This book could not have been written without the steady support and encouragement of Arianna Huffington, president and editor in chief of the Huffington Post. Over the years she has provided me with unprecedented time and resources for deep reporting. She was enthusiastic about my idea of exploring wartime moral injury and generously allowed me time away from the busy news cycles to think and write.
Gail Ross, my agent, was instrumental in helping me focus what I have learned about war into a more coherent form. I am grateful to Gail for her friendship and her tireless efforts to make this book a reality. Nor would this book have been possible without the enthusiasm and guidance of Tracy Behar, my editor at Little, Brown.
I have focused mainly on army soldiers and marines for reasons of simple logistics. While I have flown with military air crews and lived on warships, the ground-force grunts are the men and women with whom I have most easily spent time. Those in the U.S. Navy and U.S. Air Force also serve honorably and in difficult situations and face equally challenging moral dilemmas at war. I am grateful to all of them for their grace under pressure and for their willingness to share their lives.
The extraordinary professionals who work with the military and veterans in mental health research and therapy were patient and generous with their time in helping me understand the complexities of moral injury and moral healing. Jonathan Shay has been a friend and mentor for many years, and I am deeply indebted to him for his gentle tutoring and warm encouragement. Deepest thanks to Bill Nash, Michael Castellana, Brett Litz, and Shira Maguen for sharing their insights and wisdom with me.
Over the years of covering the military at war I have been lucky to work with other visionary editors, especially my former editors at the Huffington Post, Tim O’Brien and John Montorio. I deeply miss the late Deborah Howell, who was my editor for two decades at Newhouse News Service and from whom I absorbed much about the profession and craft of journalism. I gained from the guidance and friendship of Linda Fibich at Newhouse News Service and Melinda Henneberger at AOL’s Politics Daily (and now editor in chief of Roll Call). I am grateful to all of them for their guidance and trust.
Some of the material in this book was reported and written for the AOL website Politics Daily and for the Huffington Post. I have used it here with the gracious permission of AOL and the Huffington Post. Steven O. Newhouse likewise granted me permission to use some material I had written for Newhouse News Service.
I am indebted to Anne-Marie Slaughter, Peter Bergen, and others at New America for their encouragement and support while I was a fellow at the Future of War project.
Almost all of the reporting for this book was done away from home, often on long trips into foreign war zones. The weeks and months I spent there imposed burdens on my wife, journalist Beth Frerking, and on my children, Seth, Peter, and Samantha, and my stepsons, Matthew and Evan. It was on them to pick up my share of household chores and to endure the uncertainties and worries concerning my whereabouts and my safety. I am grateful for their unconditional love and support.
In short, many people have contributed to this work, most prominently my wife, Beth, whose ear for storytelling and resolute sense of professionalism have energized my work. Many others, including active-duty military and veterans and family members, are unnamed here but have enriched my life and earned my appreciation for their service. Any errors or shortcomings of this book, however, are mine.