Some of [\u201cThe Good Soldiers,\u201d\u009d Mr. Finkel’s previous] book\u2019s most powerful passages dealt with the war after the war \u201d\u201d the efforts of the soldiers to come to terms with their injuries and ineradicable memories, and to try to readjust to ordinary life back home in the States. Mr. Finkel\u2019s new book, \u201cThank You for Your Service,\u201d\u009d amplifies that story, tracking the lives of some of the same soldiers after their deployments have ended. They and their families attempt to recover some facsimile of normalcy or, in the words of one veteran\u2019s wife, \u201ccome up with reasonable expectations of what can be,\u201d\u009d given their lingering physical and psychological wounds.<\/p>\n
This is a heartbreaking book powered by the candor with which these veterans and their families have told their stories, the intimate access they have given Mr. Finkel (an editor and writer for The Washington Post) into their daily lives, and their own eloquence in speaking about their experiences. The book leaves the reader wondering why the Veterans Affairs Department cannot provide better, more accessible care for wounded warriors. And why soldiers suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder \u201d\u201d which Mr. Finkel says studies show afflicts 20 to 30 percent of the two million Americans who have served in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan \u201d\u201d must often wade through so much paperwork and bureaucracy to obtain meaningful treatment.<\/p>\n