Military, Officials Honor Soldiers' '911'
By JOYCE McKENZIE
The Tampa Tribune
Published: April 16, 2008
TEMPLE TERRACE Military chaplains are the most valuable players on their teams, says Maj. Gen. Michael Diamond of the U.S. Central Command.
Diamond was at the Courtyard by Marriott last week with several other military officers and veterans to honor Army Capt. Terry Cobban, a chaplain wounded in Iraq by a suicide bomb attack in December.
"They are the 911 for all our soldiers, sailors, Marines and Coast Guard people, and during deployment the stress is probably 150 percent more than what it is for the others," said Diamond, who spoke on behalf of Project Gratitude, a nonprofit charitable organization created in Tampa last year by David Lefavor, a retired Navy chaplain and former chaplain at the James A. Haley VA Medical Center Spinal Cord Injury Unit.
The program's objective is to thank chaplains who have served tours of duty in Iraq or Afghanistan with a three-day respite in Tampa for them and their families, where they are treated to a stay at the Marriott Courtyard, compliments of John McKibbon, owner of McKibbon Hotels. They are given free admission to Busch Gardens, the Museum of Science & Industry and the Kennedy Space Center. They also receive gift certificates to several area restaurants, including Lupton's BBQ in Temple Terrace.
Despite his fall move to Dayton, Ohio, Lefavor continues to oversee the program - one that on a quarterly basis recognizes deserving chaplains from across the country - that was instrumental in his being presented the Point of Light award in 2007 by Gov. Charlie Crist for his outstanding volunteerism.
Lefavor planned a trip to visit his grandchildren in Temple Terrace with his wife, Rosemary, so that it coincided with his being able to emcee the ceremony honoring Cobban in the presence of his wife, Su, son Nick, 17, and daughter Elyea, 15.
While on a routine mission in the Baqubah area of Iraq with a group of his soldiers, Cobban suffered soft tissue injuries to his right side and to his extremities when a bomb exploded about 2 feet from where he stood. He also suffered severe hearing damage to his right ear and moderate damage to the left ear in the blast that killed one of his soldiers and injured seven others.
go here for more
http://northeast2.tbo.com/content/2008/apr/16/ne-military-officials-honor-soldiers-911/
Showing posts with label chaplains. Show all posts
Showing posts with label chaplains. Show all posts
Wednesday, April 16, 2008
Wednesday, March 26, 2008
VA Chaplain Grapples with the Toll of War
VA Chaplain Grapples with the Toll of War
by Thomas Phillips
Listen Now [2 min 34 sec] add to playlist
Morning Edition, March 25, 2008 · It is being reported that the Iraq war has claimed at least 4,000 American lives. Commentator Thomas Phillips knows firsthand about this number.
Phillips is a Veterans Affairs chaplain who receives computer notification whenever a member of the American armed forces is killed. He wishes for the day when notifications naming the dead will stop appearing on his computer screen.
Iraq
Iraq War Enters Sixth Year with Wave of Violence
Listen Now [4 min 33 sec] add to playlist
Chart military and civilian deaths in Iraq.
In Depth
Read, hear correspondent Anne Garrels' personal observations from five years of covering the Iraq war.
All Things Considered, March 24, 2008 · The war's sixth year begins in Baghdad with rockets falling into the U.S.-protected Green Zone over the weekend, while the overall U.S. military death toll tops 4,000 after a roadside bombing claims more American lives.
Army Maj. Gen. Bob Scales (Ret.) tells Robert Siegel that the enemy in Iraq has evolved, even as U.S. forces have improved their defenses against irregular attackers operating anonymously in small units and employing suicide and roadside bombs.
He says they have built larger bombs, and found more clever ways of hiding explosives and detonating the devices.
As well, Iraqi insurgents often are launching their attacks from densely populated regions, "so even though the point of launch can be determined with great precision, the ability to shoot back is limited," Scales says.
"You simply can't load up artillery guns and throw rounds into a crowded neighborhood. So the enemy has time — while the U.S. forces are clearing the area, putting together a patrol, launching helicopters — to simply fade away into buildings and hide away in alleys."
