Afterword: Coming Home—Finding Form for Veterans’ Life Stories of Enemy Encounter

The volume’s editors, an Arts in Health practitioner, and four British veterans reflect on contemporary experiences of the enemy, including military enemies, enemies within the self and within a military system in which violence to women personnel persists, and feelings of enmity and alienation in divisions between veterans and civilians. They detail the process of finding forms to relate veterans’ complex experiences in the acclaimed comic Coming Home (2022) with Re-Live, a Life Story arts charity. Discussions explore key themes of the volume, including the significance of international law, sexual violence, moral injury and shame, dehumanisation, rehumanisation, care, and reconciliation in encountering ‘the’ enemy.