The Killer Veteran – The Spiritual Implications for Veterans who Kill in War RESEARCH MURRAY DAVIES ABSTRACT CORRESPONDING AUTHOR: Murray Davies For many veterans who have been forced to make the decision to kill in war, the memory Wounded Spirit, AU of what has happened may last far longer than the milliseconds it took to fire their rifle
[email protected] or launch their missile. As veterans they carry the shame and guilt of what they have done for the rest of their lives. This is a critical issue for veterans and their supporters, as Spiritual Injuries (SI) can be a significant cause of distress and discomfort and may KEYWORDS: become a major contributor to mental health issues and have negative effects on their spirit; wound; faith; Australian overall well-being. In order to help practitioners work with veterans, this paper identifies Defence Force; belief; killing; the spiritual implications for veterans who kill in war. Sadly, it will be necessary to develop sin; atonement; guilt; shame; some understanding of the nature of killing in war and the particular circumstances of redemption those that kill. Initially, there is be a brief literature review of some of the key material published on this topic. The overall aim is to identify the key features of killing in war. In TO CITE THIS ARTICLE: particular, that killing is not an isolated act involving one person, but rather part of a Kill Davies, M. (2021). The Killer Chain. How and where personnel are placed along the chain substantially shapes the Veteran – The Spiritual Implications for Veterans who depth and nature of their spiritual need.