Thank You For Your Service (The Cost of War)

Does not matter how you feel about military service, our current state of foreign affairs, or anything else related to the politics of military action - this book offers a truly harrowing look at how we are letting those around us suffer. (Emotionally) Difficult to read (it is a surprisingly quick read) - this book changed my daily interactions both with former service members and with non-service members suffering from depression.

Finkel does not disappoint with his sequel to The Good Soldiers. Following up with many of the soldiers he covered in his first book, Finkel investigates the effects of war on their lives back in the US. An incredibly worthwhile read to understand the longterm consequences of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Even if you don't care about the subject matter (which you should), Finkel's writing and storytelling alone will draw you in and makes this book worth reading.

This book should be required reading for every citizen, every legislator, and every pundit in this country. Because of the volunteer army (no draft) and paying for wars without end on a national credit card, too many of us have no "hair in the game" and no real understanding of the costs of war we are asking relatively few men and women to bear. This book helps us understand the costs in a very personal way. This book reads like fiction (in the best sense of that comparison) and is difficult to read only because we know that it isn't.

Returning from conflict for both the individual and the family support group is so misunderstood, so unappreciated, and so underfunded. As a nation, we will be using a band-aid approach well into our future, but we never seem to develop the vision of what actions are mandatory to consider before engaging. This is a start at prying open the eyes of policy makers and funders.

This is a gripping and powerful journey into the heavy toll on many who place themselves in HARMS WAY so that we are defended and protected from those who threaten our way of life. It's a story as old as War itself, in today's context, with extraordinary clarity and compassion.

This was a difficult book to read. Not because of the writing or the characters but because it was so vivid. Yes the soldiers got care and attention when they came back from conflict and yes many just couldn't cope. My heart goes out to them and to their wives and family who could have used just as much, maybe more, care and attention.

The most emotionally moving book I have read about the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Our troops need all of the support and help possible to help their healing. I would recommend is book to everyone. It will open your eyes and feelings about the horror of was and it's aftermath. And I am a retired veteran of Vietnam.

A moving book about the soldiers who returned from war very wounded and cannot go on with their lives. It shows how this country sends teenagers to war and could not care less what happens to them when they return. I am so sad by after reading this book. I am in awe how some of them never lose hope.

This book is well written with compassion and depth. The subject is painful as it must be and many of us would rather not look at this side of war and politics. For those Hawks out there, maybe this will turn them towards try diplomatic solutions just one more time. This is a slow read for me as I can only digest pieces at a time......it is not a blueberry donut!

this book certainly puts things in perspective. The author really gives us an insider's view onn what those families are facing when their men/boys come back from war. We can't help but ask ourselves how can we send our kids to war and not take care of them when they come back injured or traumatized? This is an eye opener. I really enjoyed it.

David Finkel did another excellent job of writing about 2/16 members. Want to know what life is like for our combat soldiers coming back with PTSD? You won't find a better book. Mr. Finkel's obvious affection for these soldiers comes through. Having been there during their deployment and staying with them after, he offers a unique perspective on the struggles of coming home from combat.

This is not a 'feel good' war story. David Finkel follows a group of war veterans and vividly describes the difficulties they encounter as they attempt to return to their pre-war lives. The reader is exposed to the effects of PTSD on the returning veterans and on their spouses and children. The services provided for these families are woefully inadequate, at best.The book features the ever-increasing rates of suicide in the millitary and the army's attempt to reduce these disturbing statistics.

This book should be essential reading for anyone who attempts to calculate the true cost of sending our young men and women into harm's way

This book will cause you to have a new understanding of what our soldiers are going through. The men and women coming home are broken, but so is the system they are coming to. I feel for the families left behind trying to pick up the pieces.

This book changed me. I will, now more than before, understand the realities of war and "after war". I will understand more about how much the entire family is affected. David Finkel writes a very realistic account of what actually happens to the veterans during their active duty and an account of what it is like to come home to a people who have very little knowledge of what they have actually been through. If you know a veteran, I would definitely recommend this read.

Written like long news article so easy in that sense. But the topic is very, very hard even for a clinician. I work for Veterans so this opened my mind to more info on what physical and mental war injuries do to Servicemembers and their families

This book gives me a new perspective on the feelings and lives of veterans and their families. It describes the recent attempts of the DEpartment of Defense to take responsibility for supporting the emotional lives of psychologically damaged war veterans. It details the experiences of several families, both low and high income, and the life numbing effects of losing a husband or living with a physically and psychically traumatized veteran. Good reading for all Americans who have little experience with war veterans.

Hearing coverage of PTSD does not prepare you for what people are actually going through and the impact it has on families. This book is very moving and desperately sad, but it does show a glimmer of hope for those that can be helped. It gives a totally new perspective to the usual 'Welcome home, soldier' and now get back to your life.

I now understand as best I can what many returning soldiers go through when returning from the Middle East. Killing people and watching your buddies be blown up in front of you has to change a person. TBI and PTSD must be addressed and these men and women deserve the best care possible. They are in their 20s and have long lives in front of them. We owe it to them to make those lives the best they can be.

Far from the tragic accounts of warfare, here is a book describing the unending war that veterans struggle with on a daily basis. Through snapshots into the lives of some characters, we are led to understand the traumas and behaviour of men who, after serving their country, never recover from their inner, invisible wounds. A powerful, sensitive book, exposing human suffering with no voyeurism.

