Madness: In The Trenches of America's Troubled Department of Veteran Affairs

Book excerpt: Enter the Kafkaesque world of America’s famous but notorious Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), where returning soldiers seek a new start to the rest of their lives. Can they overcome the traumas of war, and military service, if they are also at war with the VA? The answer is both No – government bureaucracy can be as formidable a foe as that on any battlefield or in the barracks – and Yes, given veterans’ willingness to face the demons of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), drug addiction and other military-related traumas with the help of fiercely committed social workers, psychologists and healthcare experts. Andrea Plate, author and Licensed Clinical Social Worker, spent 15 years working with America’s wounded warriors. From battlefield to bedside to group talk-therapy, she exposes the human face of war, up close and personal, and some of the most remarkably resilient souls who survived it.