The Military & Moral Injury in Mena's Poetry: “So I Was a Coffin” and “Eulogy” Anonymous College

Statistics and research have always focused on post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) being one of the psychological disorders associated with war-related stress. It’s not until recently that research has begun to focus on moral injury, which refers to the damage done to one’s conscience or moral compass done by participating in, witnessing, or being victimized by actions and behaviors that may be seen as violations of moral values and behavioral expectations of self or others (Syracuse University, p.1). Gerardo Mena’s “So I Was a Coffin” and “Eulogy” describe the moral dilemma soldiers face in giving their best when following instructions and fulfilling a role, yet being brushed aside and not being recognized until their time of death.

Closely related to PTSD, due to similarities in symptoms, data and research have shown moral injury to be present in war veterans. According to “The Moral Injury Project”, moral injury occurs in many different ways but has been prominent in soldiers involved in wars (Syracuse University, p.1). Forcing a soldier to cause the harm or death of a civilian knowingly or accidentally, also known as the use of deadly force in combat, is one of the main causes behind moral injury. Another way moral injury...