Part pastor, part soldier

By Deborah Horen - Chicago Tribune
Tuesday, August 12, 2008 - Web Link
Send this news item to a Friend
Sign-up for Daily News Updates

August 12, 2008

Rev. Greg Moser keeps a stack of books on jihad in Asia next to a copy of the Bible in his office. He stores a "battle book" in a drawer at United in Faith Lutheran Church in northwest Chicago. And when Moser is not tending to his flock, the fit pastor with a buzz cut is learning to decode signs of mental stress on the battlefield.

Far from the role of Rev. John Mulcahy, the wisecracking chaplain portrayed on the TV series "M*A*S*H," chaplains sent to support troops in Iraq and Afghanistan today increasingly are being tapped to deal with the darker side of combat, including recognizing the signs of post traumatic stress disorder and potential suicide while they help train soldiers to mentally transition in and out of battle.

"We don't just veg out and say prayers all day," said Moser, 43, who enlisted to become a military chaplain eight years ago, long after he was ordained.

Chaplains always have been on war fronts to cater to soldiers' spiritual needs. Most soldiers never need a battlefield pastor beyond church services and an occasional sympathetic ear. But as the military tackles a rising suicide rate and increased instances of PTSD, it has turned to chaplains to help stem combat-related stress disorders.