But Scales says this does not mean that the Iraqis who live in these neighborhoods support or are intimidated into cooperating by the insurgents. He says the hit-and-run attackers usually drive in from miles away and are gone before the populous even knows they are there.
Ultimately, Scales says it is very difficult to respond to suicide bombers, in particular.
"There is so little you can do when you're facing an enemy who is enthusiastic about death. … They want to create an impression among the Iraqis and Arabs in the region that U.S. efforts to build this period of tranquility [are] interrupted by these periodic spikes. And so the more dramatic they can make it, the more deaths that they can cause, that really plays to their ends," Scales says.
Related NPR Stories
March 24, 2008Living in a Wartorn Land, an Iraqi's Perspective
March 24, 2008U.S. War Dead in Iraq Honored
March 24, 20084,000 American Lives Lost in Iraq, AP Reports
Related NPR Stories
Jan. 6, 2008Chaplain Struggles with PTSD from Time in Iraq
Nov. 21, 2007Chaplains Struggle to Protect Monastery in Iraq
Nov. 14, 2007From Chicago to Anbar: A Chaplain's View of War
May 26, 2006Spiritual Soldier: A Chaplain's Life in War
by Thomas Phillips
Listen Now [2 min 34 sec] add to playlist
Morning Edition, March 25, 2008 · It is being reported that the Iraq war has claimed at least 4,000 American lives. Commentator Thomas Phillips knows firsthand about this number.
Phillips is a Veterans Affairs chaplain who receives computer notification whenever a member of the American armed forces is killed. He wishes for the day when notifications naming the dead will stop appearing on his computer screen.
Iraq
Iraq War Enters Sixth Year with Wave of Violence
Listen Now [4 min 33 sec] add to playlist
Chart military and civilian deaths in Iraq.
In Depth
Read, hear correspondent Anne Garrels' personal observations from five years of covering the Iraq war.
All Things Considered, March 24, 2008 · The war's sixth year begins in Baghdad with rockets falling into the U.S.-protected Green Zone over the weekend, while the overall U.S. military death toll tops 4,000 after a roadside bombing claims more American lives.
Army Maj. Gen. Bob Scales (Ret.) tells Robert Siegel that the enemy in Iraq has evolved, even as U.S. forces have improved their defenses against irregular attackers operating anonymously in small units and employing suicide and roadside bombs.
He says they have built larger bombs, and found more clever ways of hiding explosives and detonating the devices.
As well, Iraqi insurgents often are launching their attacks from densely populated regions, "so even though the point of launch can be determined with great precision, the ability to shoot back is limited," Scales says.
"You simply can't load up artillery guns and throw rounds into a crowded neighborhood. So the enemy has time — while the U.S. forces are clearing the area, putting together a patrol, launching helicopters — to simply fade away into buildings and hide away in alleys."
But Scales says this does not mean that the Iraqis who live in these neighborhoods support or are intimidated into cooperating by the insurgents. He says the hit-and-run attackers usually drive in from miles away and are gone before the populous even knows they are there.
Ultimately, Scales says it is very difficult to respond to suicide bombers, in particular.
"There is so little you can do when you're facing an enemy who is enthusiastic about death. … They want to create an impression among the Iraqis and Arabs in the region that U.S. efforts to build this period of tranquility [are] interrupted by these periodic spikes. And so the more dramatic they can make it, the more deaths that they can cause, that really plays to their ends," Scales says.
