"An IED on the Yellow Brick Road."

Meet Four Fictional Veterans the Whole Country Can Learn From

11 August 2012 - A Note From the Author

Over the years I have written sparingly about my war experiences, and I've talked about it even less. The reasons are varied, but most significantly, perhaps, is that those experiences are among the few things I truly own in this life. I believe we veterans must own our pain and pride of serving in the terrible, sweet beauty that is war. That ownership is our salvation.

I have never accepted the urban legends about war or veterans, or the portrayal of veterans as victims. I can never accept that there is always money for war but not for surviving war. I hate the acronyms and labels - such as Agent Orange, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), military sexual trauma (MST), traumatic brain injury (TBI), caregiver - that are used so glibly to anesthetize and categorize human trauma.

My book, "An IED on the Yellow Brick Road," began in the whispers of night with the question: What if the Scarecrow, the Tin Man and the Cowardly Lion were veterans lost on the yellow brick road home from war? read more>>>