In their own words:
An emerging student group at Duke Divinity School is convening the conference After the Yellow Ribbon in order to develop tools that church, military and academic communities can use in order to approach service members and veterans as human beings, and to understand and heal the unseen wounds of war (including PTSD and moral injury). After the Yellow Ribbon is an opportunity for these communities in particular to listen to and learn from those who endure the burden of doing violence in our name.
Veterans today suffer from the highest rate of suicide in our nation’s history, have startlingly high rates of prescription drug and alcohol abuse,and are often thought of as “damaged goods.” Our society must accept the responsibility of acknowledging and confronting the moral fragmentation that our service members suffer as a result of their experiences in war. We are Milites Christi,a newly forming Duke University student group. We invite practitioners of all disciplines, from music and the arts to theology and mental health,to respond to the challenge presented by the plight of soldiers and veterans in our midst. We want to work together to improve our efforts at prevention and reconstitution,and overcome this tragic epidemic.
I hope that whatever they learn is lovingly and livingly applied at veteran's hospitals around the country. So many wonderful men and women who are encouraged to discuss everything except the moral trepidations and scars of war.
