Odysseus in America: Combat Trauma and the Trials of Homecoming Study Guide

Bibliographic Information and Context

• Title: Odysseus in America: Combat Trauma and the Trials of Homecoming

• Author: Jonathan Shay, M.D., Ph.D.

• Foreword Contributors: U.S. Senators Max Cleland and John McCain

• Publisher: Scribner (New York, London, Toronto, Sydney, Singapore), a trademark of Macmillan Library Reference USA, Inc., used under license by Simon & Schuster.

• Publication Details: Copyright $2002$ by Jonathan Shay. ISBN $0-7432-1156-1$. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data: RC550 .S533 $2002$.

• Institutional Acquisition Note: Preston Library, Virginia Military Institute, Lexington, VA.

Introduction: The Persistent Battle

• Theoretical Framework: Dr. Shay uses Homer’s Odyssey to analyze the psychological and social journey of combat veterans returning to civilian life. While physical return may occur, the psychological and social return often remains incomplete.

• The Paradox of Homecoming: Shay quotes a combat medic stating, "many of us aren’t home yet," suggesting that survival and geographic return do not equate to reintegration.

• The Character of Odysseus: Odysseus’s name carries heavy connotations:

  • To the ancient Greeks, it meant "man of hate" or "he who sows trouble."

  • It can also be translated simply as "Hate."

  • Odysseus is described as a "man of pain" who is both needed by his people and dangerous to them.

• The Epic Scope of the Odyssey:

  • Odysseus spent a full decade ($10$ years) fighting the Trojan War and another decade ($10$ years) wandering before returning to Ithaca.

  • He achieved entry into Troy via the "trick of the hollow horse," a feat of cunning that a $10$ to $1$ troop superiority could not accomplish.

  • His return home resulted in a "bloody, triumphant shoot-’em-up," including more than $700$ Ithacan deaths during his travels and upon his arrival.

• Modern Experience Quote: Jim Shelby, a Vietnam veteran, expressed: "I wish I had been untrained afterward… reintegrated and included. My regret is wasting the whole of my productive adult life as a lone wolf."

Defining Psychological Injury and PTSD

• Rebranding "Disorder" to "Injury": Shay criticizes the American Psychiatric Association's term "Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder" (PTSD). He argues it sounds like an "ailment," whereas it is actually an "injury."

  • Analogy: We do not call a veteran with a missing limb "Missing Arm Disorder"; they are simply wounded. Combat PTSD is a war injury, and those who suffer from it are "war wounded."

• Categorization of PTSD:

  • Simple PTSD: The persistence into civilian life of psychiatric and physiological adaptations that were necessary to survive battle.

  • Complex PTSD: An escalation of simple PTSD that includes the "destruction of the capacity for social trust."

• The Recovery Paradigm: Recovery happens only in community. Shay rejects the assumption that injuries damaging character can be treated solely one-on-one in a professional office. He asserts that "two people (no matter how well trained… they are) are not a community."

Principles of Prevention in Military Service

• The Prevention Tripod: Effective prevention of psychological and moral injury rests on three pillars:

  1. Cohesion: Keeping units together through training, into the fight, and back home.

  2. Leadership: Competent and ethical leaders who prioritize the character over mere competence.

  3. Training: Rigorous preparation that prevents the "wrecking" of soldiers.

• The Failure of the Personnel System: Shay highlights the "catastrophic effect" of the Vietnam War policy where individual soldiers were rotated in and out of the war zone with strangers. He compares the military's current unit management to "shuffling and reshuffling… like decks of cards."

• Major Donald Vandergriff: Refers to his book, The Path to Victory: America’s Army and the Revolution in Human Affairs, which identifies a mismatch between current personnel systems and the face of $21^{st}$-century warfare.

• Ethical Leadership: Shay contrasts Achilles and Odysseus as leaders. Odysseus is viewed poorly from a military justice perspective, with Shay noting his performance as an officer reads like a "charge sheet for his court-martial."

Comparison of Ancient Heroes: Achilles vs. Odysseus

• Achilles: Known as "he whose host of fighting men have grief." His withdrawal from battle resulted in numerous Greek deaths. He harmed the Greek army during the war.

• Odysseus: He harmed his own people after the war. While he is often viewed as a hero in the modern sense (implying pure beneficence), the ancient Greek conception was mixed, involving both pain caused and pain suffered.

