Resources on Moral Injury in
Returning Vets Rev. Stephen Muse, Phd
smuse@pilink.org
Moral injury, according to Jonathan Shay, MD, PhD who first introduced this term into
modern context in his ground-breaking book Achilles in Viet Nam, described it as a
“violation of what’s right” – something that is a central theme to Homer’s Iliad which
portrays the undoing of character of Achilles and his recovery. Recent literature and
research have broadened and refined the definition. VA Doctors working with veterans
have defined moral injury as: “perpetrating, failing to prevent, bearing witness to or
learning about acts that transgress deeply held moral beliefs and expectations”.
BOOKS
Soul Repair: Recovering From Moral Injury After War
Rita Nakashima Brock and Gabriella Lettini
Beacon Press, 2012
A small important contribution to the dialogue on moral injury that clearly distinguishes the
relationship between PTSD and the spiritual soul pain that can accompany it and also remain
without it. It is a testimony to why those who hear other’s pain need to be familiar with both the
symptoms and causes of post traumatic stress and the deeper soul pain of the spiritual question
that is at the heart of the wound.
The Moral Warrior: Ethics and Service in the U.S. Military (Suny Series, Ethics and
the Military Profession)
Martin L. Cook
SUNY Press: New York
Explores moral issues pervading the geopolitical landscape of military service in the current
“new world order” in which the United States has unparalleled military presence and power.
What is the purpose of the military in this context and what is moral about how it is used?
Addresses questions in light of the moral challenges posed by the "war" on terrorism.
War and Redemption: Treatment and Recovery In Combat-related Traumatic
Stress Disorder
Dr. Larry Dewey
Ashgate Publishers Ltd:Great Britain, 2004
Dr. Dewey is Chief of Psychiatry at Boise, Idaho VA Medical Center and Associate Clinical
Professor of Psychiatry at the University of Washington School of Medicine. He has extensive
experience working with combat veterans and their families. Points to the power of
listening, understanding and forgiveness in redeeming seemingly unredeemable
experiences. Offers many stories of veterans who learned to deal with their PTSD and
understand what is happening to them. Helps family members who love them understand
and find a way to support them.
On Killing: The Psychological Cost of Learning to Kill in War and Society.
Lt. Col Dave Grossman,
New York: Back Bay Books. 1996
The best and most scientifically researched book on the psychology of killing. Includes many
first hand accounts of soldiers, police, etc. Grossman identifies how the military changed
their training tactics in order to overcome the innate biological resistance to killing another
human being in response to studies showing how the majority of soldiers in WWII refused to
shoot at other human beings. He reflects on the rise of violence within American culture and
the impact of violent video games that parallel some of the military training of soldiers, but
without having a command structure in place for the young people who are using them,
they are missing an important safety catch to prevent random violence.
On Combat: The Psychology and Physiology of Deadly Conflict in War and in Peace.
Grossman, D., & Christensen, L.
Millstadt, IL: PPCT Research Publications, 2004
Draws on many first hand experiences and research to explore what happens to the human
body under the stresses of combat and how warriors inoculate themselves against breaking
down under the stress of a fight. He looks at the history and evolution of the psychology of
combat; what allows persons to kill others and what can this tell us about the rise of
domestic violence in America. Attention is given to the Judeo-Christian view of killing in
combat and the notion of the just war, arguing for the crucial difference between
communally sanctioned killing under orders for the sake of justice and killing out of
vengeance on one’s own.
Trauma and Recovery: The Aftermath of Violence From Domestic Abuse to Political
Terror
Judith Herman,
New York: Basic Books, 1997
A now classic work on PTSD and the psychological effects of trauma. One of the first to
recognize the moral importance of communal recognition of a problem in order to address
it. Comprehensive and prophetic.
Once A Warrior Always a Warrior: Navigating the Transition from Combat to Home—
Including Combat Stress, PTSD and mTBI
Charles W. Hoge, MD Colonel, U.S. Army (Ret.)
