Wounded Warrior, Wounded Home

For every wounded warrior, there is a wounded home--an immediate and extended family and community impacted by their loved one's war experiences. Every day service members are returning from combat deployments to their families. And every day war comes home with them.

When a combat veteran struggles with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and/or traumatic brain injury (TBI), every member of the family experiences the effects. Spouses, parents, and children must undergo changes on the home front, a process that resembles the phases of grief. Confusion, hurt, anger, guilt, fatigue, and fear lie behind their brave smiles and squared shoulders.

Wounded Warrior, Wounded Home gives hurting families a look inside the minds and hearts of wounded warriors and guides them in developing their own personal plan for physical, emotional, and spiritual wholeness in the wake of war. The authors, one the wife of a career US Navy SEAL and the other a clinical psychologist and Vietnam veteran, speak from their own experiences of living with PTSD and TBI. They also share insights from dozens of families and careful research, offering readers a hope-filled way forward.

"No family, not even a military one, is ever prepared for the holes that war and conflict punch out of our loved ones. Waddell and Orr's heartbreakingly beautiful book, Wounded Warrior, Wounded Home, is not only a personal road map that gives voice to what families go through, it is a guide to help others heal. This is a must-read for anyone living with or loving individuals with post-traumatic stress disorder and traumatic brain injury."

Lee Woodruff, author of Those We Love Most; coauthor of the bestselling In an Instant; co-founder of the Bob Woodruff Foundation (www.remind.org); contributing editor to CBS This Morning

"Military families are some of the greatest heroes of this generation. Unfortunately, their story of sacrifice is rarely told. Kelly and Marshéle have firsthand experience with the difficulties a military family goes through when a warrior returns home from the trauma of combat. Buy this book if you are a military family or want to know how you can support and encourage military families around you."

Jeff Struecker, pastor, national speaker, and veteran whose story is featured in the movie and book Black Hawk Down

"Wounded Warrior, Wounded Home is a story of courage and hope and healing. Its courage plunges us into the abyss of grief and sorrow, of loss and suffering, of anger and despair that is a daily reality for the soldier wounded by PTSD and TBI. But piercing through this darkness is a ray of hope; hope that the ocean of darkness can be overcome by the ocean of God's light and life, hope that it truly is possible to win out over compassion fatigue, hope that a new life-giving normal is attainable. And hope opens the door to healing; a healing that, while never perfect, is real and powerful and substantial. Wounded Warrior, Wounded Home is essential reading for all who love and are connected to the life and service of a combat veteran. For your sake, for your loved one's sake, get this book."

Dr. Richard J. Foster, author of several books, including Celebration of Discipline and Sanctuary of the Soul, and founder of Renovaré Ministries International

"Men and women returning from the front lines and those who support them from the home front face serious lifelong challenges in the aftermath of war. Wounded Warrior, Wounded Home provides knowledge, insight, support, and guidance to ease the adjustment experienced by all in the wake of combat. Waddell and Orr provide a resource that brings hope and healing to those who love, work, and live with our returning service members."

Roger Staubach, Hall of Fame Dallas Cowboys quarterback, Naval Academy graduate, and Vietnam veteran

"Challenges deeper than the physical wounds haunt the homes of our military families; these challenges are often unseen by the public. They are the invisible wounds of war. Military families, you are not alone on your journey. You are deserving of the help and hope given in Wounded Warrior, Wounded Home. You hold the key to adjusting to your new normal and living a positive and empowered life."

Tara E. Crooks, co-founder of Army Wife Network and coauthor of 1001 Things to Love about Military Life

"Wounded Warrior, Wounded Home is a book that everyone whose life is connected to a combat veteran should read. Through my work with military families, I have seen that there is hope to be found in the voices of real families living victoriously in the aftermath of war. This hope is what Marshéle Carter Waddell and Kelly K. Orr, PhD, bring to these noble families. The authors masterfully deal with the wounds of the present conflicts of PTSD and TBI by helping families navigate a road filled with unfamiliar dangers and a new kind of normal. I highly recommend this book to those in a military marriage and extended family members as well as churches, communities, and all who work with veterans of combat wars. The healing found in this book is the difference between life and death and is a must-read for anyone who loves a combat veteran."

Ellie Kay, America's Military Family Expert™, bestselling author of Heroes at Home, international speaker, and media veteran

"Freedom from a darkness that has haunted for way too long! As the founder of a center that treats PTSD, I can personally tell you there are healing words of hope in these pages for you or a loved one."

Gregory L. Jantz, PhD, C.E.D.S, founder of The Center for Counseling & Health Resources, Inc., and author ofHealing the Scars of Emotional Abuse