I recently “met” Chaplain Tim Meier by phone (see excerpt of an interview with him). As we talked about his experiences serving in Iraq, I asked him what the hardest part of his deployment had been. He told me that he had been the first chaplain to arrive at the scene of the clinic shootings in mid-May. He shared with me how this was the hardest thing he had to face in his nearly one year in Iraq.

Last week, the Army held a Resiliency Training Conference in Mannheim, Germany. The Air Force has similar training events scheduled for chaplains and chaplain assistants following deployments.

At these events, chaplains have a chance to share with other chaplains about the difficult emotional moments of the job. Chaplains are the shoulder that those dealing with the stresses of life in the war zone turn to. They provide a listening ear and a shoulder to lean on. At the training events, chaplains partner together to process their experiences and learn how to handle their own “compassion fatigue”.

In today’s military, there aren’t always enough chaplains to meet the need, and it is often difficult to remain detached while remaining empathetic. The Resiliency Training Conference gives chaplains a valuable tool to help them help others who need their guidance, care and listening ears.

Closing Prayer

God who brings comfort, we lift up today the chaplains serving our soldiers, sailors, Airmen and Marines. Let them know Your presence with them, as they serve, sometimes in the “valley of the shadow of death.” Give them the words they need as they comfort those who stand in harm’s way. Grant them Your wisdom, and Your peace, and Your protection. AMEN.

Tags: caring, Chaplain Meier, Resiliency Training

This entry was posted on Monday, June 15th, 2009 at 12:54 pm and is filed under Active Duty, Chaplains, From the Front. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.