Moral Injury
Unseen Wounds in an Age of Barbarism
Edited by Tom Frame

Published by UNSW Press
$39.99 in paperback
ISBN 9781742234656

This is a collection of essays from ex-soldiers, military historians, chaplains and psychologists that examines the unseen wounds sustained by Australians deployed to armed conflict zones, on peacekeeping missions and humanitarian assistance as well as disaster relief.

This book is the outcome of the first Australian moral injury symposium held in February 2015. The symposium considered two related questions.

Firstly, what evidence supports the existence of moral injury and is moral injury a new experience or simply a new name? And, secondly, if moral injury does exist, how does any Australian experience of moral injury compare with that sustained by the personnel of its operating partners?

The book is divided into six perspectives:

• Historical
• Personal
• Ethical
• Psychological
• Practical
• Religious

This is an important book in that it examines the Australian experience whereas much of the previous knowledge about these issues came via American or other studies.

As Tom Frame writes in the conclusion, there is much more to be known about moral injury:

… this book and the further inquiry that it suggests is propelled by a common concern for those who have been affected by uniformed service. It is also an expression of esteem and respect. – Tom Frame

It is the first book in a series to be produced by the Australian Centre for the Study of Armed Conflict and Society (ACSACS) – a UNSW Canberra Research Centre at ADFA.

You can see more about the centre’s activities at www.acsacs.unsw.adfa.edu.au