This extraordinary work will help the men and women returning from Iraq and Afghanistan find the courage to rebuild their lives and be successful. As a Vietnam War veteran, I wish it had been available when I came home. I have seen too many lives changed by war and not enough help after returning home. As the former Secretary of the Department of Veterans Affairs, I wish every returning veteran and their family would read it. This book has been needed for many years and is invaluable for our troops and their loved ones.

The Honorable Anthony J. Principi,
Former Secretary of Veterans Affairs

Courage After Fire is for those who survived being under fire in war and aretrying to survive being strangers at home. This wonderful book, starting with a heartfelt foreword by Senator Bob Dole, serves as a virtual owner's manual for returning OEF/OIF war veterans. Courage After Fire is packed with practical information, culled from hundreds of informed sources, and is written by three seasoned and sensitive practitioners and military veteran advocates. If you ever felt or said you “supported the troops," no matter what your political view, show some tangible support and buy this book for at least one returning veteran.

Charles R. Figley, Ph.D.,
Florida State University
Traumatology Institute Director

Courage After Fire is essential reading for all recent combat veterans, their families and friends. Military chaplains, employers, and clinicians at VA Hospitals and Vet Centers should also familiarize themselves with this book. Every recent combat vet and many of their family members will find a description of themselves to some degree in the pages of this book. Courage After Fire provides a toolbox of useful insights and coping exercises that can assist in saving a marriage or putting a veteran's life back on track. Courage After Fire should be issued to all returning veterans and Family Support Groups.

Major Andy Johnson
U.S. Army, Special Forces
Operation Iraqi Freedom Veteran

Courage After Fire offers both returning veterans and their families a clear understanding of the challenges that lie ahead and a practical guide for reintegration into home, work and community.  The scope of this book is supremely thorough and relevant, particularly to National Guard and Reservists.  I am particularly pleased to see useful tips provided not only to family members, but employers as well, to assist them in their efforts to support our heroes of war.  I highly recommend this book to deploying soldiers of all branches, their families and employers before, during and after deployment.
 
Lieutenant General (Ret) (RI) Reginald A. Centracchio,
Former Adjutant General of the State of Rhode Island
Former Commanding General of the Rhode Island National Guard

Getting back to 'normal' is one of the hardest things returning vets have to go through after coming home from war. No matter where you are in this process, Courage After Fire can help if you let it. Take what suggestions work for you from the many tips offered in this book- you may be surprised how much they can help.

SGT Victoria Steen,
USAR, Operation Iraqi Freedom Veteran

Courage After Fire is unique. It addresses the complete range of issues faced by returning National Guard and Reservist troops who are confronted with the difficulties of readjusting to their work and communities while, at the same time, dealing with the psychological ramifications of war. This book has excellent tips and an extensive list of resources for all returning veterans and those who care about them.

William M. Coughran
Brigadier General
California Air National Guard
U.S.A.F. Reserve, Ret.

Returning home from Vietnam to my wife and family was both joyful and confusing.  I felt estranged despite having a supportive community of friends and family.  Although I already had set goals and a plan for my life, I had difficulty staying focused and on the right path. Courage after Fire provides a much needed roadmap to guide veterans and their families back to their life's path and the tools and strategies necessary to bring them truly home again.

Phillip Butler,
Vietnam Veteran

Courage After Fire is an indispensable guide for troops returning from war.  Specific suggestions are offered for veterans and their family members about getting perspective on the war experience, dealing with troubling memories, reconnecting emotionally with loved ones, and reentering the community. Courage After Fire invites partners and family members to be a part of their veterans' healing process, which makes it all the more effective. I wish this book were standard issue for all returning troops and for all health professionals, members of the clergy, and counselors who are in a position to support their transition home.

Robert-Jay Green, PhD, Distinguished Professor,
California School of Professional Psychology,
2001 Award Recipient for Distinguished Contributions to Family Research, American Family Therapy Academy

Courage After Fire is the first comprehensive roadmap to recovery and reintegration for the men and women who have served in Afghanistan and Iraq. The authors bring their collective experience, wisdom and compassion in their work with traumatized veterans and their families to create a personal dialogue with those struggling to rebuild their lives after combat. Every generation of warriors from those who fought in Homer's time to those arriving from the Gulf today have asked the same questions: Why do I feel like a stranger in my own family and community? What do I do when I am too tired to keep running from my memories yet too afraid to face them? If I admit I am having emotional problems, will I lose face and damage my career? Courage After Fire provides answers to these and many more questions and the tools to master a safe passage for all veterans on their journey home.

Charles R. Marmar, M.D.,
Professor and Vice Chair, Department of Psychiatry, UCSF
Associate Chief of Staff and Director, PTSD Research Program,
San Francisco VA Medical Center

Courage after Fire provides critical information and practical skills for dealing with the emotional aftermath of recent wars. The specific focus on Iraq and Afghanistan veterans makes the material fresh and accessible. This book address a comprehensive range of areas of potential distress and concern for returning service men and women, giving them concrete and useful techniques for dealing with these issues in an active, empowering way. I feel certain that Courage after Fire will become an important source of information and self-healing for our returning troops.

Bonnie L. Green, PhD
Director, Georgetown University Center for Trauma and the Community