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The Untold War: Inside the Hearts, Minds, and Souls of Our Soldiers 1st Edition

by Nancy Sherman (Author)
4.8 4.8 out of 5 stars 23 ratings
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A unique analysis of the moral weight of warfare today through the lenses of philosophy and psychology.

Philosopher, ethicist, and psychoanalyst Nancy Sherman explores the psychological and moral burdens borne by soldiers. By illuminating the extent to which wars are fought internally as well as externally, this book expands the national discussion about war and the men and women who fight our nation’s battles. With close-up looks at servicemen and ―women preparing for, experiencing, and returning home from war, Sherman probes the psyche of today’s soldiers―examining how they learn to kill and to leave the killing behind. Bringing to light the moral quandaries soldiers face―torture, the thin line between fighters and civilians, and the anguish of killing even in a just war―Sherman bares the souls of our soldiers and the emotional landscape of soldiering. At the heart of the book are interviews with soldiers, from the current wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, but also from Vietnam and World Wars I and II.
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  1. ISBN-10
    0393064816
  2. ISBN-13
    978-0393064810
  3. Edition
    1st
  4. Publisher
    W. W. Norton & Company
  5. Publication date
    March 1, 2010
  6. Language
    English
  7. Dimensions
    6.5 x 1.2 x 9.6 inches
  8. Print length
    352 pages
  9. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

Philosopher and psychoanalyst Sherman brings both perspectives when listening to soldiers sort out their feelings about war, the killing, reintegration into society, and survivor guilt. Sherman focuses on interviews with 40 soldiers—from the Vietnam era through the current wars in Iraq and Afghanistan—at various points in their military careers and expands her examination to the impact of war on the families of soldiers. Referring to philosophers from Aristotle to Seneca to Epictetus, she explores the moral dilemma of justifying killing in war, struggles with the morality of some wars, the political obfuscation for war, denigration of the enemy, torture of prisoners, the morality of interrogators, and the worries of being held prisoner. On a broader level, Sherman explores the practical need to compartmentalize military and civilian life but the moral need not to compartmentalize so much that humanity is lost. Sherman, who has worked with the military on trauma and ethics issues, offers penetrating portraits of the individual struggles of soldiers and profound insights on aspects of war that civilians rarely consider. --Vanessa Bush

Review

"Starred Review. At a time when suicide rates among veterans is increasing sharply, this empathic examination of ‘the moral weight that soldiers carry on their shoulders’ is essential reading."
― Publishers Weekly

"Nancy Sherman, a professor of philosophy at Georgetown University who has written a book about the moral implications of war on troops, The Untold War, said dehumanizing the enemy can be a psychological defense mechanism for the troops whose job is to kill that enemy. 'Desecrating bodies is not routine, nor is it expected or condoned,' Ms. Sherman said. 'But you can understand it, in complicated ways. Because war requires a very complicated moral psyche."
― James Dao, New York Times

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ W. W. Norton & Company; 1st edition (March 1, 2010)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 352 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0393064816
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0393064810
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.15 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6.5 x 1.2 x 9.6 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.8 4.8 out of 5 stars 23 ratings

About the author

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Nancy Sherman

Nancy Sherman

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Nancy Sherman is a New York Times notable author. A distinguished University Professor of Philosophy at Georgetown, she writes on ethics and military ethics. She served as the inaugural Distinguished Chair in Ethics at the U.S. Naval Academy. A Guggenheim Fellow, she has awards from the National Endowment from the Humanities, the Mellon Fellowship, the Wilson Center, the NYU Center for Ballet and the Arts, among others. She has research training in psychoanalysis. Sherman has written six books, edited others, and authored more than 60 articles. She lectures nationally and internationally on Stoicism, moral injury, ethics, and military ethics. She holds a Ph.D. from Harvard University.

Sherman's work on military and ancient ethics has been featured in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, Time Magazine, Newsweek, The Boston Globe, The San Diego Tribune, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, The Baltimore Sun, The Hartford Courant as well as in many other newspapers. She has appeared on CNN, MSNBC, PBS, WB11, FOX news, and Bob Abernathy's Religion and Ethics Newsweekly. She has been a featured guest on over 50 radio stations nationwide, including NPR's “Diane Rehm Show,” "This American Life," and the "Kojo Nnamdi Show,” the BBC, and more. She is a frequent guest on podcasts on Stoicism and Stoic meditation and online fora. She has also been featured on radio stations abroad, including the Australian Broadcasting Company.

Sherman lives in the Washington D.C. area with her husband, Marshall Presser. They have two grown married children and grandchildren. She is a modern dancer, swims outdoors year-round, and adores hiking with the family. Gardening is also a passion. In the summer, you can find her playing in the mud in the garden!

