ATLANTA – A Cooperative Baptist Fellowship-endorsed battalion chaplain deployed with the 1-161 Infantry in Iraq, said stresses are starting to build among deployed soldiers. Eight months into an 18 month deployment, the chaplain who could not be named for security reasons said the most significant stress in his National Guard unit is family issues.
While families are struggling with a soldier’s absence, the soldier feels helpless because many family crises don’t qualify for emergency leave. “It’s hard for them to keep focused on the dangerous mission here when they are worried about how their loved ones are doing,” the chaplain said.
Combat stress has also been taking its toll, the chaplain said. During a two-week stretch of sustained fighting, soldiers regularly came to the chaplain for counseling. “When we can deal with the emotions and fears right away, it is much better than if the soldiers stuff it down and it comes out when they come back from deployment,” he said.
The stress will continue to mount for many troops facing second deployments to Iraq, said Capt. Fran Stuart, battalion chaplain of the 526th Brigade Support Battalion at Fort Campbell, Ky. Troops still have memories of friends killed during the first deployment, and many haven’t processed their first war experience, Stuart said.
“I am afraid it may take years of psychological and emotional recovery because everything keeps getting piled on top of it,” she said.
Stuart started Operation Rest, Relax and Recovery as an outlet for returning soldiers to process their war experience. She took some soldiers from her battalion to Upper Room Ministries in Nashville, Tenn., for an interdenominational worship service. Then, they went to nearby Scarritt-Bennett Retreat Center for small-group discussion and a time of personal reflection.
Without programs like Operation Rest, Relax and Recovery, soldiers might not talk about their war experience for 20 to 30 years, Stuart said. “Historically, that is what veterans have done and it seems we are continuing on that journey,” she said.
U.S. armed forces chaplains must be endorsed by a faith group of their choice. Of the Fellowship’s 442 endorsed chaplains, 98 are military personnel.
CBF is a fellowship of Baptist Christians and churches who share a passion for the Great Commission and a commitment to Baptist principles of faith and practice. The Fellowship’s mission is to serve Christians and churches as they discover and fulfill their God-given mission.