• The Narrative Strategy: Shay treats the adventures in Wonderland (Books $9-12$) as an allegory for the real-world problems veterans face when trying to re-enter civilian society. Odysseus’s need to use a "bodyguard of lies" upon his return to Ithaca reflects the veteran’s need to disguise their experience from civilians.

Synopsis of Homer’s Odyssey: A Veteran's Timeline

• Part One (Books 1-4): Ithaca is overrun by suitors consuming Odysseus’s estate and pressuring Penelope. Telemachus searches for news of his father to determine if he is an orphan.

• Part Two (Books 5-8): Odysseus, after $7$ years with Calypso, builds a raft and shipwrecks on Phaeacia. He meets Princess Nausicaa and weeps upon hearing a bard sing of the Trojan War.

• Part Three (Books 9-12): The Adventures:

  1. Ismarus: A pirate raid on the Ciconians with serious losses during a counterattack.

  2. Land of the Lotus Eaters: Men are offered an addictive drug.

  3. The Cyclops: The crew is trapped; several are eaten.

  4. Aeolus: The Wind King helps them get in sight of home, but the crew ruins it.

  5. Laestrygonians: Inhabitants sink all ships in the squadron except Odysseus’s own.

  6. Circe: A witch who turns the crew into pigs.

  7. Land of the Dead: Odysseus meets ghosts of dead comrades and learns he must complete one last trial even after returning home.

  8. Sirens: Deadly singers.

  9. Scylla and Charybdis: A many-headed monster and a whirlpool.

  10. Cattle of the Sun: The crew eats sacred cattle, leading to the destruction of the last ship and all crew members except Odysseus.

  11. Charybdis (Reprise): Odysseus survives on flotsam.

  12. Calypso's Island: Where the odyssey reaches a stalemate for years.

• Part Four (Books 13-16): Odysseus returns to Ithaca in disguise as a beggar. He reunions with Telemachus at the hut of the swineherd Eumaeus.

• Part Five (Books 17-20): Odysseus enters his own palace as a stranger. He tests Penelope and prepares for battle while the suitors abuse him.

• Part Six (Books 21-24): The trial of the bow. Odysseus strings the bow and slaughters the suitors. He reconciles with Penelope and his father, Laertes, and peace is ultimately brokered by Athena.

Proposals for Military Reform

• Personnel System Renovation: Dr. Shay calls for an "omnibus military personnel act" in Congress with a $3$ to $5$ year horizon.

• Implementation Goals:

  • Bipartisan and nonideological structure.

  • Elimination of "one size fits all" policies to respect service-specific traditions.

  • A $10$-year implementation plan for career transition transitions.

• Core Belief: Shay asserts that the worst problems facing the military are "self-inflicted" and "solvable without spending more money."

Linguistic and Philological Notes

• Idiotes: Shay references the Greek word idiotes, originally meaning "a man who attends to his own concerns." Pericles used it for citizens ignorant of important city issues—the root of the modern word "idiot."

• Gaster vs. Thumos: Shay notes the Homeric contrast between the "belly" (gaster) and the "spirit/heart" (thumos).

• Memorialization: Athenian war memorial practices, such as inscribing names in the kerameikos, are reflected in modern memorials like "The Wall" (Vietnam Veterans Memorial) in Washington, D.C.

The readings assigned for this week offered a deeper exploration of the psychological and social challenges that combat veterans face when returning to civilian life, which aligns closely with the themes addressed in the lecture materials. Dr. Shay’s examination of Odysseus’s journey in Odysseus in America parallels the lecture's emphasis on the complexities of reintegrating into society post-combat. My understanding was significantly enhanced through the readings, especially regarding the notion of psychological injury versus disorder, as articulated by Shay. This rebranding changes the perception of veterans' experiences and aligns with contemporary discussions on mental health.

While I found much of the analysis compelling, I did have some disagreements regarding the extent to which personal responsibility is emphasized in recovery. For instance, while Shay argues that recovery happens only in community, I believe that individual agency also plays a crucial role. It was thought-provoking to consider how achieving cohesion in military units impacts PTSD, as raised in the lecture, but I question whether this can entirely replace individual mechanisms of healing.

Personally, I was particularly struck by Jim Shelby's quote about feeling untrained after service. It’s a raw and honest reflection on the isolation veterans can feel. This resonated with me because it highlights the importance of belonging and community support—elements that I think are essential not just for veterans but for all individuals facing transitions. This insight will certainly influence my understanding of community dynamics in our broader discussions throughout the course.