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Running head: CASE STUDY 1
John
Stephen King
Liberty University
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Scenario #1
This paper will examine John and his questioning of his faith. He mentions he recently
overheard a sermon titled, A Just God in a world of suffering and evil, which unfortunately has
been just one confusing aspect in his dilemma. John a combat veteran of three tours is
struggling with his faith and his marriage. He recently decided to go back to church
unfortunately when he went there and was not fulfilled and left more discouraged. He has just
had his resilience training and is still struggling to piece it all together. John’s situation and
how he struggles to fit all together is not uncommon. As a defender of freedom, a true warrior
he has been deployed three times in a combat zone my first step is to show him he is already
resilient. I would then ask if he had experienced anything that he wanted to talk about and see if
there was any underlying trauma from his three combat missions. I also will let him know he is
no alone in his way of thinking.
He is clearly having more than a faith issue based on his experience and might need to
seek professional help. Understanding, a person’s experiences while in combat will allow me to
be able to provide more help once I am able to determine if John has any other underlying
problems. I would defiantly let him know that marriage itself is resilience. I would refer him to
either a chaplain or the Military & Family Life Counselor (MFLC) to assist in his problems
both of these assets are confidential and non-reporting entities. I would next address the
concerns with the sermon titled, A Just God in a World of Suffering and Evil, he overheard and
ask him to tell me how it made him feel. He says he is questioning his faith and I would let him
know again that he is not alone in this. The fact that is asking questions about suffering and
existence is not unto common for a warrior. I would direct him to look at the apostle Paul and his
struggle as he was challenged and how he sought his own personal growth relying on the word
to bounce back, (Dees, 2011). “By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God’s
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command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible.” Hebrews 11:3 (New
International Version).
Exploration
The reason I choose John is quite simple I can see myself in him. I too struggled with
my faith and although I did not go on three combat tours, I did see combat. Once was enough
for me. Unless, we count five years recruiting before, during and after September 11, 2001.
Recently, I learned about Fowler’s faith development and it was enlightening to know I am in
the conjunctive stage. This means I have an open mind and acknowledge multiply types of truth
and different perspectives and I am learning that faith needs to be balanced and maintained
through practice (Fowler & Dell, 2014). I served in Korea on hard ship tours (without my
family) on three occasions and it was a strain on my marriage. I particularly remember my first
tour as I got married and left for a year. We were able to talk on the telephone as there were no
cellphones or the internet in this time. The bad thing was we had to talk collect and to say our
phone bill was large would be an understatement.
Looking back at this tour I had a major setback occur I was in the Primary
Leadership Development Course and I failed Land Navigation. I was distraught to say the least,
but I remember I went to the chaplain and he assisted me in my grief and also provided me with
a different perspective to help me learn from this temporary setback. I was able to use his words
and graduate with honors at the nest opportunity in Fort Bragg, North Carolina. The reason I
bring this up this Chaplain helped me and showed my kindness without being forceful this
encounter was some monumental in my life. I started paying it forward in any way I could a
kind word helping others with their setbacks. I truly believe this is why I am pursing the
opportunity to be a human service counselor. “Stop judging by mere appearances, but instead
judge correctly.” John 7:24, (New International Version).
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When looking at John’s three combat tours I cannot begin to compare his time overseas
to mine but the direct correlation of being away from our loved ones. My wife and I relied on
talking and having open communication to help with our situation. I like to say my wife and I
balance each other. “Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials,
knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its perfect
result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing,” James 1:2-4 (New
American Standard Bible). This verse illustrates the struggles I have encountered in my own
faith development.
The main reason I choose John’s scenario in regard to professional is because these are
the type of scenarios I want to help with when I afforded the opportunity. I feel my training as a
Master Resilience Trainer and my on going training will assist me in helping those who are
struggling with the understanding of resilience and how it can be used to help them daily. I want
to let John know I know that Military operations expose service members to a variety of stress
related environments and scenarios, and it can affect others differently, (Bradley et al., 2018). If
it determined that John has had a traumatic event, I will offer my assistance in helping him
understand the issues he is going through and let him know its going to be fine. I also will
remind him about the concept of bouncing back and not breaking given the fact he has
successfully returned from combat three times he has shown he is able to bounce.
Specifically, showing John my own personal example and referring him to in scripture
examples of those who have struggled and being able to use it to help with him putting it all in
perspective. The thing’s in John’s situation that are alarming to me and need to be looked at
further are his marriage and the state of it and his loss of faith. When someone chooses a partner
to be with other than attraction there is a reason. Sometimes the reintegration is the hardest part
of union. Partner selection and attachment are just the beginnings of why two people decide to
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come together. While talking and listening to them both maybe I will be able to help them
realize that reason. If I am not able to find the underlying issues, I will refer them to counseling
of their choice.
The other problem is John’s loss of faith and given the fact he has been questioning it is
alarming. John mentioned he has been a believer since his adolescent years which indicates he
had faith before. Given his combat tours and the current state of his marriage it is not hard to
see the questioning of faith. Finally, I am also looking at John’s story and the fact he has been
in combat three times not knowing his MOS, I am sure he has some form of trauma whether by
what he saw or experienced. My plan will be to let him know its ok to talk to me about his
problems and I can address the stigma of mental health as I get to understand his life. The hard
part for a warrior is to admit they have a problem. Someone who has been told they are the best
in all they do and to suck it up and drive on can’t just let there guard down.
