Abstract
As Joanna Bourke memorably observes: “The characteristic act of men at war not dying, it is killing.” 1 While many soldiers have killed in war without experiencing any significant psychological or ethical challenges, others, even those who kill in conditions justified militarily in the combat context, suffer the results not only of post-traumatic stress, but (less understood) of moral injury. Having killed places a combatant on the other side of an ontological divide. How do veterans who have undergone this kind of extreme and transformative experience understand themselves after experiencing the limit event of killing? The ways that veterans describe killing can inflect our understanding of life writing.
Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
