Healing Your Grieving Heart After a Military Death ─ 100 Practical Ideas for Families and Friends

Practical methods for healing after the loss of a member of the military

When a loved one is killed in the line of duty, this book affirms that survivors’ grief is shaped by the unique circumstances of the death. Because military deaths are almost always sudden and violent, the traumatic nature of the loss creates a two-part grief—one focused on the manner in which the person died, the other focused on the long-term repercussions of life without this special person. This guide acknowledges the unique mixture of sadness, pride, anger, and blame that often characterizes grief after a military death, including in the event of a military suicide, and offers ideas for constructively expressing thoughts and feelings. Anyone whose life has been touched by a military death will find compassionate understanding and healing guidance in the pages of this handbook.

Bonnie Carroll is the president and founder of the Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors, which she founded in 1994 following the death of her husband, Brigadier General Tom Carroll, in an Army aviation crash. She is a veteran of the United States Air Force with more than 30 years of service in the Air National Guard and Air Force Reserve. She currently serves on several boards of director for initiatives supporting the military and their families and is the author of numerous publications on grief, trauma, and ongoing aftercare for military survivors. She lives in Washington, DC and Anchorage, Alaska.Alan D. Wolfelt, PhD, CT, is a speaker, a grief counselor, and the director of the Center for Loss and Life Transition. He is the author of numerous books, includingCompanioning the Bereaved, Companioning the Grieving Child, Healing Your Traumatized Heart, andUnderstanding Your Grief, among many other bestselling titles on healing in grief. He lives in Fort Collins, Colorado.