Grow Up to Go to War: What Janet Burroway’s Memoir Teaches Us About Military Moral Injury

GROW UP TO GO TO WAR

I am in awe of this book: Janet Burroway, Losing Tim, A Memoir: The Life and Death of an American Contractor in Iraq. I am in awe of the clarity and knowledge of writing, of the pain of the author, and of her courage.

From the Introduction by Jonathan Shay, a clinical psychiatrist treating combat trauma suffered by Vietnam veterans:

“Moral injury occurs when there is a betrayal of what’s right in a high stakes situation by someone in legitimate authority. . . Despair kills. The person in despair loses hope of ever inhabiting virtue. Despair and suicidality are consequences of moral injury, as, surprisingly, so is shame. ‘I’m ashamed to be an American’—Tim’s words, not long before his suicide, from this deeply patriotic Army officer.”

“Wars happen because people try to make others live by their value systems. Families are rent for the same reason. I would not be a party to that. And Tim was broad-minded enough to say, ‘It’s a good thing it’s you who’s the liberal, Mom. If I was the parent, I wouldn’t let you be you the way you’ve let me be me.'” p. 10

There’s a lot of information in this book. Here we can obtain some real understanding of what our military can do to our sons and daughters:

“The Army study had not been released that showed a one-in-three rate of depression and anxiety for Iraq veterans. The statistical incidence of post-Iraq veterans stress disorder had not been calculated. . . . Colonel Ted Westhusing had not been found shot dead in his trailer on a Baghdad base, nor e-mailed his family that honor had been replaced by profit. He had not yet written: ‘I am sullied. I came to serve honorably and feel dishonored.'” p. 35

And there is so much more:

“Preexisting condition is insurance-speak for claim denied. The French in World War I refused to recognize the phenomenon of shell shock by blaming ‘preexisting conditions’ for all subsequent mental breakdown. An estimate by British authorities puts at over three hundred, in the same war, the number of soldier shell-shock victims executed for cowardice. In the First Gulf War, V.A. doctors recognized as a distinct group those ‘most genetically vulnerable’ to Sarin nerve gas, but not to PTSD or suicide. In Iraq, American soldiers suffering from clinical depression and post-traumatic stress were treated with drugs and sent back into combat.” p. 134-135

I’d like to close with a Chris Hedges quote from War Is a Force That Gives Us Meaning:

“Many young men, schooled in the notion that war is the ultimate definition of manhood, that only in war will they be tested and proven, that they can discover their worth as human beings in battle, willingly join the great enterprise.” For such young men “the high-blown rhetoric” and “the ideal of nobility beckon them forward.”

“If these young men are hoodwinked into a certain brand of order, sold on a promise of glory and nobility by the same means as they are hooked into Action Man, PlayStation and Big Mac, we may not say so. It would undermine the troops. It would give aid and comfort to the enemy.”

Thank you for reading. — JoAnnLordahl.com

Dr. Jo Ann Lordahl is a lifelong author, poet, novelist, and speaker whose work explores empowerment, aging with grace, and the deep questions that define our lives. Her books and reflections — from historical fiction to meditations on creative living — encourage resilience, reflection, and positive transformation.

If this post stirs questions about moral courage, shared humanity, or the work of healing in hard times, consider exploring Dr. Lordahl’s writing — especially her essays and books on reflection and personal transformation. Her voice reminds us that even in upheaval, there is a path toward patience, insight, and compassionate action.