GPP life, Guilford: Connecticut, 2010
This is a practical handbook for veterans returning from war. It is without unnecessary jargon
and helpful both to vets as well as lay civilians who want to understand how preparing for and
serving in combat conditions trains the nervous system to acclimatize to battlemind for the sake
of survival. Learning to recognize the signs of this and shifting frames of reference as well as
intentional ways to accommodate combat learning to life at home in the civilian world is set forth
in a step by step manner. The author directed the U.S. military’s premier research program in
the neurophysiological effects of combat from 2002-2009 at Walter Reed Army Institute
Research.
http://healthcarechaplaincy.org/userimages/Spiritual%20Care%20PTSD%20Handbook1.pdf
The Handbook on Best Practices for the Provision of Spiritual Care to. Persons with Post
Traumatic Stress. Disorder and Traumatic. Brain Injury. Hughes, B and Handzo, G. U.S.
Government public document. 107pp. Comprehensive overview of PTSD and TBI and
treatments to date, including spiritual-based treatments from a variety of religious
traditions. Also includes excellent bibliography of related articles
Perpetration-Induced Traumatic Stress: The Psychological Consequences of
Killing.
Rachel MacNair
New York: Authors Choice Press, 2005
Perpetration-Induced traumatic Stress (PITSA) is a type of PTSD that results not from being
the victim of a trauma, but form having been actively involved in acts of socially acceptable
or mandated perpetration, in the line of duty such as a soldier, policeman, executioner, etc.
MacNair suggests that the consequences of perpetrated acts of violence leads to greater
severity and different symptoms related to those of moral injury.
We Were Soldiers Once and Young
Lt. Gen. H.G. Moore and Joseph L. Galloway
Presidio Press (Random House):New York, 1992
A vivid and honest look at the intense conditions of modern warfare and the impact of
combat on soldiers as well as the bonds that are created between through this process.
What It is Like to Go to War, Karl Marlantes, Atlantic Monthly Press: New York, 2011
(from Amazon.com review) “recounts experiences that, outside the arena of war, are
horrifying or embarrassing and addresses a soldier’s self-imposed “code of silence” as an
attempt to fit back in to a society that “simply wants us to shut up about all of this.” While
American pop culture celebrates the warrior spirit and winning the battle, “reconciling the
moral conduct we are taught…with the brutal acts we do in war has been a problem for
warriors of good conscience for centuries.” Marlantes tempers the brutal truths of fear,
power games, and courage with a thoughtful prescription for our soldiers’ well-being; caring
for our soldiers and their families differently will benefit society as a whole.”
We Are Soldiers Still
Lt. Gen. H.G. Moore and Joseph L. Galloway
Harper Perennial: New York, 2008
A sequel to their first book, this volume is the story of redemption, forgiveness and respect
between former enemies who meet each other decades later. It is a testimony to the power
of human encounter where friendship can heal the wounds of war. “This book proves again
that Moore is an exceptionally thoughtful, compassionate and courageous leader (he was
one of a handful of army officers who studied the history of the Vietnam wars before he
arrived) and a strong voice for reconciliation and for honoring the men with whom he
served.” From Publishers Weekly
Achilles in Viet Nam: Combat Trauma and the Undoing of Character
Jonathan Shay, MD, PhD
Simon & Schuster: New York, 1995
The concept of moral injury as a “betrayal of what’s right” by the command structure, was
first proposed by Shay in this book. Interestingly he finds the antecedents and observation
of this in the 300 year old epic of Homer who first identified this in the Trojan war. Shay, a
physician with a PhD in classics, identifies this betrayal as the primary catalyst in what he
calls the “undoing of character.” Weaving modern day interviews with veterans of the Viet
Nam war with insights from observations of The Illiad, Shay reveals the power of betrayal
and dishonor in the veteran’s life that leads to rage at the injustice, withdrawal, mistrust
and increased vulnerability to what he calls the ‘berserker state’ and the destruction of
character. Shay is an advocate for policy changes that acknowledge and permit grief work
as a means to preserving conscience that is necessary for the preservation of character.