Related NPR Stories
March 24, 2008Living in a Wartorn Land, an Iraqi's Perspective
March 24, 2008U.S. War Dead in Iraq Honored
March 24, 20084,000 American Lives Lost in Iraq, AP Reports
Related NPR Stories
Jan. 6, 2008Chaplain Struggles with PTSD from Time in Iraq
Nov. 21, 2007Chaplains Struggle to Protect Monastery in Iraq
Nov. 14, 2007From Chicago to Anbar: A Chaplain's View of War
May 26, 2006Spiritual Soldier: A Chaplain's Life in War
Wednesday, February 6, 2008
Army coping with shortage of chaplains
Army coping with shortage of chaplains
By Andrea Stone - USA TODAY
Posted : Wednesday Feb 6, 2008 9:38:24 EST
Army Maj. Paul Hurley journeyed four days by convoy, aircraft and helicopter to reach the remote outpost in Iraq near the Syrian border where 50 U.S. soldiers hunkered down in November 2006. He was the first Roman Catholic priest to visit in 6 months.
“It was a very profound experience (to) visit soldiers who are facing their mortality every day,” Hurley recalls. He celebrated Mass and heard confession from a dozen Catholic soldiers before leading Thanksgiving prayers for the base.
Hurley belongs to a dwindling flock of chaplains whose mission to support soldiers and their families has been strained by the demands of war and a shortage in their ranks. The Navy and Air Force usually recruit enough religious leaders, but the Army, which expects chaplains to be able to do everything soldiers do except carry a weapon and now relies heavily on reserve units, is hurting for spiritual aid.
Chaplains are trained to help servicemembers of all religious faiths — or none. Among denominations, though, Roman Catholic chaplains are the most scarce, a reflection of a nationwide priest shortage. There are no imams to minister to a growing number of Muslims in the Army Guard and Reserve. The California and New York National Guard, which have a larger proportion of Jewish soldiers than other states, could use more rabbis, says Army Guard Maj. Timothy Baer, who recruits chaplains.
go here for the rest
http://www.armytimes.com/news/2008/02/gns_chaplainshortage_080205/
Next month I will begin training to become a Chaplain. No, I'm not joining the military. I'm doing it so that I can be of better service right here in my home town.
Last month I met with a group of Chaplains working for a hospital in Altimonte Springs Florida. They wanted to know more about PTSD and what they could do for people suffering from it. Knowing it does not come from one source but many, they wanted to learn all they could. While my focus has always been PTSD from combat, the other causes of PTSD have not been overlooked. From the tornadoes striking with vengeance last night, to floods and other natural disasters, people will be affected by PTSD. From the shootings at the mall last week to the returning forces from Iraq and Afghanistan, trauma comes.
Chaplains are supposed to be non-denominational. They are not supposed to be crossing the line between offering spiritual help and guidance with evangelizing for their own faith. This I totally agree with considering Christ began one church and God began one world. I totally support the other religions and the other beliefs because God created man with the free will to choose their own form of worship. For me it is a matter of treating the individual with the spiritual calling they already have. The Chaplains in the military are failing their calling by evangelizing the wounded and taking advantage of their pain.
Back home, there is a dyer need for trained Chaplains to comfort the veterans and their families as well as other survivors of traumatic experiences. The members of the clergy are very behind on their mission when it comes to members of their own communities they should be reaching out to. I've talked to several Pastors who are in fact interested in learning more about PTSD, but most of them show their disinterest when their eyes glaze over. They fail to see the connection with the fact most who develop PTSD see the event as God had abandoned them. There is a spiritual wound that comes and going back to recorded time, this wound cuts deeper than any weapon.
The PTSD rates are at epidemic proportions already and they are only going to increase as the years go on. In the numbers we see there are also families that will be suffering as well. Everyone in this country needs to mobilize to face this head on before we regret we did not act fast enough or strong enough for their sake.
By Andrea Stone - USA TODAY
Posted : Wednesday Feb 6, 2008 9:38:24 EST
Army Maj. Paul Hurley journeyed four days by convoy, aircraft and helicopter to reach the remote outpost in Iraq near the Syrian border where 50 U.S. soldiers hunkered down in November 2006. He was the first Roman Catholic priest to visit in 6 months.
“It was a very profound experience (to) visit soldiers who are facing their mortality every day,” Hurley recalls. He celebrated Mass and heard confession from a dozen Catholic soldiers before leading Thanksgiving prayers for the base.
