War has always been used by governments and political groups to achieve certain political goals (Brodie, Rein, and Smith 166-168). Although it leaves behind many casualties, the casualties of war are not just limited to the soldiers and civilians who die as a result of the conflict. Many military personnel who survive the battlefield are forever haunted by what they witness during the service that leads to their death: “In every war American soldiers have fought in this century, the chances of becoming a psychiatric casualty – of being debilitated for a period of time as a result of the strains of military life – they were more likely to be killed by enemy fire” (Gabriel 77). The wounds inflicted on their bodies soon disappear, but their souls often remain scars that mar the rest of their lives and extend to their surroundings: the anger, sadness, fear and anguish they experience are often manifested through abuse and violence aimed at their loved ones. those who cause emotional and physical distress to their families. The emotional wounds and suffering endured by soldiers' families are depicted in Timothy Findley's “Stones.” We often imagine that the return of soldiers from foreign lands is festive; people gathered on every street corner cheering the return of their loved ones - the return of their heroes. As a child, Ben, the narrator of “Stones,” also had this expectation: “I wanted drums. I wanted some trumpets. Surely this ghostly, relentless sound of marching feet in deadly sand was just a prelude to everyone standing and clapping and the music blaring” (Findley 139). After all, these soldiers had survived the war; they should be happy to be alive, and their fa... middle of paper... who witnessed the destruction and came away physically unscathed - afraid of surviving the war. Upon their return, the soldiers relive over and over again what they saw during their service, and this leads to their deaths and the destruction of their families; a traumatized soldier will never truly be whole again: unlike a broken bone, a broken spirit cannot be mended. Works Cited Boemeke, Manfred, et al. The Treaty of Versailles: reassessment after 75 years. New York: Cambridge University Press, 1998. Brodie, Janine, Rein, Sandra and Malinda, Smith. Critical Concepts: An Introduction to Politics. 5th ed. Toronto: Pearson, 2013Findley, Timothy. “Stones”. English 1801: Introduction to Prose Fiction. Brad Simkulet. Mount Allison University, 2013.Gabriel, Richard. No more heroes: madness and psychiatry at war. New York: Hill and Wang, 1988.