Glen is restless and has some stories to tell.  He is deeply bothered by the official emphasis on maximum "lethality" in war, the removal of ethical boundaries and behavior for troops in battle.  As an Army Ranger, he experienced combat up close.  He always thought of himself as a "protector", while at the same time being searingly honest about the realities of the war zone.  This exaggerated  emphasis on lethal force has Glen thinking about the "berserking" he witnessed personally in Vietnam, and its role in military service.  He tells two interlocking stories, one of a hometown hero who was first a sports legend and later an officer and decorated combat veteran in Vietnam.  The other is of a man who was a Green Beret and later a Ranger in multiple deployments.  The second is relatively unknown except to those, like Glen, who served with him.  The lives of the two men intersect on the battlefield and impact one another.  From that point, their stories painfully diverge.

To listen to the stories side-by-side is deeply thought-provoking.  Scott and Glen consider the effects of public perception--or misperception--on how veterans are acknowledged and welcomed home.  We discuss the paradox of "lethality gone amuck" in battle: it might save unit members in a specific battle but can leave them with crippling burdens once they return.  If such behavior becomes normative, what will that do to our service people and to our society?  Conversely, what will dedicated and painful listening to veterans do to humanize those who have served, share their weights, atone for our own moral disconnection, and engage healing paths together?  We come to focus on the role of the wider community in how these stories will continue to unfold, and the implications for everyone. 

Glen and Scott dive back into our penetrating discussion about dehumanization and humanization, in wars overseas and in the emerging war zone at home.   What does the humanity of veterans teach us about becoming a different society? Can we become a people not always just preparing for combat, but  honest about our principles, including integrity and honor? Glen shares his own story of coming home carrying the burdens of war, and how his journey of healing and discernment invited fresh exploration of important questions:  What do I really believe?  What are my values? For what am I willing to offer my life? If post-traumatic growth for veterans involves navigating all the disconnects between the inhumanities of war and their deeper identity as full human beings, should not the society that badly needs transformation walk a similar path?

We revisit our previous discussion of "necessity," moving into the necessities involved in shaping people as peacemakers.  What are some of the qualities that veterans hold that would help us to navigate these tumultuous days and humanize one another in dehumanizing circumstances?  Glen challenges Scott to discern the role of pastors in time like our present one.  Scott tells stories of nonviolent peacebuilding, and discerns the call for pastors to be in the streets with the people.  Together they identify discipline, commitment, and mission as key elements in the roles of both warriors and peacemakers.  We are collectively discovering who we are.  And showing up will be essential to whatever we do.

In this episode, Glen and Scott discuss dehumanization, as an element of military training for war and a disturbingly defining characteristic in our everyday life in America.  Glen describes military training and preparation: "You're going to war so there is some civility that needs to be stripped out of you."  He gives examples of diminishing terms used to describe the enemy, of marching chants designed to numb human connection, and of abusive language and behavior toward the soldiers-in-training themselves.  In a practical sense, it is all designed to remove hesitance in midst of battle.  As human beings, we are not naturally inclined to kill one another.  What we have in common can be very strong.  Glen says: "Those that kill have the longest journey coming back to themselves."  This leads us to a rich examination of "necessity,' depending on how we understand our relationships with one another.  Our current military involvements breed a certain understanding of necessity, while people recovering from the trauma of war and those building peaceful cultures understand necessity in a whole different way.  Our conversation then identifies the dehumanizing messages and practices that have infiltrated nearly every aspect of our society.  As we continue to focus on recovery and post-traumatic growth for our service people, we are considering how to address the needs for "humanization" and "coming back to ourselves" throughout our whole society.

Join us for a remarkable conversation with Roger Kessler, co-founder of The COMPASS Healing Circle, Touchstone Veterans Outreach, and The Witting Tree.  Roger is a United States Army Veteran who served in Operation Desert Storm.  A first generation American, Roger's military service was an expression of gratitude and dedication, and continues to be a defining experience  in his life.  In this episode , he talks honestly about the stresses of military service on marriage and family.  As a person of faith he explores the question, "Can I be a good Christian and know how to kill?" He discusses the effects of military training, the role of conscience in the life of the soldier, and  the impact of the COMPASS Circle in overcoming his longstanding efforts "not to feel."  Down-to-earth and full of wisdom.

