VA Hospital Chaplaincy – The Rest of the Story
By Thomas Mills, Mental Health Chaplain, Department of Veterans Affairs, Danville, IL
What an incredible day this has been. I woke up to a brilliant sunny day. When I arrived at work, I put the finishing touches on my sermon. Today was a special day, for today, I got to bring the Word of God and break bread with our nation’s heroes…our veterans.
The first service started out as normal as can be…for this ward…it’s a locked gero-psych unit with about 15 residents. Most were in attendance today. A few simply were not well enough to participate. One gentleman broke into tears as we were administering the sacrament of communion. When asked what those tears were about, he shared that he still struggled with the guilt of killing so many in Africa in WWII.
The next service was well attended. There were about 30 ambulatory patients in attendance. During testimony, one Vietnam vet admitted to struggling with addictions for the past 40 years. He testified that it was only through the atoning blood of Jesus that he was alive at all and that through Christ and his fellow believers love for him, he had hope for a better tomorrow.
The final service of the day took place just before noon. This too was a locked ward with about 15 present. These men all struggled with some element of dementia and were a wander risk. Their families got to the place they just couldn’t care for them anymore so they ended up here. During the service, as I encouraged the men to speak about what it was like for them being in a spiritual wilderness, one man told of his story. He was in the “Air Force,” he related…”Back then it was called the Army Air Corps.” “I was with the 503rd Bomb Wing. You know we dropped a couple of bombs on Japan?” “If it wasn’t for the grace of God, I’d still feel remorse, guilt and shame for that great and terrible day…but Jesus brought me through.” When the music began again after communion he sort of waddled up to the piano and sang his best and loudest version of, “On a Hill Far Away…” as our pianist played.
After lunch I was called to be with a man that wasn’t doing well. He was actively in the process of dying. His skin was mottled. His respirations were shallow. One could barely see his chest move. After anointing his head with oil, I took his hand. I pronounced Aaron’s blessing upon him and then he breathed his last. There was no family, there was no fanfare…but he was honored just the same. From vet to vet he had shared his sacred stories with me for the past year-and-a-half…and now he entered into his rest.
Within a scant few moments after praying with the nurses, my beeper went off. It was the palliative care ward wanting to know if I had time to visit another veteran. When I arrived I found a gentleman that was completely blind since WWII. He shared how he’d been part of the 25th regiment (colored) and how he fought in the Pacific. It was here that he was blinded when a grenade went off near him and shrapnel scarred both of his eyes. He said, “Chaplain, I’m ready to go.” He then turned his head in my direction and said, “Chaplain…I just wanted somebody to know I’ve served Him faithfully.” We laughed and cried and prayed together as he told his stories…it wasn’t too long afterwards that I was paged again and told of his passing.
Another gentleman on the inpatient psych ward wanted communion. He told me of his son, a Lutheran minister, and the sermons he had heard. He broke down and cried as he shared how he thought about suicide only a few days ago. He couldn’t get the sermons out of his head that spoke of Jesus and His undying love. He wanted to know if it were possible to get saved even at his old age. I shared the gospel story and together we knelt at his bedside and prayed the sinner’s prayer. After accepting Christ into his life he said that for the first time, he felt no guilt, no shame or remorse as he took communion as a babe in Christ.
And to think, I get paid to do this! What a wonderful honor to serve those who’ve served…to hear their sacred stories…to hear history told from the first person point of view! God is good…all the time. And all the time…God is good!
To learn more about the Church of God Chaplains Commission chaplaincy programs, visit the Chaplains Commission website at: www.cogchaplains.com.
