I've read about combat PTSD; it plumbs the depths of anguish and the consequences of torture (combat) on soldiers. Shay essentially, fully captures the forces occurring within a combatant's system, during and after battle (if imbrued with moderate to severe chronic PTSD). Want to know the possible result of war on young men that you inadvertantly finance through your tax dollars? Read this book. Those young men may now be living on the same block as you, ready to launch into deadly combat at the slightest twig snap, if not treated. We've heard advice to Bush before invading Iraq--'break it and it's yours.' Ditto for veterans 'broken' physically or mentally. You sent them. Want to now understand the consequences?
Rating: 
Summary: praiseworthy attempt to make sense of a senseless war
Review: The problem is real: Shay is a psychologist, and the only Vietnam vets he knows are the men whom he counseled in the Boston area. So don't read this book for an understanding of Vietnam vets, except for the small minority who suffered combat fatigue (nostalgia, shell shock, Post Traumatic Stress, whatever). In fact, I don't know that it would be of much value even to those who had to cope with PTSD. What it is: a non-soldier's attempt to understand combat, and very interesting on that account. Shay takes the Illiad and compares the emotions of the Greeks (as Homer wrote about them) with those of the Vietnam vets he met in counseling. I was fascinated by the book. It is very much worth reading, but don't buy it as a layman's guide to the Vietnam vet or the Vietnam war.
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Summary: The true use of art
Review: This book uses the story of Achilles in Homer's Iliad to talk about the kinds of experiences which can damage soldiers during combat, sometimes to the extent of creating that state of permanent trauma which we call Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. I cannot over-emphasize the value of this book for a citizen during wartime. Shay shows how Homer's art is something close to a chart of the various destructive forces which attack a soldier's spirit and character, and thus gives us some glimpses into how to protect them from these evils. There is probably no higher goal which art can realize than this, the protection and healing of the minds of our fellow citizens, but it cannot do so without the constant enactment of its truths by people like Dr. Shay, and any of us in a position to help those in danger.
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Summary: Why does it seem new?
Review: Why is war-related trauma so prevalent in a post-Vietnam era? This book explains why. Lessons we especially need to learn today as we welcome today's warriors home.
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