Hurley belongs to a dwindling flock of chaplains whose mission to support soldiers and their families has been strained by the demands of war and a shortage in their ranks. The Navy and Air Force usually recruit enough religious leaders, but the Army, which expects chaplains to be able to do everything soldiers do except carry a weapon and now relies heavily on reserve units, is hurting for spiritual aid.
Chaplains are trained to help servicemembers of all religious faiths — or none. Among denominations, though, Roman Catholic chaplains are the most scarce, a reflection of a nationwide priest shortage. There are no imams to minister to a growing number of Muslims in the Army Guard and Reserve. The California and New York National Guard, which have a larger proportion of Jewish soldiers than other states, could use more rabbis, says Army Guard Maj. Timothy Baer, who recruits chaplains.
go here for the rest
http://www.armytimes.com/news/2008/02/gns_chaplainshortage_080205/
Next month I will begin training to become a Chaplain. No, I'm not joining the military. I'm doing it so that I can be of better service right here in my home town.
Last month I met with a group of Chaplains working for a hospital in Altimonte Springs Florida. They wanted to know more about PTSD and what they could do for people suffering from it. Knowing it does not come from one source but many, they wanted to learn all they could. While my focus has always been PTSD from combat, the other causes of PTSD have not been overlooked. From the tornadoes striking with vengeance last night, to floods and other natural disasters, people will be affected by PTSD. From the shootings at the mall last week to the returning forces from Iraq and Afghanistan, trauma comes.
Chaplains are supposed to be non-denominational. They are not supposed to be crossing the line between offering spiritual help and guidance with evangelizing for their own faith. This I totally agree with considering Christ began one church and God began one world. I totally support the other religions and the other beliefs because God created man with the free will to choose their own form of worship. For me it is a matter of treating the individual with the spiritual calling they already have. The Chaplains in the military are failing their calling by evangelizing the wounded and taking advantage of their pain.
Back home, there is a dyer need for trained Chaplains to comfort the veterans and their families as well as other survivors of traumatic experiences. The members of the clergy are very behind on their mission when it comes to members of their own communities they should be reaching out to. I've talked to several Pastors who are in fact interested in learning more about PTSD, but most of them show their disinterest when their eyes glaze over. They fail to see the connection with the fact most who develop PTSD see the event as God had abandoned them. There is a spiritual wound that comes and going back to recorded time, this wound cuts deeper than any weapon.
The PTSD rates are at epidemic proportions already and they are only going to increase as the years go on. In the numbers we see there are also families that will be suffering as well. Everyone in this country needs to mobilize to face this head on before we regret we did not act fast enough or strong enough for their sake.
Monday, January 21, 2008
Not enough chaplains in National Guard units
Va. National Guard has chaplain shortage
The Associated Press
Posted : Monday Jan 21, 2008 16:53:07 EST
NORFOLK, Va. — The Virginia National Guard has a chaplain shortage amid the wartime needs of an expanding military, a trend that mirrors the nationwide shortfall.
The Virginia National Guard has eight chaplains, well below the 19 slots it’s allotted, said Chaplain J.D. Moore, who works full time with the Guard.
Prospective recruits know that “if you join as a chaplain, you’re pretty much guaranteed to deploy,” said Daniel Pruitt, who went to the Middle East in September with a Portsmouth-based Army Guard unit, the 2nd Squadron 183rd Cavalry.
Virginia’s shortage is part of the National Guard’s overall shortage of 350 chaplains — out of the 700 it is authorized, said Chaplain Randall Dolinger, spokesman for the Army Chief of Chaplains Office. The Army Reserve only has filled 220 out of its 650 allotted slots, Dolinger said.
Active-duty units without their own chaplain often request a Guard chaplain to fill the post when deployed overseas. Guard chaplains not only accept such assignments, they’re “double-volunteering” and deploying more frequently to make up for the shortage, Dolinger said, and he fears that clergy may burn out with more frequent tours.
go here for the rest
http://www.armytimes.com/news/2008/01/ap_guardchaplains_080121/
Very troubling considering the DOD said they were relying more on the chaplains to fill in the gap for stressed out forces. There are not enough psychologist to fill the need and now we're finding out there are not enough chaplains either. So who is taking care of deployed soldiers with PTSD and a pocket full of pills?
