DCoE Blog

• Chaplain Working Group Tackles Tough Warfighter Issues

  Posted by Jayne Davis , DCoE Strategic Communications on September 25, 2012

  

  If the idea of chaplains getting together to discuss their interests makes you think of genteel spiritual conversations, consider the topic discussed at the August bimonthly teleconference of the Defense Centers of Excellence for Psychological Health and Traumatic Brain Injury (DCoE) Chaplain Working Group — combat and killing in relation to posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and spiritual distress.

  The Chaplain Working Group routinely delves into spiritual and behavioral conflicts arising from deployment. It’s the nature of their calling that chaplains grapple with difficult issues, and the nature of war that military chaplains must address constructs that deeply challenge common beliefs. One such example is that spiritual health, behavioral health and the use of deadly force are not necessarily mutually exclusive.

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  Categories: PTSD , Veterans , DCoE , Chaplains , Psychological Health , Leadership , Deployments   |   Comments (6)

• In Times of Doubt, Find Healing in Pastoral Care

  Posted by Jayne Davis , DCoE Strategic Communications on July 18, 2012

  	U.S. Navy Cmdr. Raymond Houk, left, a chaplain, talks with the Rev. Juan Garcia, right, a Catholic priest with the Republic of Colombia Navy, during a tour aboard the hospital ship USNS Comfort. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Jonathen E. Davis)

  The soldiers were pinned down, taking heavy fire and casualties from what they determined was a lone gunner behind a protective wall. Finally, one soldier broke from the group, made his way to the wall and in a fervent burst of gunfire took the sniper out — it was an 11-year-old boy.

  Later, that scene in the soldier’s head kept him from sleeping, played on his spiritual beliefs and made him question his moral compass. He felt unworthy of his religion, unworthy of his family. He knew he needed to talk to someone. He went to see a chaplain.

  “Chaplains are often the first line of defense for service members wrestling with issues of moral and spiritual concerns,” said chaplain and Navy Cmdr. Raymond Houk, who related the sniper story. Houk is assigned to Pastoral Care at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center and works at the National Intrepid Center of Excellence.

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  Categories: DCoE , Treatment , Chaplains , Psychological Health , Leadership   |   Comments (4)

• Navy Chaplain Recalls Journey in Latest Real Warriors Campaign Video Profile

  Posted by Jayne Davis , DCoE Strategic Communications on March 8, 2012

  	Navy Lt. Cmdr. Steve Dundas, chaplain, reflects on his post-traumatic stress disorder and offers hope and inspiration in this new Real Warriors Campaign video. (Video courtesy of Real Warriors Campaign)

  “You can’t go back to what you were … you have to adapt to what you are.”

       —Lt. Cmdr. Steve Dundas
  U.S. Navy chaplain

  With 30 years in the military, the last 12 with the Navy, Lt. Cmdr. Steve Dundas thought he was sufficiently familiar with and steeled against the impacts of war. A deployment to Anbar province, Iraq, where he supported service members stationed in remote areas, changed his mind: literally.

  As a trauma department chaplain, Dundas had seen death. He had studied post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and ministered to Marines diagnosed with it. But on this mission, he experienced the full impact of what Marines were exposed to—sights, sounds, smells and sheer exhaustion; traveling through some of the most hostile and inhospitable areas in Iraq; and coming under attack, the constant awareness that chaplains were a favorite target of al Qaeda.

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  Categories: Real Warriors Campaign/Stigma , Resilience , Personal Stories , PTSD , Veterans , Reintegration , Treatment , Depression , Chaplains , Psychological Health , Leadership , Deployments   |   Comments (2)

• Strengthen Your Resilience by Being Spiritually Fit

  Posted by Corina Notyce , DCoE Strategic Communications on July 28, 2011

  Soldiers say a prayer at Forward Operating Base Liberty, Iraq, before a mission. (U.S. Army photo by Spc. Charles W. Gill)

  Everyone experiences stress at times. But when you’re part of the military community, daily events can sometimes be difficult to manage when complicated by the stress of war and long periods of separation from family and friends. Undoubtedly, service members and their families face increased demands: physically, mentally and spiritually. So what can help get you through those challenging times, whether at home or deployed? It could be your spirituality.

  “When we think of the overall health and well-being of service members, we normally think of physical fitness,” said Dr. Jeffrey Rhodes, DCoE senior management consultant for performance enhancement and retired Navy chaplain. “However, the armed forces have put emphasis on a more holistic view of what we think of when we’re talking about the health of service members, which includes the mind, body and spirit.”

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  Categories: Resilience , Families , Chaplains , Psychological Health   |   Comments (2)

• Honored to be a part of DCoE’s discussion on support for chaplains

  Posted by Cmdr. Bradley Thom , U.S. Navy Reserves Chaplain on December 17, 2009

  DCoE sponsored a video teleconference (VTC) last week to address the challenges ministry teams face in promoting resilience, recovery and reintegration with our service members, and I had the unique opportunity to participate in this discussion. As a military Chaplain, I’m part of the ministry team offering guidance and spiritual assistance to warriors on the frontline and their families back home. I provide counsel in theater to help them deal with their battlefield experiences, and am there when they return home and often face new challenges, such as readjustment to civilian life, coping with the loss of a loved one, trouble sleeping and nightmares. Just as the men and women we counsel are human, with human responses to the horrors of the battlefield, so too must Chaplains and Chaplain Assistants often cope with similar feelings. Photo Credit SSgt. Christine Jones U.S. Army Capt. Scott Koeman, a chaplain with the 4th ...

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  Categories: Chaplains   |   Comments (0)

• Chaplains from All Services are Participating in Upcoming DCoE VTC

  Posted by Cmdr. Brenda Gearhart , Licensed Clinical Social Worker on December 8, 2009

  Military chaplains will discuss “The Ministry Team: Challenges, Coping Strategies, and Resource Support” at the next DCoE VTC on 9 December 2009 from 1300 to 1500 hours. Presenters will provide information on helping to reduce psychological stressors and prevent compassion fatigue among ministry team members. Chaplain Michael Coffey, the Multi-National Force Iraq Chaplain, will share insights along with his team members in Baghdad on the challenges confronted by ministry teams serving in theater. Coping strategies that chaplains can use to combat compassion fatigue will be highlighted during a presentation by Chaplain Bradley Thom from the Navy Chief of Chaplains Office and RPC Parrish Walker from the Office of the Chaplain of the Marine Corps. A team of chaplains from the Army will address a theory-informed approach for caring for chaplain caregivers and will shed light on what was done in the aftermath of the Ft. Hood tragedy. Chaplain David Carr ...

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  Categories: Chaplains   |   Comments (1)