At Ft. Hood’s “Spiritual Fitness Center”, the therapeutic’s trying to change warrior culture one triumph at a time:
on the vast Army post cloaked in drab, Fort Hood’s new Spiritual Fitness Center offers color. Inside, sunlight filters through stained glass of lavender and blue. Candles are surrounded in dishes of polished stones and George Winston piano solos flow from speakers above.
“We like to call this place ‘listening and love,’ ” Lt. Col. Ira Houck, a chaplain, explained from deep in an overstuffed armchair, one week after the shootings left 13 people dead and dozens wounded.
If the concept sounds New Age, it is. The converted chapel in the heart of the newly christened Resiliency Campus offers a refuge for broken and distressed soldiers.
Yet Sgt. Matthew Spencer, a combat veteran who works as a greeter at the center, laughs when he says he and his buddies would never seek help here.
H/T: Matt Frost. Tocqueville would point out that the Ft. Hood psychologist who blames the military’s “macho culture” for reactions like Sgt. Spencer’s really means its honor culture.
November 16th, 2009 | 12:35 pm
That is one thing I agree with, beautification (even on something as small as a building). Especially, for solders who has more stress to deal with than the average man should be able to have a building to go to that breathes hope. Not something that feels like a doctor’s office… meaning cold, empty, colorless, and everything else that one would associate with lifelessness.
As far as those who say they would not wish to seek help at the center… well that is their right not to. But hopefully it’s one of many places where one can seek refuge and I don’t believe there is anything wrong with that, even with it being ‘New Age.’
November 16th, 2009 | 10:36 pm
[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Spiritual News and EnlightenedEnterpris, Jim Murley. Jim Murley said: 01 The Touch, The Feel of Patienthood » Postmodern Conservative | A … http://bit.ly/Hngwy [...]
November 16th, 2009 | 10:40 pm
Pumpkins, Ugh, there really is something wrong with that…Let’s start with “converted chapel” and what that means. The church is the body of Christ. If the church is the body of Christ, and the source of our redemption, then what are those “many other places” you hope soldiers might go?
Sorry, but the idea of placating our nation’s soldiers with someone’s idea of a cheap light show and some recorded electronics as a substitute for the church sounds about as horrible as anything I can imagine. Ten suicides a year come as no great surprise in this environment.
November 17th, 2009 | 5:34 pm
@ Douglas
Yes, I get where you are coming from but once the chapel was converted… I no longer recognize it as a church. Just like when abandon prisons are sometimes converted into schools. It is no longer a prison but now a school. I apply the same concept here.
What I don’t know is if there is another chapel that is on the premises or if one is going to be built. I wasn’t presuming that this New Age building is a ‘replacement’ for the church (though the church is the body of believers and not some building), but if it is then I agree with your sentiments. When I wrote my post I was not even thinking about the church. I was focused on the solders who can have a safe haven (IMO the more the better) to go to. I don’t care if it’s a New Age building or anything else. I just hope there are several places a solder can go to, to feel ‘safe.’ Though, I agree with you, completely, in that I hope these buildings are not built to be a substitute for the church. We have a problem if that’s the case.
November 19th, 2009 | 7:33 am
“I just hope there are several places a solder can go to, to feel ’safe.”
You couldn’t have written a sentence that better describes contemporary America.
November 19th, 2009 | 3:08 pm
@ Robert Cheeks
I think the the sentiment of contemporary America would say… “I just hope there are several places EVERYONE can go to, to feel ‘safe.’
I’m specifically talking about solders. I like the USO and other packages/projects/programs like that… that help solders adjust back from their deployment. I mean for goodness sakes many don’t have a proper veteran clinic to go to. Though, I am glad we do have places like Walter Reed to make our solders feels safe and right back at home. It shows we care lots about their sacrifice.
I like the fact people will rent out buildings to have support groups for solders. I like having hospitals designed specifically for veterans. I like having memorials for veterans and having entertainment for the veterans to let them have some laughs and etc. It’s not just that (having a place they feel belonged), but a show of respect that we recognize their sacrifice, as well.
Are you suggesting this is wrong?
November 20th, 2009 | 3:25 pm
“I think the the sentiment of contemporary America would say… “I just hope there are several places EVERYONE can go to, to feel ’safe.’”
I accept the responsibility for the safety of my family and for my property…I’m an American, I don’t need to ‘feel’ safe.
I agree with you regarding the responsibilities of the state for the medical requirements of our troops.
Links
Blogs
Find Us
Contact