Researchers noted similar findings among Service members who sought support while off base, although this group also mentioned churches and pastors as being important. One interesting finding about Service members living off base was that the extent to which they depended on their friends steadily declined with the number of times they had been deployed to a combat zone. Dependence on friends dropped from 65 percent among those with no combat deployments to 46 percent among those who had four or more combat deployments.
While this group’s dependence on their spouses was not impacted by the number of their combat deployments, their level of dependence on the Bible increased from 13 percent among those with no combat deployments to 35 percent among those with four or more. The level of reliance on churches similarly increased from 12 percent to 26 percent, and reliance on pastors increased from five percent to 24 percent.
The American Bible Society and Barna conclude that the church has a crucial part to play in supporting Armed Service members, Veterans, and their families. The authors say,
U.S. Service members and Veterans face challenges that other American adults can hardly imagine. When Service members deploy to combat zones, both their Bible and their chaplains go with them, providing spiritual and emotional support where families and churches cannot go. When active duty Service members return from their deployments or leave the Military to become Veterans, the Church plays a key role in creating a caring, biblical community of hope and healing. The Church also plays an important role in supporting the families of Service members, as they face unique stresses without the resources available to their loved ones serving on active duty.