Odysseus in America: Combat Trauma and the Trials of Homecoming
Jonathan Shay, MD, PhD
Charles Scribner: New York, 2003
In this sequel to his first volume, Shay continues to detailed discussion of the warrior’s
experience of returning home, examined through the lens of Odysseus, the second volume
in Homer’s war epic. Using stories of Viet Nam veterans he has worked with, he illuminates
the obstacles encountered by the combat veteran seeking to return home. Shay argues for
the importance of communal cohesion as a means of preserving the character of soldiers
who fight together and should be allowed to grieve together.
The Untold War: Inside the Hearts, Minds, and Souls of Our Soldiers
Sherman, N.
W.W. Norton & Company: New York, 2010
A philosopher and psychoanalyst explores the inner conflictual world of combat veterans.
As she explains: “Every person’s experience is unique. Therefore philosophy, with its
thousands of years of nuanced discussion, is better suited to address moral conflicts than
psychology. It is philosophy’s very complexity that can be so healing.”
Invisible wounds of war: Psychological and cognitive injuries, their consequences,
and services to assist recovery Tanielian, T.L., & Jaycox, L.H. (Eds.). (2008). . Santa Monica,
CA: RAND Corporation. Describes the post-deployment health needs associated with major
depression, traumatic brain injury, and PTSD among returning OEF and IEF Service members.
War and the Soul: Healing Our Nation's Veterans from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder
Edward Tick, PhD.
Quest Books: Wheaton, Ill, 2005
Tick, originally a conscientious objector to the Viet Nam War, became a therapist whose
work was devoted to returning veterans from that war, specifically their “soul wounds.” His
encounters changed his view of life and of himself. He focuses on the power of forgiveness
obtained through the hard work of facing one’s former enemy – both internally and in
reality. He accompanied a number of his clients back to Viet Nam where they literally faced
the places that had changed since they were there. Veterans who have made this journey
have a great deal to offer society based on their experiences and the wisdom they have
garnered through them.
ARTICLES
http://www.ntis.gov/search/product.aspx?ABBR=ADA584969 Adaptive Disclosure Therapy:
A Combat Specific PTSD Treatment, Litz, BT, Steenkamp, M. Oct 2012 Abstract: More than
2 million U.S. troops have served in the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. Finding from
epidemiologic stuidies of infantry troops in the early stages of the wars suggest that 1018% of combat troops experience deployment-related psychological health problems, such
as posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Once service members and new Veterans develop
sustained mental health problems related to combat and operational stress, many are at
risk to remain chronic across the lifespan. Thus, primary and secondary prevention of PTSD
is a critical challenge for the military and the VA. We have developed a novel intervention.
Adaptive Disclosure (AD) to address these needs. AD is a hybrid and extension of evidenceinformed cognitive-behavioral therapy strategies packages and sequenced to target the
three high base-rate combat and operational traumas, namely life-threat trauma, loss
(principally traumatic loss) and experiences that produce inner moral conflict. AD employs a
Prolonged Exposure (PE) strategy (imaginal emotional processing of an event) and
cognitive-therapy-based techniques used in Cognitive Processing Therpay (CPT), but also
includes gestalt-therpay techniques designed to target loss and moral injury. In our open
pilot trial, we demonstrated treatment acceptability among Marines and large reductions in
PTSD and comorbid symptoms. The primary objective of the current randomized control
noninferiority trial is to determine ahether AD is at least as effective as CPT, cognitive only
version (CPT-C) in terms of its impact on deployment-related psychological health problems
(specificially PTSD and depression) and functioning. As secondary aims, we have specified
some comparison in which we believe that AD will be superior to CPT-C (degree of change in
posttraumatic grief, moral injury, resiliences, and post traumatic growth, as well as degree
of treatment acceptability) and we propose to evaluate a posited mechanism of change
(trauma-related option).
