GROWING FROM DRAGON TO MAN: A PARISH RESOURCE FOR REINTEGRATING ORTHODOX SOLDIERS AND VETERANS RETURNING FROM WAR by The Reverend James Parnell Growing from Dragon to Man: A Parish Resource for Reintegrating Orthodox Soldiers and Veterans Returning from War Originally submitted on April 25, 2013 in partial fulfillment of the requirements of the Master of Divinity in St. Vladimir’s Orthodox Theological Seminary, Yonkers, New York. Copyright © 2013 by James Parnell All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the author, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law. For permission requests, write to the author, addressed “Attention: Permissions,” at the address below. James Parnell 575 Scarsdale Road Yonkers, NY 10707 Printed in the United States of America First Printing, 2013 ABSTRACT After over ten years of war (not to mention the numerous wars and conflicts that stretch back over fifty years), there is growing concern about the frighteningly high number of soldiers and veterans who develop post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in the United States. Massive spikes in the rate of suicides, sexual assaults, fratricides, and homicides among service members and veterans are symptomatic of a deeper problem: spiritual trauma. This reality is also referred to in terms of “moral injuries” or “soul wounds.” Numerous mental health professionals and specialists in related fields have begun advocating for rites of return and reintegration for soldiers and veterans. Many of these have been based on Native American or shamanist traditions and are becoming commonplace in the field. One author in particular, Ed Tick, the author of War and the Soul, who advocates spirit- animals (totems), dream healing, and sweat lodges, was the main speaker at the United States Army’s 2013 Chaplain Annual Sustainment Training (CAST), an annual conference for chaplains across all components of the U.S. Army. These kinds of so-called “warrior rites,” ostensibly based on “warrior cultures” like the Samurai in Japan and the Plains Indians of America, are becoming increasingly popular within the military chaplaincy, even among Christians. The wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are the longest sustained conflicts in American history, with the latter still going strong, yet the Orthodox response to service members returning from war has been almost nonexistent. Orthodox Warriors, as they are referred to in the Trebnik, are often expected to simply return to parish life and “go back to normal,” as though they had been on holiday. The aim of this paper is to help parishes reintegrate soldiers and veterans back into their communities by detailing the issues soldiers and veterans face, identifying ways in which the Orthodox liturgical tradition has responded to soldiers during war, and providing resources for creating new rites for Orthodox Warriors. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS For my family, Holly, Samuel, and Ariane, whose patience, love, and support during my own return from war has, for too long, gone unrecognized. For my confessor, The Rev. Dr. Paul N. Tarazi, who never ceases to remind me that I’m not a big deal. For my thesis supervisor, Dr. Albert S. Rossi, whose encouragement, presence, and advice, has made seminary bearable. For my teachers, The Rev. Dr. Alexander Rentel, and Dr. Paul Meyendorff, whose lectures taught me the importance of learning, loving, and leading liturgy. For my friend, Joe Domanick, a veteran whose love, humility, and wisdom has taught me more about Jesus Christ than even thirty years of seminary education ever could have. TABLE OF CONTENTS PREFACE vi GLOSSARY viii INTRODUCTION: Slaying the Dragon 1 Priorities 3 Plan 8 I. FROM MAN TO DRAGON: On the Warpath 10 Toy Soldiers 12 Creeds 14 Real Warriors 17 An Ugly Affair 18 A Ministry of Healing 24 II. THE DRAGON’S FEN: Trauma and Ritual in the Trebnik 27 Reality in Ritual 28 Trauma in the Trebnik 29 Military Services 31 Coming Home? 37 III. FROM DRAGON TO MAN: Return and Reintegration 40 Penance 44 Healing 46 Story Telling 49 Engagement 53 Continued Service 56 Rituals and Reintegration 59 IV. APPENDIX A: Proposed Rites for Soldiers and Veterans 61 V. APPENDIX B: Resources for Parishes 68 Pamphlet 1: A Resource for Parish Clergy 69 Pamphlet 2: A Resource for Parish Faithful 71 Pamphlet 3: Moliebens for Warriors and their Families 73 VI. BIBLIOGRAPHY 75 PREFACE The fruits of war are not pretty or easily made palatable. In war, great masses of ordinary people often work hard to kill one another. As a result many, including those not engaged in the fight, experience deaths that are far from “painless, blameless, and peaceful.” Combat, not to mention the military culture in general, can foster a certain demeanor, mindset, and