In ""Forged by War"", Australian veterans and their families talk about the experience of war and how it has changed their lives. These unvarnished first-hand accounts go to the concrete detail of military action and its personal consequences. Sometimes the reader is in lockstep with a soldier on patrol, watching as a land mine explodes, spraying shrapnel and killing troops, or a local militiaman points a missile launcher at Australian peacekeepers. At other times, the reader is inside a returned veteran's head, feeling their edgy tension, their superfluous adrenalin, their need to control their environment, even at home. Underpinning it all is the question: where does family fit in a soldier's life? This superb book is for anyone interested in the role Australia should play in international conflicts and humanitarian crises and how these impact on Australian society. It highlights the highly personal costs of political decisions to resolve conflict through war or UN peacekeeping missions.