He’s five feet two and he’s six feet four
He fights with missiles and with spears
He’s all of 31 and he’s only 17
He’s been a soldier for a thousand years
He’s a Catholic, a Hindu, an atheist, a Jain,
A Buddhist and a Baptist and a Jew
And he knows he shouldn’t kill
And he knows he always will
Kill you for me my friend and me for you
….He’s the universal soldier and he really is to blame.
--“Universal Soldier” by Buffy Sainte-Marie’


From the beginning of history there have been “wars and rumors of wars” in every culture and age. The young men, and more recently women, have marched off to defend their clan, city or country against invaders or potential adversaries. From some of the earliest accounts of these wars, soldiers experienced the trauma much the same as the modern twenty-first century warrior.

“The Universal Soldier endures through time—the unchanging agent of pillage, destruction, and death. He or she carries a torch, but not as a beacon to humanity, for she or he deals in fire and blood. He or she thrives in popular imagination, perpetuated by the fear of war itself. Song and art give him and her breath as the eternal, faceless killer. Even historians consecrate the universal soldier when they assert that only weapons and tactics have changed, not the men or women who have wielded them.”

“And when you hear of wars and rumors of wars, do not be alarmed; this must take place, but the end is not yet.” War is, sadly, a fact that rears its ugly presence from time to time upon all societies since the very beginning. Carl von Clausewitz, who is regarded by most military thinkers as the father of modern warfare, stated, “War is merely a continuation of politics.” Young soldiers go off to war full of excitement, adventure, hope and fear and those same soldiers never return the same. The war extracts a fearful toll on those linked to events within the chaos and mayhem of battle.

Many of the young soldiers are returning from combat in Iraq and Afghanistan battle-hardened, weary and void of any vision of their future. They have seen war first hand and experienced the violence of humanity against humanity that has “pierced their soul” and shattered their spirit. Like their fathers in Viet Nam and their grandfathers in World War II they suffer deep torment trying to make sense of what seems senseless and useless. Some, in desperation and abject spiritual pain, seek answers from their unit chaplains. However, some of these chaplains have experienced the same violence of the combat zone and have conducted numerous memorial services for fallen soldiers who had been faithful in attending their chapel services.

Some of the chaplains are new and have just entered active duty themselves with little experience in helping soldiers with problems like this and they feel overwhelmed and helpless. What “tools” are available to these young chaplains to help the soldier cope with the devastation of a loss of personal “vision” in their life? What techniques or therapies can they apply that don’t require a Doctoral in Psychoanalysis or Psychology? Can a soldier regain the lost vision or should they seek a new vision that incorporates their suffering, not as a stumbling block, but as a stepping stone to a fuller life?

In the military the soldier is provided with the “basic training” on their equipment and implementation of that equipment in elementary circumstances. Consistent and repetitive training is provided throughout their military career so that the implementation becomes almost instinctual and is drawn on in an emergency without thought. This degree of discipline is a two-edged sword during and after a traumatic combat experience.

The first edge of the sword cuts across the battlefield during actual combat. During the mêlée of combat the soldier reacts according to the discipline of the training they received prior to the event. The capacity to lay accurate suppressive fire upon enemy positions while enduring the deafening noise and chaos that engulfs the soldier is a direct result of this repetitive training. Jumping immediately to rescue a wounded buddy and correctly initiating life saving first aid in the midst of blood, body parts and death is also a direct result of this strict training. Engaging the enemy non-stop for seventy-two hours with only one or two hours of sleep during the entire episode is a result of continuous physical discipline and a high energy diet regimen.

The second edge of the sword cuts deep and hard into the spirit of the soldier in that after the combat is finished the soldier is devastated as they have time to reflect upon the carnage they inflicted, witnessed and/or received in physical or mental wounding. It is the wounding from this edge of the sword that requires the chaplain to come and provide care and comfort to help in the healing. Using the Holy Scriptures, compassion, caring confrontation and techniques, tactics and procedures learned through counseling and years of experience the chaplain is the best qualified to bring meaning back to a broken soldier.

Frankl’s Logotherapeutic methodology truly addresses the soldier’s psychic numbing and the loss of meaning caused by traumatic experiences of war and redirects them on a hopeful quest for meaning and purpose. Implementation of the Logotherapeutic skills at the unit level by chaplains can greatly reduce the time between the onset of symptoms in the soldier and recovery.