Caring for War Veterans: It's in the Game

Halpern, Sue. “Annals of Psychology-Virtual Iraq.” The New Yorker. The New Yorker, 19 May 2008. Web. 2 March 2010.

Read this article

Since the beginning of the war in 2001, there have been more than 1.6 million military personal deployed to battle in Iraq, and other Middle Eastern territories. According to a recent study by the RAND Corporation, nearly twenty percent of Iraq and Afghanistan war veterans are suffering from P.T.S.D. or other major depression disorders. In her 2008 feature article entitled, “Virtual Iraq” Sue Halpern discusses a twentieth century version of treatment that she believes should be used on all veterans. Virtual Iraq is basically a video game that is designed around each individual soldier’s experiences, and allows them to reconnect with their traumatic encounters and move on from them. She tells the influential story of Travis Boyd, a soldier who returned home from battle and was not remotely close to the person who left. He avoided large crowds of people, occasionally rode in cars with the door open to look for mortars in the road, and was frightened to walk outside in the dark. Halpern discusses how she and a team of scientists confronted Boyd with an offer to go through the treatment. She reports that his progress was extremely slow, but was clearly evident after a few weeks. Due to the Virtual Iraq treatment, Boyd is now capable of meeting new people, living a healthy life without assistance, and completely depression free.

After reading and analyzing the article, the author’s point of view, purpose, and values are clearly perceptible. Halpern is passionately worried about war veterans, and believes that they should receive the proper care they deserve for the work they put in. Her point of view is undoubtedly important seeing that she is considering the overall wellbeing of all the brave soldiers fighting for our country. In order to illustrate her seriousness on the matter, the author goes into great detail about Boyd’s story. She uses graphic illusions, detailed analysis, and effective personification to allow the reader to fully connect with his story. Once she has the reader’s full attention and compassion, she introduces the Virtual Iraq therapy. Seeing that she discusses the therapy when the reader is in a state of weakness and empathy, they are more likely to see the seriousness of the disorder and see the need for the therapy. This effective strategy allows Halpern to get her message across in a successful manner, and her audience is fully capable of seeing the need to care for all war veterans.