Warrior’s Homecoming

Veterans Retreat: A Time of Faith & Hope

Mepkin Abbey, Moncks Corner, SC

November 11-13, 2022

What is a Retreat?

The purpose of a retreat is to take time away from the demands and distractions of ordinary life to become more aware of our mental, emotional, and spiritual well-being. It is a time for rest, renewal, and healing. Mepkin Abbey provides an ideal setting for fostering peace of body, mind, and soul. Although Mepkin Abbey is home to a community of Trappist monks, the retreat center welcomes all kinds of groups, and there is no expectation that guests participate in religious activities.

Warrior’s Journey

The purpose of military service is war. Our all-volunteer military has isolated the wounds of war to a small fraction of our society. We convince ourselves that only our combat veterans are warriors, and only they are wounded by war. But everyone who has served in uniform knows war and is changed by that knowledge. Nor can we expect that only the men and women of our armed forces, and their families, bear the whole burden of our wars. The gap between the warrior and others contributes to many of the psychological and moral problems of veterans coming home. In truth we are all wounded by war. If we as a nation still send young men and women to war, then it is everyone’s responsibility to ensure their safe return and reintegration into our society again. We all bear the burden of war; we are all warriors.

Veterans often realize after they return to civilian life that their experiences in the military are still with them. Their military service has changed them, in both good and bad ways. Although they may want to return to a “normal civilian life,” and others may also expect them to go back to “the way they were,” that transition is difficult and maybe unrealistic. Veterans often miss the companionship and shared community that they had in the military. There can also be a disorienting shift in values and attitudes once they return to civilian society.

The military and those who care for veterans have long been aware of the enduring effects of severe psychological trauma on mental and emotional well-being. We now call this condition post-traumatic stress disorder or PTSD. Less well-known are the moral and spiritual consequences of military service. The term moral injury has been adopted for this condition. It can happen when the demands of military duty conflict with a person’s moral or social values creating a moral dilemma. The tough choices that military members must make can inflict wounds and scars to the soul that last long after military service is over. One effective way to deal with the enduring effects of military service is to encourage veterans to tell their stories.

Homecoming

Helping Veterans & A Nation Heal

A purpose of this retreat is to provide veterans a time and place to reflect on their military experience, to heal any residual wounds they may have and to listen for the call of continued service to God and country. For some veterans, once they begin their own healing process, they can find a new purpose in life by helping other veterans still struggling with the legacy of war and military service. Veterans are also uniquely qualified to help their communities and nation face the moral issues of war and peace and recover from the wounds of decades at war. But this is not something that veterans can accomplish themselves. We need the help of fellow warriors, families, communities of support, and a nation that understands the real cost of war and military service. For that we need to build relationships and communities of faith and trust.

What to Expect

The leaders of the weekend are a team of veterans with experience serving other veterans. The schedule begins on Friday evening and the planned part of the retreat ends on Sunday at noon. Participants have the option of departing Sunday afternoon or Monday morning. Each veteran will have a private room and private bath. All meals at Mepkin Abbey are vegetarian. There will be time for personal relaxation, exercise, and reflection in the beautiful setting of Mepkin Abbey.

The first evening we will get to know each other and begin to establish a community of trust among the veterans by sharing some stories from our military service. On Saturday and Sunday, we will continue to explore how our military service has shaped our lives, values, and faith. Then we will reflect on the difficult transition after military service is over. Can we truly find our way home again? How can we find meaning and purpose in the rest of our lives?

Registration

Participation is limited to 16 veterans.

To register, contact:
Tuck Rosenberg at (910) 635-9545 or tuck.rosenberg@yahoo.com

All attendees are required to be fully vaccinated for COVID-19.