The Associated Press
Posted : Monday Jan 21, 2008 16:53:07 EST
NORFOLK, Va. — The Virginia National Guard has a chaplain shortage amid the wartime needs of an expanding military, a trend that mirrors the nationwide shortfall.
The Virginia National Guard has eight chaplains, well below the 19 slots it’s allotted, said Chaplain J.D. Moore, who works full time with the Guard.
Prospective recruits know that “if you join as a chaplain, you’re pretty much guaranteed to deploy,” said Daniel Pruitt, who went to the Middle East in September with a Portsmouth-based Army Guard unit, the 2nd Squadron 183rd Cavalry.
Virginia’s shortage is part of the National Guard’s overall shortage of 350 chaplains — out of the 700 it is authorized, said Chaplain Randall Dolinger, spokesman for the Army Chief of Chaplains Office. The Army Reserve only has filled 220 out of its 650 allotted slots, Dolinger said.
Active-duty units without their own chaplain often request a Guard chaplain to fill the post when deployed overseas. Guard chaplains not only accept such assignments, they’re “double-volunteering” and deploying more frequently to make up for the shortage, Dolinger said, and he fears that clergy may burn out with more frequent tours.
go here for the rest
http://www.armytimes.com/news/2008/01/ap_guardchaplains_080121/
Very troubling considering the DOD said they were relying more on the chaplains to fill in the gap for stressed out forces. There are not enough psychologist to fill the need and now we're finding out there are not enough chaplains either. So who is taking care of deployed soldiers with PTSD and a pocket full of pills?
Sunday, January 20, 2008
Student chaplains guide and listen to vets in rehab
Circle of healing, learning
Student chaplains guide and listen to vets in rehab
By Carrie A. Moore
Deseret Morning News
As the stone is passed from hand to hand, there is a peace that permeates what has become something of a sacred space for those who have found themselves here, moving beyond the daily fix, the fidgeting and the shame that always appears once the "high" has worn off.
Adapted from American Indian spiritual practices, the "rock ceremony" signifies the quest for a permanent change in the lives and hearts of those who have been trapped inside drug and alcohol addiction, with an emphasis on truth-telling. It is one benchmark along the path toward a new beginning for those participating in residential substance abuse treatment.
Yet this day, at the Veterans Administration Hospital, there are participants who haven't been addicted, haven't been to war, haven't felt the despair that engulfs those who have entered the depths of hell on earth.
But they've observed it.
go here for the rest
http://www.vawatchdog.org/08/nf08/nfJAN08/nf012008-5.htm
Student chaplains guide and listen to vets in rehab
By Carrie A. Moore
Deseret Morning News
As the stone is passed from hand to hand, there is a peace that permeates what has become something of a sacred space for those who have found themselves here, moving beyond the daily fix, the fidgeting and the shame that always appears once the "high" has worn off.
Adapted from American Indian spiritual practices, the "rock ceremony" signifies the quest for a permanent change in the lives and hearts of those who have been trapped inside drug and alcohol addiction, with an emphasis on truth-telling. It is one benchmark along the path toward a new beginning for those participating in residential substance abuse treatment.
Yet this day, at the Veterans Administration Hospital, there are participants who haven't been addicted, haven't been to war, haven't felt the despair that engulfs those who have entered the depths of hell on earth.
But they've observed it.
go here for the rest
http://www.vawatchdog.org/08/nf08/nfJAN08/nf012008-5.htm
Tuesday, October 30, 2007
Marines in Iraq look to pastor for answers to tough questions
"They don't think their dead comrade should be awarded the honor of a marine killed in action. But asked if the unit should refuse any memorial at all, their heads snap up. "He deserves something," the tall one says adamantly. His mate nods in agreement."
PART 1: US Navy Chaplain Michael Baker ( Read the full series )
Military chaplain: Marines in Iraq look to pastor for answers to tough questions
From a buddy's suicide to a religious ritual, young troops count on Lt. Michael Baker.
