Ilona Meagher | Reviews
Book blurbs for Moving a Nation to Care: Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and America's Returning Troops (Ig Publishing, 2007) by Ilona Meagher:
“Ilona Meagher is a powerful advocate for American combat veterans of all generations. With mental health issues facing hundreds of thousands of returning Iraq and Afghanistan veterans, Moving a Nation to Care brings desperately needed attention to the devastating hidden costs of war. Anyone who wants to 'support the troops' should read this important book.” -- Paul Rieckhoff, author of Chasing Ghosts and executive director of Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (IAVA)
“In an affecting exposé, Ms. Meagher documents how bad planning in the Iraq War wasn’t confined to the battlefield. It is causing unnecessary suffering for the troops when they come home. For too many soldiers, suicide becomes an option. In Moving A Nation to Care another tragic layer of the Iraq War is revealed through Meagher’s meticulous reporting. This is a must read for returning troops and their families. Ms. Meagher’s book will save lives.” -- Trish Wood, author of What Was Asked of Us: An Oral History of the Iraq War by the Soldiers Who Fought It
“A meticulously researched book that is essential for any truly patriotic American who wants to delve beneath the generic headlines and shallow American talking points and discover the real costs of the war on our Armed Forces as well as our great country.” -- Zack Bazzi, Iraq veteran and cameraman/star of The War Tapes
“PTSD is not a new phenomenon. But this painstakingly footnoted and researched guide reveals the little-recognized cost of the embedded pain and suffering wrought on returning U.S. troops by a high-tech, frontless, victoryless, faith-based, quagmire occupation of Iraq. This work by a second-career journalist shows that passion, persistence and Internet-honed training can produce as fine -- and as timely -- a work as any traditional news organization.” -- Bill Densmore, director of The Media Giraffe Project at UMass Amherst
“Going beyond mere yellow ribbons into the real support that returning troops need, this book is as easy to read as a newspaper and yet well-documented enough to keep on the shelf as a reference. After the Hollywood images of heroic war are long faded, in the real world the after-effects of killing and other traumas will remain with us for decades. We need to understand what we face, and this book does an excellent job of explaining that, along with what we can do to reduce the damage.” -- Rachel M. MacNair, Ph.D., author of Perpetration-Induced Traumatic Stress: The Psychological Consequences of Killing
“This book is an insider’s look at the issues. It begs the question, 'Are we honoring the sacrifices of the men and women who have served? Are we doing all that we can do to provide them with the tools to return to society?' If this book creates debate in Congress or causes a parent to fight for the healthcare of their loved one then it has accomplished its mission.” -- Steve Robinson, former Director of Veterans Affairs, Veterans for America
“The style of Meagher's writing is breezy; there's no anger in the prose. Meagher lets the examples she presents speak for themselves -- and that's good. The outrage is in the violence that PTSD victims have experienced and then recreate (most often against themselves) -- and in the help that comes too little and too late, if at all. If I have any criticism at all, it's the title of the book. Moving a Nation to Care is probably too timid. A title that really carries the anger that we should all be feeling about the treatment of our veterans, however, would never be accepted on bookstore shelves. This isn't only a book that each of us should read: it' s a roadmap to what we all should be doing, if we have any respect for ourselves and for the people who are willing to do the dirty work that (whether we agree with the specifics or not) they do at 'our' request. Buy it, read it, and get busy.” -- Aaron Barlow for ePluribus Media
“Meagher has written an informative and tremendously powerful work. Highly recommended.” -- Mark Boal, freelance journalist for Playboy magazine
“Moving a Nation to Care offers more than a deep understanding of the nature of posttraumatic stress injuries, a saner approach to avoiding them, and a thoroughly researched, selective resource guide for those who must learn to live with them. This is a book filled with wisdom and love. It is truly a star in a troubled and confusing darkness.” -- Penny Coleman, author of Flashback: Posttraumatic Stress Disorder, Suicide, and the Lessons of War
“Ilona Meagher has been at the forefront of bringing the plight of veterans suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) to national attention. Moving a Nation to Care gives us a thorough understanding of the syndrome, and a compelling view of the brave warriors who survived combat only to fall from its tragic aftereffects. A must read for anyone who understands that the worth of a nation is best measured by how it treats its wounded heroes.” -- Commander Jeff Huber, U.S. Navy (Retired)
“Ilona Meagher has done an impressive and important job in researching, assembling and chronicling the psychological suffering and neglect visited upon our new generation of veterans, their families and our nation. She assembles heartbreaking evidence from stories and statistics, journalism, social scientific research, historical record and first-person accounts. Our military servicemen and women are called to protect us. In turn, our duty as citizens is to help them return home and heal. Moving a Nation to Care sounds a citizens' alarm to action on behalf of our veterans. We all must answer its call.” -- Edward Tick, Ph.D., author of War and the Soul, The Golden Tortoise and The Practice of Dream Healing and Director of Soldier's Heart: A Veterans' Safe Return Initiative
“As a Vietnam veteran whose combat experience was mild compared to so many described in Moving A Nation to Care, I can appreciate its value. We returned from Vietnam to a nation unaware of PTSD. Many of us were ourselves largely unaware of PTSD. All we wanted was to get on with our lives, only to find that the war we thought we’d left behind had come home with us. Patient efforts by activists finally forced the nation and the Veterans Administration to begin addressing this problem. As the stories in Moving a Nation to Care illustrate, much work still remains if America is to fully heal the psychological wounds of war. Ilona Meagher’s thorough and well documented research is a valuable resource for all those who truly want to support the troops.” -- Mark Fleming, editor of Unsolicited Opinion
“Ilona Meagher has created a battle plan to help our active military, veterans and their families to truly come home. Her extensive research, personal interviews and networking with others dedicated to fighting for veterans has produced this powerful book. Let us rally around the troops with actions and deeds geared towards healing and hope. It is the American way.” -- Robert Roerich, M.D., American founder of Roadmind University Online and vice president, National Gulf War Resource Center
“This little book could have been a library of books, but it didn't have to be. Through the dedication that went in to putting Moving a Nation to Care together, the right questions were asked and just enough first hand experiences given, that a great impression will be made in the reader's mind in such a quick read. The resources in the third part of the book is a collection of information and past works that the reader can use to 'Move The Nation To Care', finally!” -- Jim Starowicz, Vietnam veteran and editor of 'Imagine' a World of Peace, Understanding, Tolerance
“Moving a Nation to Care is a road map of post-traumatic stress disorder’s history, where the tidal wave of trouble is, and how it will be hitting our shores. PTSD left untreated can be fatal and the impact on the family devastating. Just because psychological wounds are not visible like lost limbs, the need for healing is great nonetheless. Our nation has spent over 700 billion to date to prosecute our wars, and a tiny fraction of that to treat the injured men and women who have served on the frontlines. This book is all the evidence the reader will need to demand that our nation care. We must leverage the same resources used to create the problem in making sure the soldiers are returned to the state they were as best we can.” -- H. Reese Butler II, president and founder 1-877-VET2VET and 1-800-SUICIDE
