Voices of Vets : A Bridge Back to the World

Voices of Vets draws upon work that began in a five day retreat that focused upon healing from the effects of combat and dealing with the post-traumatic stresses that follow exposure to modern warfare. The retreat was facilitated by author Michael Meade, a Vietnam era veteran, noted mythologist, author, and storyteller, along with experts in the field of trauma recovery.

Healing only happens where and when the burdens of war can be shared by the greater community. A public gathering allows citizens to become compassionate witnesses to the stories of war and the need for conscious and genuine acts of witnessing and welcoming. As one of the veterans put it in a poem:''Can we create a village as strong as a war?''

The suffering and sacrifice of veterans must be acknowledged at a genuine human level just as quality medical treatments must reflect the nature of physical wounds. A genuine rite of return for veterans involves an open and compassionate community that fully acknowledges the courage and the wounds of those who return from battle as well as fully grieves those whose lives ended in the unforgiving fields of war. Excerpted from Michael Meade s introduction to Voices of Vets. Includes a foreword by Peggy Rubin, an essay by Michael Meade, and an afterword by Michael Maxwell.