By Lee Lawrence Correspondent of The Christian Science Monitor
from the October 30, 2007 edition
Habbaniyah, Iraq - Under a sun-blanched desert sky, Navy Chaplain Michael Baker and Marine Sgt. Bill Hudson Gross bounce in the back of a truck as it rumbles across Camp Habbaniyah. Clad in helmets and body armor in the 110-degree F. June heat, they're on a mission: to baptize Sergeant Gross.
"I am going to try to talk him out of it," confesses Chaplain Baker, a tall, lanky Methodist minister whose formal Mississippi-tinged speech and posture mask an often goofy sense of humor.
It's not the baptism itself; it's just the part where Gross wants Baker to immerse him in the Euphrates, one of four rivers that the Bible describes as flowing from the Garden of Eden. For Gross, an infantry platoon leader who just weeks before saw two of his men wounded by shrapnel, the river has a personal connection. Two years ago he deployed to a small base on the river, where he turned his back on religion after learning of his father's death back home. Now that he has rediscovered his faith, he feels it fitting to be baptized in a river where, he says, "a lot of people gave up hope."
Baker enumerates the problems with Gross's plan: "There is the issue of water pollution and the issue of security," he says. By stepping into the Euphrates, they would technically be leaving the confines of the camp, home to the 3rd Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment. Safer to wear their 25-pound body armor and risk drowning, he wonders? Or better to stand in the river without it and risk being shot? His laugh at the predicament is loud and staccato.
For military chaplains in war zones, even very routine requests can prove challenging – as Baker has discovered, it is not always easy to satisfy basic emotional and spiritual needs of individual troops within the hard-edged, mission-oriented goals and guidelines of the command.
go here for the rest
http://www.csmonitor.com/2007/1030/p20s01-usmi.html?page=1
What's it going to take for Marines and the rest of the units with people in combat zones to understand this came from a combat wound? What makes them think it is any less worthy, noble or heroic than being cut down by a bullet from the enemy or a bomb? They all need to understand that although there were other options, this is in fact a war wound that claimed a life. The bullet may have come from the Marine's own finger pulling the trigger, but the wound was caused from combat.
PTSD is an insidious killer.
Main Entry: in·sid·i·ousFunction: adjectivePronunciation: in-'si-de-&sEtymology: Latin insidiosus, from insidiae ambush, from insidere to sit in, sit on, from in- + sedere to sit -- more at SIT 1 a : awaiting a chance to entrap : TREACHEROUS b : harmful but enticing : SEDUCTIVE2 a : having a gradual and cumulative effect : SUBTLE b of a disease : developing so gradually as to be well established before becoming apparent
It is far more dangerous than a bullet fired at random or a bomb just waiting to claim another life. This one kills slowly with more far reaching victims. It takes buddies. It takes families. It takes friends. With normal combat deaths, the grief is answered with the knowledge of what happened and when. With PTSD and suicides, there are no clear answers. Everyone is left to wonder what they could have done to save the life. Everyone is left to wonder when it got so bad that there was no hope left to want to live. Everyone is left to wonder when it all started.
When they have PTSD, which is a wound from trauma, there is a golden window of opportunity to treat the wound before it infects the casualty. Left alone it eats away more of the character until there is nothing left. This is not something that should ever be treated as less worthy of honoring the life. It should always be more worthy of saving a life than it is. Until we all get it into our brain that this is a wound as surely as a bullet cuts into the skin, we will lose more by their own finger on the trigger, their own hand on a noose, their own hand on a bottle of pills.
These Marines in this article spoke of the code. The code also says never leave anyone behind. If they do not take action helping those wounded by trauma, they are in fact leaving them behind to be taken by the enemy. The enemy they can no longer see, but the one suffering from the ghosts does. kc
Wednesday, October 24, 2007
Chaplains replacing therapists in combat
In most cases, I do believe the chaplains have crossed the line when it comes to evangelizing, but in this case I think it's a good idea to fill in the gaps. Normally I agree with Veterans For Common Sense and would take issue with this, but it is something I have been pushing for in the communities when they come back and cannot get into the VA for help.