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24022873, Currier, JM, Holland, JM, Drescher, K,
Foy, D., “Initial Psychometic Evaluation of the Moral Injury Questionnaire-Military Version
Clinical Psychology Psychotherapy. 2013 Sep 10 Abstract: Moral injury is an emerging construct
related to negative consequences associated with war-zone stressors that transgress military veterans'
deeply held values/beliefs. Given the newness of the construct, there is a need for instrumentation that
might assess morally injurious experiences (MIEs) in this population. Drawing on a community sample of
131 Iraq and/or Afghanistan Veterans and clinical sample of 82 returning Veterans, we conducted an
initial psychometric evaluation of the newly developed Moral Injury Questionnaire-Military version (MIQM)-a 20-item self-report measure for assessing MIEs. Possibly due to low rates of reporting, an item
assessing sexual trauma did not yield favorable psychometric properties and was excluded from
analyses. Veterans in the clinical sample endorsed significantly higher scores across MIQ-M items. Factor
analytic results for the final 19 items supported a unidimensional structure, and convergent validity
analyses revealed that higher scores (indicative of more MIEs) were correlated with greater general
combat exposure, impairments in work/social functioning, posttraumatic stress and depression in the
community sample. In addition, when controlling for demographics, deployment-related factors and
exposure to life threat stressors associated with combat, tests of incremental validity indicated that MIQ-M
scores were also uniquely linked with suicide risk and other mental health outcomes. These findings
provide preliminary evidence for the validity of the MIQ-M and support the applicability of this measure for
further research and clinical work with Veterans. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23756071 Nash, WP, Marino, Carper, TL, Mills, MA,
Au T, Goldsmith, A, Litz, BT. “Psychometric Evaluation of the Moral Injury Events Scale.
Military Medicine, 2013 Jun:178(6) 646-652, Abstract:Literature describing the phenomenology
of the stress of combat suggests that war-zone experiences may lead to adverse psychological outcomes
such as post-traumatic stress disorder not only because they expose persons to life threat and loss but
also because they may contradict deeply held moral and ethical beliefs and expectations. We sought to
develop and validate a measure of potentially morally injurious events as a necessary step toward
studying moral injury as a possible adverse consequence of combat. We administered an 11-item, selfreport Moral Injury Events Scale to active duty Marines 1 week and 3 months following war-zone
deployment. Two items were eliminated because of low item-total correlations. The remaining 9 items
were subjected to an exploratory factor analysis, which revealed two latent factors that we labeled
perceived transgressions and perceived betrayals; these were confirmed via confirmatory factor analysis
on an independent sample. The overall Moral Injury Events Scale and its two subscales had favorable
internal validity, and comparisons between the 1-week and 3-month data suggested good temporal
stability. Initial discriminant and concurrent validity were also established. Future research directions were
discussed. Reprint & Copyright © 2013 Association of Military Surgeons of the U.S.
http://www.careforthetroops.org/programs/cftt_congregation_programs_and_leaders_V1_t
emplate.pdf A set of guidelines created by Care For the Troops initiative in Georgia, on
how to establish Veteran Friendly Congregations. This PDF includes a detailed list of
initiatives that can be customized and undertaken in the local parish as well as identifies the
structure of volunteers needed to bring it off. Lists of possible workshops, how to put
together care packages for deployed troops, ways to identify and welcome existing and
returning members of the congregation who are veterans; and sample letters for returning
veterans from the church, are included.
http://journals.sfu.ca/rpfs/index.php/rpfs/issue/current Vol 33 of Journal of Reflective
Practice: Formation and Supervision in Ministry is devoted to a symposium on Moral Injury.
Free copies of on-line PDF’s of articles are available for down-load from leading authors in
the field.
http://projects.huffingtonpost.com/moral-injury David Wood “A Warrior’s Moral Dilemma” A
three part series from investigative reporte who spent 35 year embedded with troops
covering various wars and conflicts.
http://www.spiritualitytoday.org/spir2day/894143brende.html “Post Traumatic Spiritual
Alienation and Recovery in Vietnam Combat Veterans,” Brende, J. and McDonald, E.
