This book teaches how truly to heal war trauma in veterans, their families, and our communities. Drawing on history, mythology, and soldiers' stories from World War I to Iraq, it affirms the deep damage war does to the psyche and addresses how to reclaim the soul from war's hell.

Includes bibliographical references (p. 291-316) and indexes.

The Soul in War -- 1. War, Trauma, and Soul -- 2. The Mythic Arena of War -- 3. War as a Rite of Passage -- 4. Ancient Myth and Modern War -- 5.The Soul in Slaughter -- From Myth to Reality -- 6. Inside PTSD: Identity and Soul Wound -- 7. Eros and Aesthetics in Hell -- 8. Relations with the Missing and Dead -- 9. The Soul of the Nation -- 10. Warrior or Soldier; Hero, Veteran, or Waste? -- The Long Road Home -- 11. The Soul's Homeward Journey -- 12. Purification and Cleansing -- 13. The Healing Power of Storytelling -- 14. Restitution in the Family and the Nation -- 15. Initiation as a Warrior -- 16. War in Religion and Spirituality.