Moral Injury

Bracing Walk on the Other Side of War Literature

Review of River City One by John Waters, a novel of coming home from war

From Attacks on Civilians to Spiritual Injury: Future War Trends from Russia’s Invasion of Ukraine
From Attacks on Civilians to Spiritual Injury: Future War Trends from Russia’s Invasion of Ukraine

The war in Ukraine is proving to be a tragic proving ground for trends that will almost certainly be replicated in other twenty-first-century warfare. Decentralized decision-making, the targeting of population centers, tactical speed in decision-making, the rise of artificial intelligence, vital intelligence sharing, and the strategic impact of moral and spiritual injury demonstrate the boundaries for future combat.

Unpunished Murder in Northern Ireland Remembered: A Review of Patrick Radden Keefe’s Say Nothing: A True Story of Murder and Memory in Northern Ireland
Unpunished Murder in Northern Ireland Remembered: A Review of Patrick Radden Keefe’s Say Nothing

Numbers and statistics can desensitize students of war to real tragedy. But Keefe’s focus on Jean McConville’s murder in Say Nothing gives readers a detailed examination of the Troubles while reminding them of the victims.

King Saul and the Evil Spirit: Personality Change and Combat Trauma
King Saul and the Evil Spirit: Personality Change and Combat Trauma

Studying King Saul’s combat experiences can help us understand his personality change and violence toward David.

Grim Harvest Book Review Way of the Reaper: My Greatest Untold Missions and the Art of Being a Sniper Nicholas Irving Gary Brozek
Grim Harvest: Review of Irving and Brozek’s Way of the Reaper

On the surface, Nicholas Irving’s Way of the Reaper seems to be a typical shoot-‘em-up memoir designed for men vicariously seeking adventure. But by the end of the book, Irving has turned reflective.

Reinhold Niebuhr and the Problem of Paradox
Reinhold Niebuhr and the Problem of Paradox

Against pacifist sentiment and calls for isolationism, Reinhold Niebuhr insisted on a realistic Christian response to political crises, one willing to dirty its hands to avoid catastrophic evil. However, his dialectic between love and justice produces a catastrophic paradox.

A President Honors Wounded Veterans: Review of George W. Bush’s Portraits of Courage

President George W. Bush’s Portraits of Courage can help the nation, and especially the Church, better understand wounded warriors.

The (Twin) Wounds of War Moral Injury Spiritual Injury
The (Twin) Wounds of War

Much has been written on the types of “woundedness” warriors suffer in combat, including physical, mental, emotional, and even moral injury. However, the U.S. has failed to explore a warrior’s spiritual injury in combat and its debilitating, life-long effects (including for a warrior’s family).

Fox News Debate
In Thursday’s Fox News Debate, Trump Proved He’s Unfit to Serve as Commander in Chief

In the most recent Fox News Debate, Donald Trump proved himself unfit to lead our nation’s military. He demonstrated that he thinks our airmen, soldiers, sailors and Marines will jump when he snaps his fingers to do the abhorrent — murder women and children.