A recent Speaking of Faith program discussed the effects of war upon a soldier's spirit as they return from active duty and rejoin their communities. The program was an interview between Krista Tippet, the host of Speaking with Faith, and Chaplain Major John Morris, an ordained minister in the United Methodist Church in Minnesota and a member of the Army National Guard and Reserve who spent time ministering to Marine personnel in Iraq in 2004. Together, the two address issues such as the issues facing soldiers at their re-orientation into civilian life and the effect of fighting not only on the soldiers but also on their communities as they try and reenter them.
In his experience overseas, Maj. Morris said that he saw three types of warriors, according to him "a third of the soldiers were men and women of faith, growing in their faith or coming to a new understanding of their faith. A third of the soldiers were indifferent or fatalistic. And that's, that religion on the battlefield bears a lot of looking at. The other third were either indifferent or jettisoning their faith." The violence and trauma that the soldiers see in Iraq is "counter-culture" to America and how it always portrays the good guys winning. Many lose faith as they lose a close friend in combat or some simply God cannot exist in such hatred. For many soldiers the enemy is left unseen and the see their comrades blown up or injured by an invisible opponent, then they come home with a sense that they did nothing of substance. Even as a chaplain, the Major explains that his faith was tested sorely. Christian principles such as love your enemies, are hard to grasp when you see four charred bodies of four American soldiers hanging from a bridge. Of course though, he stuck to his faith reminding himself that this was not the work of God but of a fallen race of men whom liken towards sin. Beyond this is the tense religious atmosphere of the Middle East that the soldiers are fighting in. These religions are deeply rooted in the conflict itself. Morris says that, "These people are tapping into something in a spiritual realm. And if you fail to take it seriously, it doesn't matter how long we fight, we will not defeat them." This drive to defend what they worship and love is deeper and more effective in his mind than the mass amount of weapons and man power that the U.S. might produce for it we intend to wait them out we will lose just like in the Vietnam War.
Morris knows and wants to reassure though that not all faith is lost in war. In fact he points out instances where faith was strong in many soldiers of different faiths. One particular instance for him was, as a Christian minister, sitting in on a packed Genesis and other stories, he described the uplifting experience as touching "the hem of God." This experience and others centered around sharing faith with people who were not even particularly part of his own religion. While Maj. Morris was over there he said that his job was to minister to whoever comes looking to worship, and to guarantee them that worship without forcing his own beliefs on them. For the faith he said went beyond religion to religion and even beyond the American soldiers he interacted with. In fact, he found that some of his greatest examples of faith came from Iraqi translators who risked their lives daily in support of their country's freedom.
Many of the problems for the soldiers do not start until the return from overseas. Morris describes the transformation of an American citizen(who is part of the National Guard or Reserve)to "a warrior, a person who, upon demand, without a split-second hesitation, will point a weapon at another human being and shoot them until they don't get up again" simply "amazing." There is a problem though and that is the little conversion time that these men and women get when they return from a tour of duty. These people, unlike the active members of the military, do not have a transition period or have programs that make the drastic shift easier. Morris claims that because of this lack more and more soldiers are suffering from symptoms like post-traumatic stress disorder. These problems develop because these soldiers are treated and honored for their heroism in Iraq when among their comrades, but when they return their friends and family treat them as victims not heroes. People back home, he feels, do not understand that these soldiers that have fought or are fighting in the Middle East right now are volunteers. On top of the fact that a lot of the time these men and women are not readily accepted into their communities, they also have to deal with such issues as picking up life with their old job and family and losing their sense of camaraderie or realizing that their battlefield skills that they depended on for life in Iraq do not translate back in America. Morris asserts that what we learned from Vietnam conflict was that it is the moral obligation of the community to reintegrate the veterans and their families and to help them face these issues.
To combat this transition for returning soldiers, Maj. Morris has set up the Beyond the Yellow Ribbon Foundation which seeks to educate clergy and counselors on how to deal with veterans and their families. Morris and others do not wish for the Iraq veterans to be like the WWII veterans who he claims are just now, in Post 9/11 America, coming forward to talk about their experiences.
More Info:
Soul of War Transcript
Morris' Suggestions on How to Help
Unheard Audio from Original Interview
*Also be sure to check out the slide show on the shows main page*