Spirituality Today, Winter 1989 Vol 41(3) 319-340. One of the first treatment protocols
rooted in a spiritual approach to address moral injury, shame and guilt of combat veterans
that trapped them in alienation from society, seeing themselves as conscienceless and
having lost the faith they had prior to their war experiences. The article discusses Brende’s
communal approach to working with the 12steps adapted to treatment of PTSD. Cf.
http://www.careforthetroops.org/training_misc/Training-War_Wrkbk1205%20Dr%20Joel%20Brende.pdf for Brende’s 12 Step Workbook “Coping With the
Aftermath of War.”
http://www.careforthetroops.org/library_reference_articles.php#articles A useful
bibliography
http://www.disciples.org/LinkClick.aspx?fileticket=WfkfuSGbzPQ%3D&tabid=844 A paper
developed by the Disciples of Christ which aims at allowing the Church to engage in
reflection, prayer, research, and education around the concept of moral injury in veterans
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19683376 Litz BT, Stein N, Delaney E, Lebowitz
L, Nash WP, Silva C, Maguen S. Clin Psychol Rev. 2009 Dec;29(8):695-706. Epub 2009 Jul
29. “Moral injury and moral repair in war veterans: a preliminary model and intervention
strategy.” Abstract Throughout history, warriors have been confronted with moral and
ethical challenges and modern unconventional and guerilla wars amplify these challenges.
Potentially morally injurious events, such as perpetrating, failing to prevent, or bearing
witness to acts that transgress deeply held moral beliefs and expectations may be
deleterious in the long-term, emotionally, psychologically, behaviorally, spiritually, and
socially (what we label as moral injury). Although there has been some research on the
consequences of unnecessary acts of violence in war zones, the lasting impact of morally
injurious experience in war remains chiefly unaddressed. To stimulate a critical examination
of moral injury, we review the available literature, define terms, and offer a working
conceptual framework and a set of intervention strategies designed to repair moral injury.
(PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
Brock, R.N., Miller, DB “Just War Theory: Are We Protecting the Moral Conscience of
Soldiers?” Huffington Post, 10/14/2010 Huffington Post
http://conscienceinwar.org/2010/10/14/huffington-post-just-war-theory-are-we-protecting-themoral-conscience-of-soldiers/ Article discusses the link between the military’s teaching that soldiers
must keep a moral compass in war, yet denying the validity of conscientious objection to the moral
grounds of a particular war as being unjust. CO status must be objection to all war as unjust, thus leading
to Catch 22 of “If I fight in a war I consider unjust, I am immoral, if I don’t fight I go to jail.”
http://conscienceinwar.org/wpcontent/uploads/2010/11/TCCW_REPORT_FINAL_110710.pdf Link to download the Truth
Commission on Conscience in War. Report is the result of a national coalition of 60 religious,
veterans, academic and advocacy groups advocating for greater religious freedom and
protection of moral conscience in the military
http://www.thesouthernpartisan.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/32.1ARCHIVEBicaMoralCasualties-8p.pdf “Beyond PTSD: The Moral Casualties of War,” Camillo
“Mac” Bica, June 8, 2007. Author is a former Marine from the Viet Nam War, founder of
Veterans Self-Help Initiative and now professor of philosophy with a focus on Ethics. Article
considers the nature of moral injury as revealed though several wars. Examines how it has
been overlooked in therapy, rationalized away by chaplains and the damage done by this to
soldiers who bear the weight.
http://www.dtic.mil/cgi-bin/GetTRDoc?AD=ADA514756&Location=U2&doc=GetTRDoc.pdf
“The Impact of Reported Direct and Indirect Killing on Mental Health Symptoms in Iraq
War Veterans” Maguen,S, Lucenko, BA, Reger, MA and Gahm, GA, Litz, BT, Seal, KH,
Knight, SJ, and Marmar, CR Journal of Traumatic Stress, Vol. 23, No. 1, February 2010, pp.
