摘要：Military service members returning home from war have historically faced problems reintegrating to civilian society. Such problems are common among veterans of Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom. This article uses Buber’s (1958) concepts of experience vs. encounter to demonstrate that I-it communication with and about veterans is fostered by individual-level and relational-level challenges, including veterans’ loss of voice. That loss occurs through veterans’ reluctance to disclose and through societal processes described using muted group theory. Veterans are discursively objectified through the elevation of hero talk and the instrumental use of military rhetoric for commercial and political ends. The article concludes with recommendations for veterans and civilians to re-establish I-thou encounters.
关键词：Reintegration; Social Support; Identity; Buber; I-it
