Spring Break
The Daily OrangeAuthor, doctor discusses mental dangers of war
By Julia Terruso
Posted: 4/2/08, 11:29 PM EST Section: News
Dr. Jonathan Shay's opening message wasn't what one might expect to hear at a lecture given by an award-winning author.
"Not a blessed thing I have to say in this regard is new," he said. "Nothing, nothing, nothing, nothing, nothing."
Shay went on to explain this statement to the crowd of nearly 100 students and faculty who gathered to hear him speak Wednesday in Maxwell Auditorium.
"I've had the great privilege of stating the obvious," Shay said. "The Iliad is about war and what matters to soldiers in war. As long as human beings engage in the social practice of war and coming home from war, the Homeric experiments will offer substantial insights to today."
The lecture, titled "Homer on Military Leadership," was part of the Moses Finley Memorial Lecture series celebrating ancient historians.
Shay is the author of two books: "Achilles in Vietnam: Combat Trauma" and "The Undoing of Character and Odysseus in America: Combat Trauma and the Trials of Homecoming." Both offer insight into psychological injuries sustained by ancient Greek and modern American soldiers.
"Dr. Shay has taught us to listen to the words of veterans and attend to what they have to say about their experiences in warfare," said Donald Mills, professor of classical languages and literatures.
Shay refers to himself a missionary for psychologically injured combat veterans.
"I've worked with (them) for 20 years," he said. "Those veterans don't want other kids to be wrecked in the same way they were."
Much of Shay's research focuses on the ecology of power within allied forces. While the enemy matters in times of war, Shay said the most detrimental thing to a veteran's life and peace of mind is a failure or malpractice within his or her own force.
"It's almost as though the enemy does not have the power to truly wreck the spirit of the fighting man or woman in a healthy military organization," he said.
An unhealthy military organization is another story and one first told by Homer more than 1,000 years ago.
"Not a blessed thing I have to say in this regard is new," he said. "Nothing, nothing, nothing, nothing, nothing."
Shay went on to explain this statement to the crowd of nearly 100 students and faculty who gathered to hear him speak Wednesday in Maxwell Auditorium.
"I've had the great privilege of stating the obvious," Shay said. "The Iliad is about war and what matters to soldiers in war. As long as human beings engage in the social practice of war and coming home from war, the Homeric experiments will offer substantial insights to today."
The lecture, titled "Homer on Military Leadership," was part of the Moses Finley Memorial Lecture series celebrating ancient historians.
Shay is the author of two books: "Achilles in Vietnam: Combat Trauma" and "The Undoing of Character and Odysseus in America: Combat Trauma and the Trials of Homecoming." Both offer insight into psychological injuries sustained by ancient Greek and modern American soldiers.
"Dr. Shay has taught us to listen to the words of veterans and attend to what they have to say about their experiences in warfare," said Donald Mills, professor of classical languages and literatures.
Shay refers to himself a missionary for psychologically injured combat veterans.
"I've worked with (them) for 20 years," he said. "Those veterans don't want other kids to be wrecked in the same way they were."
Much of Shay's research focuses on the ecology of power within allied forces. While the enemy matters in times of war, Shay said the most detrimental thing to a veteran's life and peace of mind is a failure or malpractice within his or her own force.
"It's almost as though the enemy does not have the power to truly wreck the spirit of the fighting man or woman in a healthy military organization," he said.
An unhealthy military organization is another story and one first told by Homer more than 1,000 years ago.
Be the first to comment on this story