Alternate Route: One man's journey through the fog of PTSD

MWSA Review

A young Theology student drafted into the Army returns home from war a changed man and everything he expects is different. The traumatic effects of Vietnam combat lead the author on a rugged, forty year search for God and self. The book exposes classic PTSD, depicted by Ray’s hyper-vigilant actions, abrupt decision making, and grandiose behavior. Lost in spiritual warfare, he moves wife and family almost yearly as he comes and goes from job to job. Often, there is no sense at all to any of it - even to Ray. They go from bad to worse but tarry through. In his sixties, Ray LePoidevin ultimately reaches The Wall in D.C. before finally seeking help and treatment for PTSD. This is an excellent read for those who, directly or by relationship, have had their soul split wide open by catastrophic trauma – especially combat trauma. The reader will understand how the permanence of these tribulations leads the strongest in faith to withdraw, stay irrational, become cynical about their religious beliefs, and angry with God, everybody, and everything. The author reveals how he lived with a stained spirit facing these mind numbing roadblocks and describes his relevant consequences. Thanks to a patient spiritual mentor and the lifelong blessing of companionship with his wife, Cheryl, Ray reaches the peace he desired for decades with God, those loved, and self. It is refreshing to see how Ray LePoidevin regains belief that God loves him, despite his failures, and he realizes he doesn’t have to live in guilt and condemnation.

Reviewed by: Hodge Wood (2013)

Author's Summary

Information provided by the author. Alternate Route follows Ray, who as a young Theology student drafted into the Army and sent to Vietnam a combat soldier, experiences firsthand the horrors of battle. It tells how his concepts of Christianity and God, everything he learned as a child, were challenged by the trauma he endured. Here is a candid account of a young man returning from the battlefield erroneously thinking he could simply resume life, as he knew it before combat. Living in denial of posttraumatic stress disorder Ray takes you on a journey filled with dead ends, and unfulfilled dreams. Recognizing a person is more than just mind and body, the account tells of his struggle with spiritual issues of faith, hope, and love. In a desperate attempt to find meaning for a life he believed was miraculously spared, he visits the Vietnam memorial wall. This trip changes the course of his life and he finds an alternate route to a life filled with hope.