Moral Injury
Arming Pastors to Help Veterans Battle Soul Wounds Caused by Military Service
by
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CHAPTER 2 PASTOR AS SOUL CARE PROVIDER I start this chapter by telling you a story. I am doing this because I want you, hopefully, to begin and end your reading of this book with one point made clear: You, as a minister of spiritual care, are the one who can offer a hope and a future to military veterans seeking to return from serving our country, but who carry with them the soul wounds that we call moral injury. There was a young man, Tony, who grew up in New York City. He was of Italian descent by birth, by actions, and by stereotype. At 17, Tony got into a great deal of trouble, and he was given a choice: join the Army and go to war or accept his conviction and go to jail. He chose the Army and was sent to Korea. Tony made it through basic training and became a “ground pounder” in the infantry. His Italian attitude, however, did get him in some trouble. Tony was a short man at about 5 feet 6 inches, and as the assistant gunner, he was assigned to carry the machine gun. The 31-pound M1919 machine gun required a five-man crew: the squad leader; the gunner (who fired the gun, and when advancing carried the tripod and a box of ammunition); the assistant gunner (who helped feed the gun, and who carried it and a box of spare parts and tools); and two ammunition carriers. As a 5’ 6” assistant gunner, this was quite a load to run up and down the hills of Korea. Tony’s personality did not help his plight, as he “discussed” his assignment with his sergeant. The soul-wounding event for this young, mouthy Italian came one day when the sergeant told Tony to go “clear” an area before the squad moved forward. Clearing an area meant to go out and kill all living things in that area to allow the squad to move forward safely. Tony did this, except for one very old man. Tony encountered this elderly man in his grass hut home, on his knees in prayer. Tony saw no danger from this old man, so he left him undisturbed in prayer. Tony was not a religious man himself, but he respected this old man’s faith. When Tony reported back to the sergeant that he had completed the assignment, he was asked if he cleared out everything. Knowing Tony’s personality, the sergeant very likely knew that he needed to confirm what “completed” meant. Tony then told the sergeant about the old man, but that he had determined the old man was not a threat. In disagreement with Tony’s assessment, the sergeant pulled his revolver, pointed it at Tony’s forehead, and said, “He dies, or you die.” Tony went back and shot the old man. As Tony shot him, the man was still on his knees praying, but he stopped to beg Tony not to kill him as Tony entered the hut. Seventy years later, Tony had been through three car accidents where he swerved off the road because a real-looking image of the old man kneeling on his car’s hood appeared in front of Tony as he drove down the road. This is a soul wound resulting from a moral injury. My experience as a chaplain informs me that mental health methods typically attempt to help these wounded souls face their demons and cope with their memories by using medication and by experience reframing. However, this does not help the souls of these warriors to move forward with renewed lives. My experience says that renewal is a spiritual transition which occurs when old things are acknowledged, but through Christ, all things are made new (2 Cor 5:17). Through this book, we will explore how soul-wounding is not new in the history of war, and how ministers can offer a journey from spiritual death into a new life beyond war. Pastor as Person To begin this, I am going to start with us: the pastor as person. We desire to help, but are we ready spiritually? Are we ready emotionally? Our initial answer is, “Yes!” However, do we have the understanding that we need to answer the call of our congregants who are returning from war? We know how to proclaim God’s word, and to spend time in prayer. We know how to participate in the very important rituals of life, such as marriages, births, life crises, and deaths. However, the ministry that I will discuss here is hard because it involves events outside these experiences. I believe that all of our personal stories of faith are theological, because they come from who we were created to be, from our life experiences, and from our beliefs about God. Theology speaks of our deeply held values, such as the meaning of life, our ethical values, and our ultimate reality. Our stories as ministers include the creator and covenant, justice and hope, creation and fall, incarnation and Spirit, confession and rescue, forgiveness and reconciliation, redemption and grace, and, ultimately, God’s love. Each of these words may evoke a story from our lives, but these words also are words that are used to discuss theology. We encounter questions of “What is real?” as well as questions of our life calling or purpose. Stories help answer the question of “Who am I?” as we identify with characters in another person’s story. Our story, then, is a prime vehicle for understanding God and God’s truth. Our story is our most sacred possession because it speaks of what we think of ourselves and who God is in our lives. Stories allow us to glimpse what we believe that mere words cannot convey. Stories reflect society and the way that we believe it functions. Until we awaken to our story’s meaning and the power that it brings to bear on our past, present, and future, we unknowingly minister to others based only on our story, and not always based on God’s story in our lives. We cannot avoid or dismiss the wounds from our own experiences; but how we acknowledge the past, and what we choose to focus on in the present, will determine how we live out God’s plan in the future. (1042 words)
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About the Book
Although most church leaders honor their veterans, many may not truly understand the issues of returning warriors, be consciously aware of the aid the church can and should offer to returning warriors, and how important the role of the pastor, fellow veterans, and the congregation is in helping the warrior find grace, peace, and forgiveness.
Dr. James Taylor, a seasoned chaplain and military veteran, shares real-life stories and other insights that guide pastors through the process of providing soul care to veterans returning to civilian society after serving their country. He focuses on the pastors’ awareness of themselves and their historic authority to provide spiritual care, helps them understand the emotional and cultural move that occurs as one enters military service, links the soul wounding found in scripture and church history with combat events, introduces acceptance and commitment therapy as a values-based system, provides theological understanding and support for soul care to be seen as a pastoral issue, and offers biblical examples of moral injury. Included are insights on how pastors can offer support for wounded souls through spiritual reintegration and restoration of the soul.