In recent months there have been government pronouncements about restoring the "Warrior Ethos" to the U.S. military, as though something has been lacking.  But in this episode, Glen clarifies the longstanding  ethics at the heart of the Warrior Ethos and contrasts them with what is being suggested now.  Savagery is not consistent with honor, duty, and courage.  Scott and Glen consider the honor and long-term well-being of service people, conduct in battle, moral imperatives, and the aftermath of homecoming.  We agree that since the military serves in the name of the nation, the conscience and morality of the wider community are key factors in how the future will unfold.

Honestly engaging the difficult truths about war is essential to post-traumatic growth, and offers possibilities for a different future.  Our conversation continues. How can we break cycles of dehumanization and death-dealing unless we are honest about how those cycles work and how they take life?  Once you have been to what Glen calls “the razor’s edge” of war, what can be learned from what has happened?  From the difficult and wrenching decisions made, and their aftermath?  What wisdom do you carry?  What wisdom does the culture desperately need?

Our colleague Roger Brooke talks about this particular kind of learning: “You’ve learned lessons about the nature of evil; about politics; about duplicity; about life; about the human condition.  There are all sorts of lessons and they vary individually.  But there are lessons learned and it is difficult to find peace ultimately . . . until you’ve taken up the lessons learned and somehow carried them back into the culture that surely could do with those lessons.” 

Join us as we go deep.

In this episode, we welcome Ella Roush and Mary Miller, who have both been the life partners of Vietnam combat veterans.  Each has been a valued participant and leader in the nine years of the COMPASS Circle, bringing vital gifts and perspective.   In a sensitive and penetrating conversation, they describe what it has been like to share the journey with their mates.  Both identify how challenging it could be for their partners to talk about their experiences, and how they each became equipped to understand those experiences more deeply and to help enhance channels of communication. Glen speaks directly to veterans, urging them to risk sharing with their partners, opening opportunities for support, entrusting and healing.  Stories that get shared are not just difficult, but often tender and profound and life-giving.  These primary relationships are so vital.  Mary, Ella and Glen offer abundant encouragement to the families of veterans, born of their personal experiences and the blessings of one another.

How do we bridge the distances between veterans of war and the people in whose name they have served?  The COMPASS Circle also included civilians who made a particular kind of commitment: to listen deeply, to develop solidarity with the veterans, and when the stories got difficult, not to run away, but remain.  Ultimately the veterans and civilians together would process the stories the veterans shared.  The deep ramifications of war were dealt with in a way that people in civilian life were not used to, which was very hopeful.

In this episode, Glen wanted to explore Scott’s war experiences as a noncombatant in two war zones. Serving as a Witness for Peace volunteer in Nicaragua and as a United Church of Christ mission partner in El Salvador, Scott has always identified with civilians in the realities of war.  Glen and Scott reflect on the ways that our war experiences have changed each of us.  We also explore privilege as a barrier to understanding: claiming for ourselves things that other people don’t have and can’t have.  There may be a distinct difference between “defending freedom” and defending privilege.  Dealing honestly with the multiple impacts of war reframes everything.

In this episode, Glen and Scott discuss lawful and unlawful orders, the blurring of the lines between them, and the ethical responsibilities of service members.  They consider the gift and burden of an intact conscience, the struggles to discern right action in the midst of war, and the weights carried by many in the aftermath.  The conversation acknowledges that our moral sense runs deeper than legalities and permission.  “I was just following orders” is not sufficient.  Glen says, “When you are in pain, excuses don’t help.”  We must acknowledge the deep humanity of our service people and make a societal commitment to sharing burdens, tending wounds, and righting wrongs.

Scott and Glen welcome Jeff Vagle, whose range of military experience includes service as a United States Marine deployed in the “War on Drugs,” as a military contractor supporting Armed Forces missions in Afghanistan, and as an intelligence officer for an Army National Guard Unit.  Jeff offers considerable insight and reflection on the breadth of veteran experience.  He relates the discovery of his own moral injury in the years following his service.  His testimony moves us to consider pain carried by those who have witnessed death and atrocity. He and Glen discuss the risks of moral injury for drone operators and other people participating in war remotely. Jeff identifies the people and resources that have been critical in “saving his life” and accompanying him on his journey of healing, highlighting key elements to post-traumatic growth.   There is a great deal of encouragement for fellow veterans here.

Links and References:

The Stephen A. Cohen Military Family Clinics  www.cohenveteransnetwork.org

Grossman, Dave. (1995.)  On Killing: the Psychological Cost of Learning to Kill

  in War and Society.   New York, NY: Little, Brown, and Co.  

Boudreau, Tyler E.  (2008).  Packing Inferno: the Unmaking of a Marine.  Port 

   Townsend, WA:  Feral House.