When the Vietnam War veterans returned home to Australia, neither the veterans nor their partners were aware of the psychological harm with which many had been afflicted. Post-traumatic stress disorder had not yet been recognized and as the men fell victim to terrible moods and illnesses, they capitulated to their pain and isolated themselves and their families.

With great courage and without recognition, veterans' wives held their families together despite government and community indifference, and they did so for decades.

When He Came Home is a belated recognition of these women, and it also focuses on how the issues of PTSD and suicide affect veterans who participate in contemporary conflicts. Told within an informed historical context and employing intimate narrative interviews, this important book examines the unexamined: how so many families have been brought to their knees and how such suffering can be prevented.