Intervention and Support
My intent will to be show John that resilient training, physical training for the mind, is a
tool to show him how to suck it up and drive on with the skills I teach him. Our mind is a very
powerful thing and can be used against you just as much as for you. “The organ that puzzled
earlier observers most was the human brain. Despite our many explorations, we remained in awe
of this organ” (Pandya, 2011). Using empathy and actively to his perspective my goal will to
earn his trust. “Not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.”
Philippians 2:4 (New International Version).
In the Military resilience can be defined as the ability to overcome the negative effects of
setbacks. The fact is the most extensive resilience program, comprehensive soldier fitness and
now comprehensive soldier and family fitness program (CSF2) for the United States Army has
been implemented since 2009 and rebranded in 2012 is now part of a Soldiers training before,
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during and after deployment, (Howell, 2014). Showing John that he has been resilient since he
decided to serve and try to help him with the understanding of resilience in his own way,
(Bradley et al., 2018). The abundance of mental health problems that Soldiers try to cope with
without seeking help due to the stigma is well documented. Although not mentioned in this
scenario the probability that John could have underlying problems due to his three combat
deployments may need to be addressed as well.
I have found when helping others the best method is to listen and if I have the
opportunity to tell a personal story to assist in their understanding, I also use this method. I also
will talk with his wife either with him or without depending on their preference and emphasize
she has served too. Often spouses feel left out and don’t realize they serve as well. When the
service member is deployed the spouse the head of household and his all the authority with all
matters therein (Monney, 2018). Depending on the individual this can be a very stressful
situation and at times they need to be told that they are appreciated. Once I have talked with
John and his wife, I will again ask them if they prefer to speak to a chaplain or the
aforementioned MFLC. Reminding them that military chaplains are counselors and can operate
as a liaison between other professionals as needed, (Morgan, Hourani, Lane, & Tueller, 2016).
Application
The beginning of this course I was very surprised the different perspectives presented and
found even though I had been in the military side of resilience in on capacity. I was not even
aware of the other side that existed in this course. The best part was reading and listening to the
lectures presented by Robert Dees and Robert Wicks respectively. Their unique way of
presenting the material was very well received and easy to understand. Particularly the stories in
Wicks book helped paint a picture to be able to follow. I also enjoyed the flow of writing from
Dees and how he was able to show a union of resilience in the military and bible. One verse that
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stands out “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who
have been called according to his purpose,” Romans 8:28 (New International Version). This
verse is powerful in that it shows a calling.
One of my favorite quotes from the Bounce: Living the resilient life, was “all of us seem
to understand physical resilience, and what goes into maintaining it. But psychological
resilience is still not well understood, and most of us don’t realize how important it is to our
well-being, (Wicks, 2010). In looking at his I look forward to gathering as much information
that I will be able to help service members such as John and their spouses in their own pursuit of
resiliency. I also enjoyed the concept of mindfulness and its effective way of assisting in
controlling one’s emotions more effectively. Wicks said to accomplish being a better caregiver
he would need to embrace resilience and mindfulness (Wicks, 2010)
Being an extrovert who enjoys sharing I look forward to showing others the different
lessons I learned in this course. This course has help me solidify the connection of military and
spiritual resilience and I look forward to learning more as I pursue higher education. One
particular area I need to explore and learn more about is spiritual resilience and the scriptures
that are entailed within the teaching. I am always looking at ways to assist others to understand
the importance of resilience in their lives. I have been blessed with the opportunity to provide
purpose, motivation and direction to the leaders of tomorrow. I look forward to returning back
and providing them with the knowledge I am getting through this program.
Conclusion
In this paper I chose John as my subject with the understanding I would be able to relate
to his situation. Having served in the military for over 23 years I had the opportunity to go to
combat and many far eastern tours. Understanding the tolls of war and combat should allow me
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to communicate with John more effectively. Once I was able to establish trust then I would
look into his particular issues. The first being problems with his marriage. I feel again the fact I
have been in the same predicament as him I would be able to offer a solution to help with the
reintegration of him and his wife. My wife and I have used open communication for over 25
years and if I felt it could benefit their situation, I would have her talk to the spouse as well. I
also know if they choose to talk with a chaplain or MFLC it would be beneficial. I also will talk
with him about his concerns with loss of faith and show him in the bible stories of others who
struggled in particular Paul.
References
Angel, C. M. (2016). Resilience, post-traumatic stress, and posttraumatic growth: Veterans' and
active duty military members' coping trajectories following traumatic event exposure. Nurse
Education Today, 47, 57-60. doi:10.1016/j.nedt.2016.04.001
Dees, R. (2011). Resilient warriors: the resiliency trilogy. San Diego, CA: Creative
Team Publishing
Fowler, J. & Dell, M. (2004). Stages of faith and identity: birth to teens. Child and
Adolescent Psychiatric Clinics of North America, 13(1), pp. 17-33. doi.org/10.1016/S1056-
4993(03)00073-7
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Howell, A. (2015). Resilience, war, and austerity: The ethics of military human
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