Horrors of War: The Iliad and the Iraq War There are have been many different wars within human history. All have included bloodshed, opposing sides and many years of fighting. War has become a common theme in many pieces of literature because of its global meaning. The Iliad is an epic written by Homer over 3,000 years ago about the final year of the Trojan war. The Iliad has an anti-war theme throughout the epic by displaying some the horrors of war. This can be related to the Iraq War veterans are speaking out against war and share their traumas suffered from the war. The Illiad and the Iraq War veterans both show the horrors of war by showing the affects of war on the families of soldiers, the soldiers and the places the war take place. In both The Iliad and the Iraq War, families of the soldiers are affected by the war. The families express their fears about the war and after affects the families suffer once the soldier is home. In Book six we see a conversation between Hektor and his wife, Andromache. She talks about how the war has affected her family. He father and seven brothers all were killed by Akhilleus during the war. She also express her fear of losing Hektor as well saying that he is the only thing she has left (Homer, lines 484-496). In the Iraq War we see another war affects the families of the soldiers, after they come home from the war. The trauma veterans suffered during their service affect them when they arrive home. Many suffer from PSTD, stress and grief this goes on to affect their family members. Navy SEAL Commander Mark Waddell explains how he had felt once he returned home from a service in Iraq saying, "It seems like everyone lives in Disneyland compared to what they've experienced. That stirs up frustration and anger, and home life becomes very flammable." This anger and the trouble sleeping and withdrawal cause the other around the service member also to fell anger and guilt (Wirthman” Families go to War”). Veterans going to war not only affects their family but it also affects the children of the soldiers specifically. The families of the soldiers worry how the children will be affected by the absence of a parent. In the Iliad, Andromache has a common fear that most mothers have, her son growing up without his father. In Book XI, Andromache begs Hektor not to fight and to stay in the tower. She says, “Be merciful! Stay here upon this tower. Do not bereave your child and widow me!”. Andromache him not to leave the tower leaving his child fatherless and her a widow (Homer, lines 552-553). Parents being away have affected many children during the time their parents are sent away. In a