5/7/2023 0 Comments Emily wilson the illiadThe battles for Fallujah and the Pech Valley may have ended, but many soldiers are still fighting. The Odyssey contains ancient wisdom of enduring value that is once again relevant for a country that has deployed and redeployed hundreds of thousands of service members during twenty years of expeditionary conflict in Iraq and Afghanistan. Homer explores this theme through the attempts of his hero, Odysseus, to return to his kingdom on the island of Ithaca after the Trojan War. The Greek poet Homer was one of the first to illuminate these overlooked aspects of post-war reintegration in his epic poem, The Odyssey. A new struggle often awaits veterans as they try to restore their place or find a new place in the families and communities they left behind. For many of the soldiers who fought the post-9/11 battles and lived, the war did not end when they departed the combat zone it has only just begun. However, there are unseen costs that are often overlooked. and allied service members’ casualties, refugees and civilian deaths, and the financial debt left for future generations to repay, these are the observable costs and the easiest to count. What are the true costs of the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq? While a full audit would certainly include the U.S. “You think of going home as honey-sweet, but gods will make it bitter.” Homer (282) The Odyssey, by Homer and translated by Emily Wilson (W.
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