86–90 Abstract This study examined the mental health impact of reported direct and
indirect killing among 2,797 U.S. soldiers returning from Operation Iraqi Freedom. Data
were collected as part of a postdeployment screening program at a large Army medical
facility. Overall, 40% of soldiers reported killing or being responsible for killing during their
deployment. Even after controlling for combat exposure, killing was a significant predictor of
posttraumatic disorder (PTSD) symptoms, alcohol abuse, anger, and relationship problems.
Military personnel returning from modern deployments are at risk of adverse mental health
conditions and related psychosocial functioning related to killing in war. Mental health
assessment and treatment should address reactions to killing to optimize readjustment
following deployment.
http://www.chepinc.org/public/743.pdf Fontana, A., & Rosenheck, R. (2004). “Trauma,
change in strength of religious faith, and mental health service use among veterans treated
for PTSD.” Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease, 192, 579–584. Examines the link
between killing in combat and suffering moral injury as a result among out-patient and
inpatient sample of Viet Nam combat Veterans. Results suggest that Veterans’ motivation to
pursue therapy is “driven more by their guilt and the weakening of their religious faith than
by the severity of their PTSD, symptoms or deficits in their social functioning.” The search
for meaning and purpose to traumatic experiences raise the question of the importance of
pastoral care and counseling for vets.
http://www.miller-mccune.com/culture/beyond-ptsd-soldiers-have-injured-souls-34293/
Beyond PTSD: Soldiers Have Injured Souls, by Diane Silver in Millier-McCune.com
Excellent article summarizing contributions of major theorists to date in the area of moral
injury in Vets and offers brief historical chronicle of how it came to be on the forefront of
current discussions.
http://www.caringconnectionsonline.org/
Caring Connections: An Inter-Lutheran Journal for Practitioners and Teachers of
Pastoral Care and Counseling. Vol 10, No. 1 2013. The issue is devoted to Hope,
Resilience and Moral Injury in Combat Veterans and contains many useful articles.
S. Muse, “No Dead Man’s Prayer” Touchstone Magazine. March/April 2013, pp 25-27
A look at the suffering of moral injury in combat veteran confronting his pain through the
paradox of Psalm 88 in the context of pastoral counseling relationship.
WEBSITES
http://www.careforthetroops.org/about_programs.php#articles Information on how to
qualify as a Veteran Friendly Congregation and develop congregation-based Military Ministry
programs..
http://conscienceinwar.org/ videos, resources and information related to exploration of war
and conscience, moral injury, conscientious objection, just war theory. Has a number of
archived articles of relevance and “The Truth Commission Report” releases in 2010
http://www.soldiersheart.net/ Edward Tick’s website. He is author of War and the Soul and
has drawn on lessons from traditional warrior about ritual and healing in his work with vets.
He uses of ritual, trips to the battlefield and charity projects as part of the healing process.
“Our goal is to alleviate the symptoms of PTSD by developing a new and honorable warrior
identity through storytelling, purification, community forgiveness and healing, and
restitution as outlined in Edward Tick's War and the Soul. In addition, we promote, train,
and guide military, professional and community-based efforts to heal the effects of war.”
TELEPHONE HOTLINES
Veterans Administration Caregiver Support Hotline 1-855-260-3274 was created to
recognize contributions made by caregivers allowing Veterans to remain at home
surrounded by family and friends. Monday-Friday 8AM to 11PM, Saturday 10:30AM to 6PM
EST. Licensed clinical social workers are available to answer questions, listen to your
concerns and directly link you to the Caregiver Support Coordinator at your local VA Medical
Center.
VA Caregiver Website US Dept. of Veterans Affairs sponsored website is a source
for a variety of services designed specifically to support family members and caregivers of veterans as
well as offering a listing of services and benefits for Veterans. A wealth of information and access to
persons who can answer specific questions concerning resources.