Veterans For Common Sense reported it this way.
The reason is a simple one. When trauma strikes, some will thank God they survived but others will feel abandoned by God. (There were two cases in my family alone. You can read about them in my book, For The Love Of Jack for free on the link to the right.) They feel as if God wants nothing to do with them when they go through traumatic events, especially combat and even the police suffer from this. They are not very different from other humans exposed to trauma, but in their case, when trauma strikes, they were also participants in it.
They are forced to kill doing their duty. This leaves a double wound of mind and spirit. Feeling as if God has turned His back on you is one of the most heart wrenching experiences a person of faith can bear.
There have been reports that when the psychological and spiritual wounds are addressed simultaneously the results are remarkable. This should not be a surprising result considering when people go to AA to stop drinking, they recover a lot more than sobriety. We've all heard the expression of "dry drunk" when people stop drinking but become nasty. This happens with the absence of the spiritual healing. Yet when they reconnect with the spiritual they become whole. They do not allow guilt to eat away at them, but use it to remember how much they have changed and healed as they try to rebuild their lives, their families and relationships.
What needs to be honestly addressed is that while the men and women in the military, and to a lesser degree, the police force, have nothing to feel guilty over while doing their duty in order to protect other people, they do in fact feel guilty. They feel guilty they shot someone and wonder what they could have done differently. They feel guilty they survived when a comrade did not. They also feel guilty when an innocent person dies because they feel they did not do enough to save them.
The wounds they carry are not just psychological but spiritual. The combination of healing is the best, however in the absence of psychological, the chaplains in the military and the clergy back home are the next best thing to being healing. With the military unprepared for after trauma wounds, time will be wasted while the soldiers have to wait to talk to someone. As the Veterans Administration was equally unprepared, the clergy in the communities are vital in assisting the wounded veterans to being healing.
I come to this debate as the administrator of Christian Education at a local church and of abundant faith from a lifetime of living it. I am not a casual observer of this. With first hand experience with my own husband, the absence of God, the judgement of God, during traumatic events is the feeder of trauma. It is hell for those who have held the hand of God and even those who have limited faith in God. This is not limited to Christians, but to Muslims, Jewish people along with every other belief base.
Back in the communities, the religious leaders need to step up to address the wounded and begin the healing process as soon as possible. The veteran is not the only one hurting. In most cases there is also a family hurting, trying to understand what is happening. It is a spiritual tug of war in which as time is wasted, the aggressor (PTSD) claims more and more territory. The clergy need to pay attention to this and stop letting their eyes glaze over as PTSD is explained to them. It is not that hard to understand. They need to stop ignoring this if they are truly of the "cloth" and in the business of taking care of the spiritual lives of their congregations and communities.
Kathie Costos
Namguardianangel@aol.com
http://www.namguardianangel.org/
http://www.namguardianangel.blogspot.com/
http://www.woundedtimes.blogspot.com/
"The willingness with which our young people are likely to serve in any war, no matter how justified, shall be directly proportional to how they perceive veterans of early wars were treated and appreciated by our nation." - George Washington
This is how Air Force Times reported it.
Veterans For Common Sense reported it this way.
Military Improperly Uses Chaplains as Mental Health Counselors
http://www.veteransforcommonsense.org/articleid/8656
The reason is a simple one. When trauma strikes, some will thank God they survived but others will feel abandoned by God. (There were two cases in my family alone. You can read about them in my book, For The Love Of Jack for free on the link to the right.) They feel as if God wants nothing to do with them when they go through traumatic events, especially combat and even the police suffer from this. They are not very different from other humans exposed to trauma, but in their case, when trauma strikes, they were also participants in it.
They are forced to kill doing their duty. This leaves a double wound of mind and spirit. Feeling as if God has turned His back on you is one of the most heart wrenching experiences a person of faith can bear.
