How do we grow through and out of trauma? Chaplain John Morris talks about the tests of our faith – from PTSD for the soldier on the battlefield, to hard experiences at home. He believes we can take heart & learn great lessons from the early church fathers and the Apostles in the New Testament. We also consider the price of freedom – as we approach the Fourth of July – with Chaplain Morris on this latest Connecting Faith.
Chaplain Morris is a 28 year veteran and has served in a variety of positions throughout his military career, including his duty as State Chaplain of the Minnesota National guard and the past two years as Staff Chaplain, Army National Guard-Bureau in Washington D.C. overseeing the work of chaplains in Guard units across the country.
From his unique vantage point, Chaplain Morris takes us behind the challenges facing servicemen & women – including the much-mentioned issue of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. He explains what that term means, and also shares his belief that the public doesn’t have an accurate picture of the issue. There are far fewer cases of PTSD than we may believe, and that misunderstanding has led to needless difficulties for combat veterans seeking employment upon their return to the states.
Military service brings you face to face with situations that test your resilience. None of us really knows how we’ll react to that test until we face it. Chaplain Morris says that it’s in those life & death scenarios where trauma is most frequently experienced.
So what is daily life like for our military members stationed overseas? Chaplain Morris explains that, while we tend to think of those stationed in combat zones going toe to toe with al Qaeda & the Taliban, many of our forces are serving in safe places.
We tackle the intersection of faith and military service in a variety ways – including discovering the term “moral injury”. How can we as Americans of faith reach out and bless the service men and women among us?
