In these unvarnished, firsthand accounts of Australian military involvement, veterans and their families talk about the lasting effects of the experience of war. Opening with the gripping account of a Special Air Service veteran's involvement in the 2002 Afghanistan conflict and the subsequent invasion of Iraq, this work addresses the core meaning of every major war Australians have served in since World War II. The horrors of land mines and rocket launchers are coupled with the aftereffects of battle on veterans and their loved ones, highlighting the personal costs of political decisions to resolve conflict through war or peacekeeping missions.