There have been reports that when the psychological and spiritual wounds are addressed simultaneously the results are remarkable. This should not be a surprising result considering when people go to AA to stop drinking, they recover a lot more than sobriety. We've all heard the expression of "dry drunk" when people stop drinking but become nasty. This happens with the absence of the spiritual healing. Yet when they reconnect with the spiritual they become whole. They do not allow guilt to eat away at them, but use it to remember how much they have changed and healed as they try to rebuild their lives, their families and relationships.
What needs to be honestly addressed is that while the men and women in the military, and to a lesser degree, the police force, have nothing to feel guilty over while doing their duty in order to protect other people, they do in fact feel guilty. They feel guilty they shot someone and wonder what they could have done differently. They feel guilty they survived when a comrade did not. They also feel guilty when an innocent person dies because they feel they did not do enough to save them.
The wounds they carry are not just psychological but spiritual. The combination of healing is the best, however in the absence of psychological, the chaplains in the military and the clergy back home are the next best thing to being healing. With the military unprepared for after trauma wounds, time will be wasted while the soldiers have to wait to talk to someone. As the Veterans Administration was equally unprepared, the clergy in the communities are vital in assisting the wounded veterans to being healing.
I come to this debate as the administrator of Christian Education at a local church and of abundant faith from a lifetime of living it. I am not a casual observer of this. With first hand experience with my own husband, the absence of God, the judgement of God, during traumatic events is the feeder of trauma. It is hell for those who have held the hand of God and even those who have limited faith in God. This is not limited to Christians, but to Muslims, Jewish people along with every other belief base.
Back in the communities, the religious leaders need to step up to address the wounded and begin the healing process as soon as possible. The veteran is not the only one hurting. In most cases there is also a family hurting, trying to understand what is happening. It is a spiritual tug of war in which as time is wasted, the aggressor (PTSD) claims more and more territory. The clergy need to pay attention to this and stop letting their eyes glaze over as PTSD is explained to them. It is not that hard to understand. They need to stop ignoring this if they are truly of the "cloth" and in the business of taking care of the spiritual lives of their congregations and communities.
Kathie Costos
Namguardianangel@aol.com
http://www.namguardianangel.org/
http://www.namguardianangel.blogspot.com/
http://www.woundedtimes.blogspot.com/
"The willingness with which our young people are likely to serve in any war, no matter how justified, shall be directly proportional to how they perceive veterans of early wars were treated and appreciated by our nation." - George Washington
This is how Air Force Times reported it.
DoD, services ramp up mental health support
By Karen Jowers - Staff writer
Posted : Monday Oct 22, 2007 6:46:38 EDT
When military chaplains look into the faces of military family members, they are beginning to see “the same 100-mile stare that we’re seeing with soldiers with [post-traumatic stress disorder],” the Army chief of chaplains said at a recent family forum. “This is a tough war, a long war.”
There are resources inside the gate and outside, “but sometimes it’s an issue of an individual who is so tired, we must walk them to the help they need,” said Maj. Gen. Doug Carter.
Military chaplains are a central element in the confidential assistance provided to families. They offer counseling as well as education on issues such as maintaining strong relationships during and after deployments.
But with multiple deployments compounding stress on families, defense and service officials have recently ramped up some other confidential counseling options for military families.
As of Sept. 15, active-duty members, mobilized reservists and their families can get free nonmedical professional consultations over the phone, said Mike Hoskins, special assistant in the Pentagon’s office of military community and family policy.
“We asked Military One Source to expand counseling to include telephonic consultation,” he said. “Some can’t make it to face-to-face sessions.”
The call to Military One Source, at (800) 342-9647, is toll-free. Overseas military and family members can call toll-free (800) 3429-6477, or overseas collect 1-484-530-5908. Phones are staffed 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.
Each person can receive up to six phone consultations per issue, he said. Sessions are confidential and anonymous, unless a counselor has reason to believe the caller could harm himself or others.
go here for the rest
http://www.airforcetimes.com/news/2007/10/military_mentalhealth_071019w/
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