Achilles in Vietnam

May 2, 1994
Shay is a psychiatrist specializing in treating Vietnam veterans with chronic post-traumatic stress syndrome. In this provocative monograph, he relates their experiences to Homer's portrait of Achilles in The Illiad. War, he argues, generates rage because of its intrinsic unfairness. Only one's special comrades can be trusted. The death of Patroklos drove Achilles first into passionate grief, then into berserk wrath. Shay establishes convincing parallels to combat in Vietnam, where the war was considered meaningless and mourning for dead friends was thwarted by an indifferent command structure. He convincingly recommends policies of unit rotation and unit ``griefwork''--official recognition of combat losses--as keys to sustaining what he calls a moral existence during war's human encounters. The alternatives are unrestrained revenge-driven behavior, endless reliving of the guilt such behavior causes and the ruin of good character. Shay's ideas merit attention by soldiers and scholars alike.

David Strathairn gives an excellent narration of this fascinating and insightful look at how war affects the psyches of men. The author looks closely at Homer's ILIAD, and, to a lesser extent, at other accounts of men in battle. Drawing on his own experience of counseling combat veterans of the Vietnam War, Shay compares instances of grief, betrayal, and "going berserk," among other battle behaviors in the ILIAD, with what his patients have undergone. Ultimately, he finds that, truly, "there's nothing new under the sun." Strathairn's delivery of narrative has a somewhat staccato intonation, similar to that of a news reporter. He's precise and easy to follow when speaking, and his clear voice adds dramatic effects as needed. M.T.F. � AudioFile 2019, Portland, Maine