Moral Injury provides an understanding of military life and trauma to help pastors and their congregations understand their unique role in supporting soul wounded veterans return home from serving their country.
About the Author
In my multiple career opportunities, I have strived to care for the men and women who have stepped up to the plate when our country called. Some lost their lives; others came home overwhelmed by their experiences. I believe that mental health methods offer some help to us as ministers in understanding the mindset of traumatic events; however, the crisis that these men and women face is many times a spiritual struggle that needs a spiritual response. Personal Relevant Life Experiences In WWII, my dad had been part of the daylight bombing done by B-17s, was shot down, and ended up a prisoner of war in Germany. After his release, he walked back to the Allied lines through areas that he was responsible for bombing, and he experienced the collateral deaths of women and children in which he had participated. This left my dad with feelings of anger, guilt, shame, and doubt. Rage was the only way he knew how to express these deep-seated feelings and emotions. He was not physically abusive, but he was emotionally distant. I knew nothing about these military events in his life until after he died at the age of fifty-three. By talking to WWII veterans, during my ministry in VA Chaplaincy, I have gained understanding of the anger and shame that men like my dad felt in life and the connectedness I and others missed as a result. I see that my dad’s actions were very typical of a person suffering from what is known as moral injury. I was honored to facilitate the posttraumatic stress disorder group for Korean War and World War II veterans for seven years at the James A. Haley VA Hospital in Tampa, Florida. As national associate director for VA Chaplaincy, I have served on national committees within the Veterans Administration (VA) to seek ways that ministers can support and care for our returning warriors. Additionally, military runs in my family. My father was in the US Army Air Corps and a prisoner of war in WWII. One uncle and my father-in-law were in the US Navy in WWII. Two other uncles were in Korea. The one thing that was said of all of them is that they came home changed. I served in the navy for thirty years. I served twelve years in active duty and eighteen years in reserves. I was blessed to rise in rank to command master chief, the highest enlisted rank. I have been in ministry as a chaplain for over thirty years with Open Bible Churches. During that time, I have served as a chaplain in community hospitals and with the VA. Within the VA setting, I was blessed to be a chaplain, a chaplain educator, and a chaplain service administrator. Upon retirement, I was a national associate director for VA chaplaincy. I have strived to care for the men and women who have stepped up to the plate when our country called. Some lost their lives; others came home overwhelmed by their experiences. Looking back on my life, my time in the navy helped me gain confidence in myself and in my ability to be successful. The support and encouragement from those in leadership over me were important in my gaining personal confidence and belief in my ability. As a sailor aboard a nuclear-powered submarine, I learned many lessons in “trust,” both as a crew member and as a leader. When you are at great depths below the surface of the ocean, and the submarine springs a leak, a fire starts, or you are under the Arctic ice, you learn to trust the other crew members, regardless of who is in charge. Alternatively, when the captain trusted me to repair the ship’s battery and the ship’s electric power generator at sea (normally done only in port), I grew in my understanding of “being trusted.” The relationships I formed aboard the submarines still hold great meaning for me. I completed twelve years in the navy in 1986, when I left active duty. I remained in the reserves for an additional eighteen years, and I retired with thirty years of total service in 2005. During this time, my leadership skills were greatly enhanced. This is where I learned that leading is more about helping others succeed than being in a place of authority. In 2002, I was promoted to master chief (E-9), the highest enlisted rank. I retired as a command master chief in the Naval Reserve. The seed of my ministry was placed in my heart in 1982 through a vision of Christ. I had been serving as a lay minister aboard my submarine and experiencing what ministry may be like. I found that individuals aboard ship were beginning to come to me with their concerns. Once, even the ship’s executive officer asked to speak with me. When the ship was in port, my family attended an Assembly of God church in Hawaii. During a prayer group meeting, the Lord appeared to me, just as is described in Matthew 17:2. “There he was transfigured before them. His face shone like the sun, and his clothes became as white as the light.” In this appearance, Christ initially faced me, then turned in a circle, as though looking at each member of the prayer group, and then He stopped again when He faced me. As He stopped in front of me, in my mind I heard Him say, “Be at peace,” similar to what is seen in John 20:19. That anthem has been part of the healing of the anxious child within me (created by my childhood trials), and that anthem has been my hope in times of trouble in my own adulthood (John 16:33). God has provided peace so many times in my life, and He has made a way for me to use this peace in ministry (John 20:21). As my call to the ministry began to grow, my time in active-duty military began to end. God began to grow this ministry of “Be at Peace” in my heart, in my life, and later in my clinical pastoral education teaching methodology. The greatest blessing I can give to myself, to my students, to those whom I supervise, and to those I offer ministry is to remember God’s words “Be at peace.” God did not offer these words to me because they are the strength of my life; He offered these words to me because this is my struggle in life. I must depend on Him to remain at peace in times of trouble and stress. My walk with God has been a successful journey in life, work, and ministry. I have learned about my dad and about me. I believe—I must believe—that, in God, I am more. I hold to Romans 8:31–38, which speaks of God being “for us.” Life and combat bring trouble and hardship. Nevertheless, through the love of Christ, from which believers cannot be separated, believers are more than conquerors. God has helped, and continues to help, me as I continue to serve Him by seeking to help others through the ministry that God gave to me.