After the Iraq war: A narrative analysis of the United States Marine experience

This thesis explores the meanings embedded in the narratives of 10 United States Marine veterans of the ongoing Iraq conflict. Specifically, detailed face-to-face interviews with marines who experienced combat in Iraq were conducted. An interpretive framework was used to gain an understanding of how marines create and communicate meanings through their narrative accounts. Themes were extracted from marines' narratives about the reality of war and its aftermath. Three major themes were identified: brotherhood, sacrifice, and the subsequent transformation. Various communication concepts were applied to the marines' narratives and limitations of the study and avenues for future studies were discussed. An analysis of these narratives is a valuable contribution to an increased understanding of the United States Marine Corps, the war in Iraq, the communication strategies of combat veterans, and some of the challenges they face upon their return.