Soul Wound: An Interview on Moral Injury in the Military
/Photo courtesy of Sarah Cramer Shields Photography.
Meet Eric Liddick. Eric is a major in the US Army’s Judge Advocate Generals corps. He is a former member of the 75th Ranger Regiment and 82nd airborne division. His service includes multiple deployments to Afghanistan, and maybe most importantly, he has a super cute dog.
Eric was part of a counter-terrorism mission in Afghanistan, which means, essentially, capturing or killing enemies of the United States. But one aspect of his role as a Judge Advocate was this: answering the question of whether or not it was legal - in keeping with the laws of war - to kill a specific individual who was being targeted. So in this episode, we talk about the immense weight of that. We discuss the fact that when we think of the lingering trauma of war, we think about people who were on the ground being shot at. We don’t tend to consider those who were maybe more removed from immediate danger, but who still carry guilt, shame, and pain.
We also talk about what it’s like to be a highly sensitive and introverted person in the military, the impact of post traumatic stress and moral injury, and what happens when you feel that you have betrayed yourself and you’re no longer the person you thought you were.
Show notes
Eric’s article on Moral Injury - No Legal Objection, Per Se - War on the Rocks
The Dark Night of the Soul - Psychiatric Times
Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking by Susan Cain
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Crisis support:
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Theme music: Dulcinea by Steve Adams