It is widely recognized that participation in high-intensity military missions abroad can result in discomforts, serious health conditions, and psychological consequences for the individual. This article, however, focuses on soldiers' experiences after service in two relatively calm mission areas. It aims to contribute to a discussion of the emotional price soldiers pay even when participating under these circumstances. It argues that although the general view among soldiers is that service abroad is a unique, rewarding and cherished experience, we should further recognize it as an accomplishment that also has other transformative properties. This is often manifested in what is here named 'Post-Deployment Disorientation' (PDD), invoking a different outlook on life and navigation in the social world. This article explores the soldiers' sense-making of this change by adopting an emotion-focused sociological perspective. Confirmation of assumptions made is presented through reference to interviews with 24 Swedish soldiers before, during and after their deployments to Kosovo and Liberia.
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