lifestyle that can be off-putting to those unfamiliar with the reality of war and service. At times, the reader may find that the choices made, the vocabulary and language used, and the stories shared by soldiers and their families are more than unpleasant to read. As in any profession in our society, the members do not always reflect the pristine or model conception that one might have of them. I cannot fault them for their honesty in sharing with me, or another author, their thoughts, feelings, and opinions; and I do not think it right to censor their speech, inasmuch as their use of language reflects something about who they are. For accurately portraying the voice and verve of a person, I cannot apologize. I will ask forgiveness for any offense it might cause you as a reader, as it is not my intent (nor is it the soldier’s, veteran’s, or family member’s intent) to do so. As a United States Army veteran with over a decade of service—almost half of my life—I am most familiar with the language of “soldiering.” I instinctively think of war- fighting as a soldier’s task, as seen in my vocabulary, despite being very aware, because of both my research of and my experience in joint operations, that the Army is not the only force fighting, dying, coming home, and suffering. When I use the term “soldier,” or “warrior,” which are largely Army-specific terms within official military publications (though, in them, the terms are normally capitalized, along with their families/family members) within the body of this work, I do not normally mean only Army personnel, unless clearly stated vi otherwise within the context of the wider sentence or paragraph, such as when describing Army-specific suicide statistics. Sailors, airmen, and marines have made truly heroic sacrifices over the past ten years and beyond; we are all facing record suicide and divorce rates, among the many other negative consequences of a decade of fighting. Similarly, though a veteran of the Iraq War, I feel indebted to the numerous generations of military service men and women who have served their nation bravely. I do not mean in any way to diminish their own difficult homecomings by, at times, focusing on the most recent conflicts within our nation’s history. Finally, I realize that the overwhelmingly masculine language in the titles and the abundance of masculine pronouns within the body of the thesis may give the impression that I consider the issues of war and return to be largely male-centered questions. As the spouse of a veteran, I would like to take this opportunity to assure the reader that I am well aware of the fact that the number of female service members on the front lines is constantly increasing. Though the changes in official policy within the Department of Defense are recent, this reality is old news. The language used within the chapter titles is an allusion to a concept of change ascribed to the main character of Shakespeare’s Coriolanus, and it is not meant to ignore the great and honorable service performed by the numerous former and currently serving female service members. Their own struggles beyond the battle field, as publicized in a new movie, The Invisible War, will play a significant part of this thesis in highlighting the traumatic aspects of military service that can go far beyond the assumed “norms” of engagement with enemy combatants. For all of these, and any other perceived omissions, mistakes, prejudices, or inaccuracies, please forgive me. vii GLOSSARY It is difficult to write about the military, mental health, or Orthodox Christian worship without using a great deal of what others would simply consider jargon. Though this is a somewhat specialized topic, its intended audience is the general public, which may not have experience or training in any of the three aforementioned fields of study. This is not an exhaustive list or glossary, but it is intended to enhance the readability of the work for those unfamiliar with some of the language used within the text. Acronyms DOD – Department of Defense OEF (Operation Enduring Freedom): The official designation for the U.S. military involvement in Afghanistan from October 2001 to the present. OIF (Operation Iraqi Freedom): The official designation for the U.S. military involvement in Iraq from March 2003 to August 2010, at which point the designation became Operation New Dawn. OND (Operation New Dawn): The official designation for the U.S. military involvement in Iraq from August 2010 to December 2011, with the withdrawal of all U.S. military personnel (except those USMC personnel assigned to the U.S. embassy) from Iraq. PTSD (Post-traumatic Stress Disorder): A mental health condition usually caused by a traumatic, terrifying, or deeply stressful event that impairs normal functioning.