Steven Elliott - War Story

Army Ranger Sergeant Steven Elliott has written one of the most compelling and moving personal narratives on war-stress injury; moral pain; and the long, twisted road to recovery that I have ever read! War Story is a must-read for active-duty personnel, veterans, family members, friends of veterans, clergy, healthcare professionals, and mental health clinicians alike.

MARK C. RUSSELL, P H D, ABPP

Commander, US Navy (Ret.)

Steven Elliott is a determined warrior who volunteered to serve his country out of a sense of duty a sacred obligation he felt was his as an American citizen. This book, War Story, recalls a tragic event in one of the worlds best-trained and most capable combat units, an American Ranger battalion. More important, Steve courageously shares the deeply personal effects of posttraumatic stress from this combat action that nearly destroyed him and his family. This is an absolute must-read for every professional soldier. War Story should make leaders reexamine how the unseen wounds of war are addressed within the Department of Defense!

JAY W. HOOD

Major General, US Army (Ret.)

Steven Elliotts War Story includes the final day of combat for Pat Tillman. Steve discovered how hard it is to ask for help in bearing the fog and the wounds war. This book is about courage, facing the past, and winning the future. It is an inspiration to all of us who bore the battle.

CHARLES R. FIGLEY, P H D

Distinguished Chair and Professor and Traumatology Institute Director, Tulane University, New Orleans

All proceeds from the writing of this book that would otherwise be payable to the author willbe donated to the Elliott Fund, a nonprofit organization dedicated to meeting the mental healthneeds of the active-duty and veteran community. Visit www.elliottfund.org.

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War Story: A Memoir

Copyright 2019 by Steven Elliott. All rights reserved.

Cover photograph of soldier copyright Stephen Mulcahey/Trevillion Images. All rights reserved.

Author photograph by Thom King. Copyright Tyndale House Publishers, Inc. All rights reserved.

Interior photographs of Steven Elliott family and Hazel copyright Andrea Shamansky/Reverie Images. All rights reserved, and used with permission.

Interior photograph of sand texture by Annie Spratt on Unsplash.

Unless otherwise noted, all interior photographs are from the personal collection of the author and used with permission.

Designed by Dean H. Renninger

Published in association with the literary agency of Tandem Sports + Entertainment, 2900 Crystal Drive, Suite 420, Arlington, VA 22202.

Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version, NIV. Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Names: Elliott, Steven (Steven V.), date- author.

Title: War story : a memoir / Steven Elliott.

Description: Carol Stream, Illinois : Tyndale Momentum, the nonfiction imprint of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., [2019] | Includes bibliographical references.

Identifiers: LCCN 2018051246| ISBN 9781496429919 (hc : alk. paper) | ISBN 9781496429926 (sc : alk. paper)

Subjects: LCSH: Elliott, Steven (Steven V.), date- | Afghan War, 2001---Personal narratives, American. | Tillman, Pat, 1976-2004--Death and burial. | Friendly fire (Military science)--Psychological aspects. | Soldiers--United States--Biography. | United States. Army. Ranger Regiment, 75th--Biography. | Healing--Religious aspects--Christianity. | Redemption.

Classification: LCC DS371.413 .E45 2019 | DDC 958.104/742 [B] --dc23 LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2018051246

ISBN 978-1-4964-2994-0 (ePub); ISBN 978-1-4964-2993-3 (Kindle); ISBN 978-1-4964-2995-7 (Apple)

Build: 2021-04-21 22:38:08 EPUB 3.0

To the warrior who is fallen

the heart that is broken

and the wanderer, lost and longing for home

A special thanks to writer, editor, and friend Jim Lund. You helped me find the story and write it down. Thank you for your commitment to this work and for being a part of our story, a story that continues to be written.

Wars take many shapes and sizes, and the field of battle can be found both without and within. This memoir, War Story, represents my attempt to accurately capture the events leading up to, during, and following my time as an Army Ranger in Afghanistan. My deployment in 2004 was brief a mere six weeks. The time I spent revisiting the battlefield in my mind and experiencing the pains of war was much longer. This is a story of a war that began on foreign soil but followed me home. If this story is worth reading, it is worth reading not because it is unique but precisely because it is ordinary. WarStory is one of many stories of hope, pain, and loss that leave us with questions. Why do we choose to fight for any country or any cause, military or otherwise? What happens when the cost of that fight overwhelms and destroys? Can we forgive? Can we be forgiven? Is there such a thing as hope? While I dont pretend to have simple, conclusive answers to any of these questions, it is for the purpose of posing and wrestling with these thoughts that this story of war, fought both at home and abroad, was written down.

At certain points within this work you will find instances of what could be called strong language. Please know that such language is employed in an effort to accurately represent the context and interactions of real people, particularly within the military environment. The work of the military, specifically the Army Ranger community of which I was once a part, is harsh to say the least, and the language used within that environment is consistent with that reality. Conveying truth is the goal, not the shock value that such language can sometimes create. I hope the commitment to accuracy as it relates to the language used, strong or otherwise, serves as an insight into the story and not a barrier to understanding.

Finally, unless otherwise noted, the material for this book comes from my memories, journal, and personal records. As deemed appropriate, some names have been changed to protect the privacy of the individuals. I have reconstructed the times, dates, events, and conversations portrayed in this book to the best of my recollection. When possible, I have cross-checked my memories with reliable sources. Any errors that have resulted are mine alone.

You hold in your hands an amazing and critically important book that captures a critical time and a critical event in our nations history. I have read many books to come out of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, and War Story has touched and moved me like no other.

I graduated from Ranger School in 1979, class 8-79. Ranger School was the hardest thing I have ever done in my life, with endless days of food deprivation and sleep deprivation, combined with the constant demand of small-unit combat leadership positions.