As ministers prepare for their Sunday sermons, they pray that their words and readings will help lift the parishioner’s soul from the cancer of anger, hatred and despondency.
But what if your parishioners are combat soldiers returning from heavy fighting where they killed and maimed? Or watched as their buddies were mangled or took their last breath? Anger, helplessness and hatred are at the very surface of their being.
After many tours of duty, their soul has become an empty shell – simply reacting to commands and situations.
Over time, guilt sets in and sometimes shame, knowing that their families could never understand what has been asked of them and how they responded.
They fear death everyday, yet considering all they’ve done, they fear facing their God even more.
You already know that the good news of love, understanding and forgiveness are a hard sell. Nevertheless, as you look into the eyes of these weary souls, you are tasked to bring them some peace, healing and forgiveness.
I asked Chaplain (LTC) Steve George, deputy garrison chaplain at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, to provide some insight into the challenges and rewards of administering to our combat soldiers.
“As a military chaplain, you have the incredible opportunity to be a voice of encouragement and hope at precisely those times when the vagaries of war and the starkly painful realities of combat missions have been most daunting. You are keenly aware that you are on hallowed ground, especially when the fighting has been fiercest and the significant cost of human conflict has presented itself in no uncertain terms. At exactly that moment, you realize that ‘for such a time as this,’ you were called to nurture the living, care for the wounded, and honor the fallen.
“Every action, every thought, every prayer provided by the chaplain is designed to strengthen and instill confidence in those incredibly brave young men and women that serve our country selflessly. These soldiers demonstrate powerfully that their hearts, spirits and souls reflect nothing less than the very bedrock values upon which our nation was founded.
“It is into that setting which the scores of military chaplains deployed around the world in combat zones go to lift spirits, embolden hearts, and minister to those serving honorably on the front lines. Our courageous service members in harm’s way absolutely deserve no less.”
Modestly, Chaplain George doesn’t mention the courage of chaplains who enter a war zone without a weapon. Although they bear no arms, they bear the heavier burden of feeling responsible for the life assigned to protect them.
Nor does he mention the emotional burden they must experience sharing in the personal pain and fear of hundreds of soldiers in combat zones over many years.
It, therefore, seems appropriate that on the lapel of their uniforms they wear a cross – the horizontal beam representing their oath to their God and the vertical beam representing their oath to their country. The chaplain is proudly centered at the cross-section binding together the well-being of the individual and the country.
So, on this Memorial Day, our courageous military chaplains, especially those in harm’s way, deserve no less than our honor and thanks for bringing healing and comfort to our sons and daughters. They are not only God’s representative, but they also represent us on some of the worst days of our son’s and daughter’s lives. For many, they were the last face they saw, the last touch they felt and the last person to bring them some peace, love and forgiveness.
Can you really have one foot in the spiritual world and one foot in hell – hell, as in war? Well, military chaplains have proven they have the boots to do just that.
Tish Gregory is a free lance writer. She can be reached at tishgregory@aol.com