Customer reviews

4.8 out of 5 stars
4.8 out of 5
23 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Mark S. Mandell
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent, compassionate analysis
Reviewed in the United States on April 4, 2010
Verified Purchase
One might be hard pressed to find a better, more thoroughly written coverage about the predicaments of
the soldiers(which includes former veterans of previous wars and the current wars in Iraq & Afghanistan). Ms. Sherman approaches the issue from a compassionate perspective and is probably wise in not expressing any personal commentary about the wisdom(or lack of such)in having the U.S. committed to these wars(including the Vietnam War because as traumatic as the experience of the POW was there, some would argue that his participation in a war of dubious moral value meant he just about deserved whatever punishment he got; after all, no telling how many civilians were killed or injured through his bombing missions).
3 people found this helpful
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Eddie Castagna
5.0 out of 5 stars To servicemen who have kept our country safe: Thank you for your service.
Reviewed in the United States on February 7, 2017
Verified Purchase
I thank our soldiers every chance that I get.

The message from within Untold War is that
- The participants in war sometimes do things which might not come naturally to them
- And then will include those memories as part of the new person they become.
- Some memories are harder than others to carry with you.

To servicemen who have helped keep our country safe: Thank you for your service.
One person found this helpful
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Kelly Jo
5.0 out of 5 stars One of the best books on veteran issues I've read in a long time.
Reviewed in the United States on December 27, 2016
Verified Purchase
As a current PhD candidate at Gonzaga University, my passions are veterans and their families. This book was helpful toward my candidacy paper. It was insightful with the narratives from those men and women who were 'there'. I would enjoy having coffee with the author to have a rich discussion regarding veteran issues.
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P Clay Carter
5.0 out of 5 stars For Everyone
Reviewed in the United States on August 18, 2013
Verified Purchase
I wish this book would be read by every citizen. Although I have had appreciation for the courage and sacrifice of military people all my life, the book gave me a deeper understanding of the personal cost of combat.
I wish that this book would be required reading for every lawmaker or politician who faces decisions about war and military personnel.
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Gordon Smith
5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
Reviewed in the United States on July 14, 2014
Verified Purchase
Comprehensive and compassionate exploration of moral injury aspects of issues for returning soldiers
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LD
5.0 out of 5 stars The VA and political leaders have failed miserably
Reviewed in the United States on March 1, 2012
The US has been in so many wars over the last 70 years that it is inexcusable that administrators and healthcare providers have not found ways to help vets cope with the mental aftereffects of combat and interrogation. P.20 "war sears memories...about what they did and did not do, what they saw but could not prevent, and will haunt them for the rest of their lives."

A very close friend who was on Guadalcanal would still wake up in terror 30 years later remembering when the Japanese walked past his foxhole during the night on search and destroy missions. To fire, breathe, or have a Japanese step into your hole meant immediate death. As Sherman mentions, WW2 was thought of differently and the psychological aspect was rarely dealt with.

P.41 Soldiers don't want their willingness to serve exploited for a cause that is unworthy or for a war grounded in unjustified fear or waged for a pretext. When they believe that has happened, the betrayal felt is profound. Jim Stockdale and Hank McQueeny both testify that the US destroyers were ordered to sail close enough to N. Vietnam to get PT boats to come out. Nothing. The destroyers fired at the ocean and the Air Force pilots reported no sightings. The Gulf of Tonkin "incident" was justification for the war.

Stockdale's captivity and torture are later examined in the discussion of Stoicism. This is a technique used by interrogator, torturer, and recipient to emotionally distance themselves from the act. Sherman is very good at exposing the aftereffects (including the feeling of betrayal) as not one sided.

P.174 NCOs suffer PSTD 12% after one tour, 19% after 2, 27% after 3. This is a huge problem that is beginning to become a problem for the public at large. Will the bureaucrats do anything? Those who collect body parts or who are wounded dwarf even these figures. Surprisingly even journalists covering the wars return too stressed to resume mundane life.

The book is thorough in examining the variety of life stories of the interviewees. Personally I felt all the references to Greek philosophers was overdone and an attempt to make her field of philosophy/psychoanalyst into science when it is not. But I commend her for trying to get these issues before the public and get some funding for really helping these people who are suffering.
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majord04
5.0 out of 5 stars Nancy Sherman took the time to get it right!
Reviewed in the United States on March 6, 2010
I met Nancy Sherman at the Malogne House, a former VIP hotel converted to soldiers' quarters for returning OEF/OIF veterans. I agreed to the interviews because of her obvious dedication to getting the story of the Untold War from the soldier's perspective. Despite how hard it may have been to talk about, Dr. Sherman's warmth and genuineness came through during every session. This book tells many stories far more deserving and intense than my own, both accurately and well. Her style takes you back in time to Homer, the Stoics, and incorporates ancient and more recent psychology on war and warriors - the warrior code, the effects of war on the hardened Ranger infantry officer and the young twenty year old sniper. As a reservist there is another dimension. You have a full time commitment mentally and spiritually, but must balance this against the normal rigors of life... until you get the phone call that changes everything. Nancy Sherman understands the dynamic of the dedicated reservist as well as the fully devoted and hardened life-long career soldier. This book should be required reading for anyone sending America's best into harm's way, and just as importantly, welcoming them home again.

MAJ(R) Anthony F. DeStefano
US ARMY Signal Corps
OEF/OIF 2001-2003
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