Mental health is absolutely important in our quest for a healthy life. But mental health is not often talked about, including for Veterans and war victims.
In The Women by Kristin Hannah, the author paints a picture of a young impressionable woman who just graduated as a nurse, and goes against her family’s expectation to get married and have children. Instead, she joins the Army so she could ship out to Vietnam (during the Vietnam war), where her brother was just killed.
The author presents a shocking picture of a lack of preparation and military training for women, and the reality of what it meant to be a nurse in Vietnam. Yet the author is also able to show that even for victims of war, beauty and love can be present. How you ask? You have to read the book to understand.
The effect of war, even on those who did not directly serve in combat roles, is described in this book, as if the author may know something about PTSD. This book also captures the tragedy of how society discards people who return from war, and treats them as outcasts because civilians don’t understand what such people may be going through. Further, this book digs into the domino effect of such treatment, which leads to drug and alcohol addictions, and the destructive aftermath.
Add to that the fact that this story is about a woman who was a combat nurse, in Vietnam, when the world believed there were no women in Vietnam. (Factually, there were over 10,000 women stationed in Vietnam, and yes, women died in Vietnam during the Vietnam war). This is a story like no other before.
This is a book that will make you cry, but it will also give you hope. I don’t want to spoil too much of the ending, or any of the book for that matter. But as a Veteran, this is a must read.
If you served during a war, in any capacity, I can assure you you will find something in this book that you connect with. Maybe you’ll find some answers too.
A great read, I couldn’t put it down. I found any and every excuse to pick up the book again so I could read what happened next!
For Health,
Tober
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