ABSTRACT
Imagine your life: You have a family, a spouse, parents and friends. You are active duty military. You are 25 years old. You receive notice that you are to deploy in three weeks. The family has been expecting this for some time but now the time has come. You start to make ready for the long-awaited experience. You have been in training for many months and are really eager to deploy. Domestic issues at home have been addressed and goodbyes said. Off you go for 12-15 months. You arrange to make contact with the family as often as possible. While in Iraq/Afghanistan, you are exposed to sights, sounds, and experiences that are consistent with war: people shooting at you, soldiers being shot, people dying in battle, killing. You’ve lost buddies in battle. Soldiers have been sent home but you remain, having suffered only a minor wound from shrapnel. Fifteen months goes by—holidays, birthdays, anniversaries, sicknesses, problems at home, intense loneliness, terror, and anguish—have marked the time away. And now imagine returning home. Reintegration means to integrate again, restore to unity. What awaits you?