VIDEO and PODCASTS
http://www.uctv.tv/search-details.aspx?showID=8752 Dr. Jonathan Shay offers a keynote
address on the Combat Trauma and the Trials of Homecoming which focuses on the wide
gap that can dived and swallow veterans and their families when they arrive home because
of their vastly different experiences and expectations. He begins by saying that anyone who
would listen to a returning veteran, “must learn how to go naked to show your humanity
and to react with humanity to the pain and the fury of the veteran before you they will ever
begin to trust you.” He suggests that we need a homecoming ritual of purification that is
communal which civilians participate in as being an integral part.
http://www.pbs.org/wnet/religionandethics/episodes/may-28-2010/moral-wounds-ofwar/6367/ PBS presentation on the moral wounds of war
http://www.pbs.org/wnet/religionandethics/episodes/may-28-2010/nancy-shermanextended-interview/6386/ A video interview with Nancy Sherman, philosopher, ethicist and
psychoanalyst, discussing “moral residue and emotions” of soldiers related to their experiences. Author of
The Untold War: Inside the Hearts, Minds, and Souls of Our Soldiers. “Soldiers carry all the moral weight
of war, and we carry very little, and we need to share that moral burden by realizing that they are our
surrogates”
http://www.pbs.org/wnet/religionandethics/episodes/may-28-2010/ed-tick-extendedinterview/6392/ “It’s our job as civilians to tend to the returning warriors by bringing them into the
center of the community,” says this psychotherapist and author of “War and the Soul.” Tick appreciates
the spirituality of warrior culture and the ‘path’ of military service as a lifelong way of life that is a social
contract with the rest of culture. He is very good on the complimentary and reciprocal nature of caring
between warriors and the larger culture that contributes to the healing and growth of both groups. The
veterans must tell their stories and we need to hear them, to witness them and to feel the pain and carry
the responsibility of the stories together.
http://www.pbs.org/wnet/religionandethics/episodes/may-28-2010/jonathan-shayextended-interview/6384/ Jonathan Shay, MD, PhD Short interview offering his original
definition of moral injury (as “betrayal of what’s right”) in the context of war and how this
changes the character of persons.
http://congregationalresources.org/resources/stephen-muse-podcast-moral-injury-returning-vets
CRG Director Martin Davis and Dr. Stephen Muse of the Pastoral Institute discuss moral injury
in returning veterans and how congregations might best respond. We need to learn how to
“listen, witness and weep” with and for veterans and all persons who have gone through major
traumas.
http://ancientfaith.com/podcasts/svsvoices/listen_witness_and_weep_what_can_the_church_offe
r_service_men_and_women. Dr. Stephen Muse speaks at St. Vladimir’s Seminary Education
Day on the relationship between conscience and moral injury in returning vets and the
relationship between the church and returning vets, who have a great deal to offer each other if
both are willing to engage each other deeply.
http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=50142077n CBS interview with friends and family of
Marine veteran Clay Hunt, a charismatic, handsome, intelligent combat veteran who had found
new ways to serve others in disaster relief since his departure from the military. He suffered from
PTSD, depression and deep moral injury to conscience he could not shake. He committed suicide
by gunshot.
RELATED RESOURCES CONGREGATIONS SHOULD BE
FAMILIAR WITH
http://vet2vetusa.org/ Vet to Vet Program is a volunteer organization for vets, staffed by vets
who understand the ins and outs of the VA medical system and are both a resources as well as
provide peer-to-peer counseling groups.
The Soul Repair Project, http://www.nhchurches.org/military-families-and-faith/resources-for-
military-families/1092-join-now-to-lessen-veteran-suicides
Rita Nakashima Brock, Co-Director, Herman Keizer, Jr., Co-Director, Gabriella Lettini, Chair, National Board of
Advisors. The Soul Repair Center’s stated goals are to:
 conduct research, hold conferences, train educators, and create educational resources on moral injury and
methods and strategies for healing it;
 serve as a pilot for creating an additional five such centers over a period of five years;
 train seminarians, clergy, mental health professionals, religious leaders, chaplains, and members of
congregations and community organizations in healing moral injury; and
 create robust, effective means of making such resources accessible and available online to religious and
nonprofit organizations working with veterans.