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A day long clergy gathering at the Veterans Administration (VA) Medical Center in Washington, D.C. focused on the needs of veterans returning from Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) and Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF). About 60 local clergy from a variety of faith traditions participated in the June event, a first of its kind for the medical center.

Ultimately, the gathering--and others like it in planning stages at veterans hospitals across the country--provide an opportunity for institutional chaplains to connect with local clergy to improve the quality of care and services for veterans. Rev. Carol Ramsey-Lucas, an American Baptist chaplain at the center, assisted with planning and promoting the event.

After a welcome from Fernando Rivera, medical center director, clergy received a briefing from VA staff about benefits eligibility of returning service members and the unique mental health needs of OEF/OIF veterans at different stages in the process of reintegration to civilian life.

Since these veterans served in settings where there was no front line--unlike veterans of previous combat deployments--they were at risk of injury 24 hours a day, seven days a week. In addition, OEF/OIF veterans are more diverse in age, race and gender than veterans of prior conflicts.

Like others, however, these veterans face similar issues when returning home--from resuming caregiving responsibilities for children to taking on new roles within their families. All face adjustments, losses and grief; some face the prospect of redeployment.

At the gathering, presenters reviewed behavioral signs clergy should look for as veterans make the transition from active duty to civilian life. Material prepared by Dr. Stacey Pollack, Trauma Services Program director, focused on the emotions to be expected and behaviors that may benefit from pastoral attention or further intervention by mental health professionals. Suicide prevention for returning service members as well as existing veterans was also discussed, helping clergy to recognize the signs of a disordered readjustment, critical in providing mental health services in a timely manner.

Clarence Cross, chief of chaplains at Washington VA Medical Center, encouraged chaplains to develop a theological response for returning combat veterans, helping them begin to explore the unique spiritual and theological challenges facing returning service members.

Ramsey-Lucas says the interest among local clergy was encouraging. “Clergy and their congregations can help veterans understand and access benefits and services as well as provide pastoral care, support and concern to veterans and their families as they reconnect at home while they are dealing with the trauma of war.”

Clergy Day participant Rev. John Burns, pastor of University Baptist Church in College Park, Md., says the event brought home the Iraq and Afghanistan wars in a profound way. “The VA Clergy Day focused my attention on the sacrifice being made on a daily basis by soldiers and their families, a sacrifice that does not end with active duty, but continues to extract a cost from that soldier and her or his family for years following service to our country. I was saddened at the human cost of these wars and motivated to look for ways for the church to be more helpful in responding to the ongoing needs of those who have served in combat and are now trying to adjust to civilian life.”

A panel presentation and discussion with two caregivers of OEF/OIF veterans and two Vietnam veterans concluded the event. One veteran, who served in the Army in Vietnam, recounted his struggle upon returning home as well as the faith that has seen him through many trials.

Noting the quality of training he received in the Army, he said, “The best thing you can do for the soldier coming home is to take him back through basic training and advanced infantry training to prepare him for the life that is ahead of him.” He challenged those gathered “to prepare soldiers who come home from war the same way we prepared them to go to war,” because “when you come home, it’s still war here.”

For information about programs and benefits for veterans, visit  va.gov on the Web. Scroll down to the bottom right-hand corner to access special programs for OEF/OIF veterans.

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