Being a service member myself, I have heard stories but never from the mouths of the wounded warriors. This book, as disturbing and honest as it is, painted a picture of suffering and healing. What these families went through was beyond crushing, but it's the reality of these stories that will give civilians the ability to say something other than "thank you for your service."

A great follow-up to "The Good Soldiers" written by the same author. Everyone should read both books. These books are the best stories of what our troops have gone through in Iraq and the consequences of their service on their return home.

A great look at postwar life. The Good Soldiers was one of the best pieces of literature to come from the desert wars, but this one doesn't live up the expectations. Still a very good book, and important.

I'm a professional peacebuilder who works a lot with the military. In fact, I'm writing this from one of the war college where I'm going to spend the morning discussing the future of warfare and conflict.

I have read a lot of book about Iraq and Afghanistan as well as the effects of the Vietnam war of my youth.

Nothing gets at the personal tragedy of what happened to so many young men and their families as a result of having served and being wounded in Iraq. As Finkel make oh so painfully clear, the physical injuries are just the beginning. Their own mental issues. The impact on their families. Everyone's bleak future--at best. The cost (which Finkel doesn't talk much about, but you can guess

What's remarkable is that everyone in the book--and everyone I know who works with returning soldiers and their families--operates from the best of motives and intentions.

But what we've ended up with is a national tragedy which no one describes better than Finkel. And he just opens the door....

We are ignorant to the difficulties these heroes and their families endure upon their return home. Everyone should read this book to truly understand the sacrifices our soldiers make - because it's not just on foreign soil nor is it just the soldiers themselves.

Mr. Finkel does an incredible job of bringing the reader into the minds and homes of these wounded warriors. I was riveted and read this for hours on end until finished.

Of all the accounts of modern warfare this is the most chilling

I am afraid the author has taken advantage of his previous fame by writing a pretty hastily put together collection of vignettes. I would have preferred a more indepth look at the problems he raises for soldiers across the board - instead of the detailed look he provides of a few soldiers in particular. Evenly written. Simple enough. But nothing new or even particularly insightful about the problems facing returning soldiers and their families. Just my opinion. Thanks.

I ordered this book after hearing interviews by the author. I thought it would be meaningful to two family members who are retired and active duty military. I can't wait to hear what they say about it once they are all the way through, but they were definitely anxious and excited to read it.

Anyone who wants to understand what happened psychologically to our soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan and the terrible toll that PTSD takes, then please read this book. It will give lots of insight, empathy, and compassion for our soldiers and their families.It may even dispose you against war.

Every adult should read this to understand what war can do to those who serve. Hopefully more people will then help our returning servicemen since our government does not make it a priority which is a disgrace.

I have always been surrounded by those in the military (grandfather, father, brother, 3 nephews). I know work as an attorney at a veteran's clinic, working on the behalf of military veteran's daily who are fighting with the VA, looking for a discharge upgrade, appealing for their TSGLI benefits, or dealing with other legal issues - many of these exacerbated by issues of TBI and PTSD, combined with substance abuse (originally for the treatment of the above, then as an issue unto itself). This book brought me into the day to day struggle of the returning soldiers, their family members, and those left behind. It provided insight into the failure of our military to provide for these heroes and reminds me how as a nation, we are failing our veterans. It will also help me in my future work as I am in a better position to empathize when the veterans struggle with getting me the documents and the incredibly complex processes we ask them to understand and participate in. The book took me on an emotional journey from anger (at our failures) to heartwrenching grief. I thank these brave men and women for allowing us to have a glimpse into their lives and applaud David Finkel for a brilliant piece of journalism.

Highly recommended for anyone interested in the impact of war on those who fight. This book makes it clear that we have to do a better job of supporting the soldiers and their families for the sacrifices that extend far beyond battlefields in Iraq, Afghanistan, or anyplace else.

I highly recommend this finely written, yet distressing, book by David Finkel. The implications for our nation of thousands of returned troops with traumatic brain injury and post-traumatic stress disorder are clearly and painfully laid out in "Thank You for Your Service."

As for the the store purchase, it was sent to my dad as a birthday present in Kansas City and came promptly within a few days, as promised. I was pleased with the ease of the transaction.

Horrifying tales of what modern warfare does to our troops that should be widely read,, especially by those favoring a muscular foreign policy who have little or no personal stake in the consequences for those whose lives are shattered at our behest.

Awesome book! Raises so many questions on whether not better reforms have been started to help our service men and women. And I hope there will be a follow-up at some point so we can see how the people covered in the book have fared over time.

David Finkel is authentic in this book...he pulls no punches or sugarcoats the reality of fallout from experiencing combat. As I read this book I found it hard to put down, and after reading it I have gained a greater appreciation for the sacrifices made by the Soldier, and the family. America should re-evaluate its approach to attending to those affected by the war--those who deployed and those family members who were deployed vicariously with their loved ones...a must read.

Finkels description of what happens to the soldiers and their families is very real and heartbreaking. It's eye opening to see what carnage this war is causing at home and how much more support is needed for the entire family.

I enjoyed reading this book very much. It was enlightening. I really was unaware of all the problems that war causes, emotionally on a person. I'd love to read on how these men and women are doing now.

it was very well-written and really gave the reader a vivid picture of what some of these people are going through......they truly presented pictures that so clearly communicated the truth......was heart breaking.......