Biola University Honors Veterans on the National Holiday
Open up appropriately to the process of recovery
It was during the trip to Vietnam that I met the young Marine that I mentioned at the start of this article. We visited Hanoi, now the capital of the unified Socialist Republic of Vietnam. The young Marine was part of the United States Marine Corps Security Guard in Hanoi, responsible for the protection of the United States Embassy and our Ambassador.
The young sergeant has served two tours of duty in Iraq, and will likely be deployed there again soon. It was a strange sensation to be talking with a young man about his combat experience and how he is still recovering. He asked me about my combat experience in Vietnam and my own process of recovery. I was now the older veteran helping a younger veteran, and we hit it off deeply.
I then got to interview him for our television program. I asked him to try to express how he dealt with coming back home from the war. That’s when he made the comment about people not understanding what he has been through. Then he said to me, “I think that you understand, sir.” That confirmed why I was there in Hanoi.
He continued, “After Iraq, I went home, and my family is a very religious family. I never drank at home in front of my parents before. But the whole time that I was home I drank a lot. I’m really not proud of that sir, but I will say that my family never said anything to me about it. They just accepted me, just like they always have.” His parents are devout Christians, and without having had any personal experience with war, they simply knew to hang in there with their son and love him, and look for ways to be used by God to break through to this young man with the help that Jesus can offer him.
I’ve thought several times about that interchange with the young veteran. Two reflections stand out.
First, he has experienced and survived the horror of war. Not everyone can understand what he experienced—how it has altered his world and how difficult the process of recovery is. Not even he fully understands what he is going through. There is a small brotherhood between those who have experienced and survived the horror of war. Yet, in some ways that is not completely different than the experiences of others who have experienced other traumas of life such as death of a loved one, or a natural disaster, or the tragedy of an accident or the violence of human cruelty. It is important for veterans of any trauma to help other veterans of trauma.
Second, no, not everyone can fully understand. But I urge those of us who have experienced trauma not to push people away. As they try to understand, we try to open ourselves up, and when done appropriately, it can be of tremendous value. Some isolation is necessary; I couldn’t open up to everyone. But the Lord used Lynne in a significant way—she cared enough to want to try to understand. So the young Marine’s comments about his family’s commitment to him are strikingly important. They could not fully understand or relate to his experiences of war. But they remained committed by loving him and seeking to try to understand him. And they consistently tried to be God’s conduit of loving care. That is exemplary.
One large difference of the current war environment from that of the Vietnam war is that, regardless of one’s opinion about the “justness” of this war, the people of our country are supporting the veterans. Veterans don’t make war policy; they are simply serving their country. I am proud of the way that the people are giving aid in a myriad of way to the returning veterans. The companion article in this issue entitled “Ministry to Veterans” by Talbot alumnus U. S. Army Chaplain Kevin Doll and Talbot professor Dr. Rex Johnson lays out some excellent professional and pastoral ways and resources for helping returning veterans.
An unexpected peace
One final thought. I came back from Vietnam this time with an unexpected sense of peace. When I used to think back on my experience in Vietnam, there was always darkness and heaviness and a tinge of evil. But unexpectedly, I no longer have that. It seems that seeing the people of Vietnam now at peace, even in a domineering political environment, has helped me see that there is hope in that country. Life is better for them. And the darkness in my soul has somehow been lifted.
That causes me other consternations though, as when I think of the lost lives and wounded veterans of our military forces. Should I believe that our involvement as a country really was all a waste of young lives? I don’t think that I’m in a position to judge those things.
What I do know is that there is peace now in that land and that it is an increasingly thriving country. Ultimately I have to leave it to history and to God to work out his will, regardless of political powers. That’s a tough one for all of us to consider.
But returning to Vietnam has given me renewed hope and affirmation that God’s renewing power can overcome all of the challenges of this life. Even the horror ofwar that none of us understands fully.
Written by Michael Wilkins, Distinguished Professor of New Testament and Dean of the Faculty at Talbot, Biola University. Mike is also the author of a number of scholarly and popular books and articles, including an award-winning commentary on Matthew in the NIV Application Commentary series (Zondervan, 2004).
Introduction written by Jenna Bartlo, Media Relations Coordinator. Jenna can be reached at (562) 777-4061 or through email at jenna.l.bartlo@biola.edu.