'It has changed my whole life': Chaplains aid Veterans with spirituality on their road to recovery

That’s where the chaplaincy team at the hospital comes into play. The team has built a thriving worship community on Sundays in the hospital’s Unity Chapel, where many Veterans have found comfort, support and healing.

“It’s become a community staple,” said Chaplain Robert Allen, chief of Chaplain Services for the Milwaukee VA.

Attendance is typically 60-80, Allen said, noting some Sundays have topped 100. Congregants include Veterans, VA staff, retirees, volunteers and families.

“It’s been amazing,” Allen said. “These people have made faith a part of their healing and journey.”

Nowhere is that more evident than in the testimony from struggling Veterans who have turned their lives around thanks to this spiritual health care.

‘I feel reborn’

“It has changed my whole life,” said Bob Piaro, 75, a U.S. Marine Corps Veteran who lost a leg in Vietnam and has battled with mental health and post-traumatic stress disorder most of his life.

Piaro is one of numerous Veterans who got connected with the chaplaincy and Unity Chapel after being admitted to the Domiciliary at the Milwaukee VA.

Piaro was in the Domiciliary earlier this year due to substance abuse. Working with Allen and attending Sunday services and Tuesday Bible studies have made him more committed to his faith — so much so that he was baptized at the Milwaukee VA last summer.

“I feel reborn with a different mission in life,” he said. “God sent me there, and it’s made a profound difference in me.”

‘I felt like a new man’

Amar Chowdhury was a self-professed atheist until he found redemption through the Milwaukee VA Domiciliary and Chaplain Services.

“I believed there was no God,” said Chowdhury, 34, a U.S. Marines Veteran currently residing in the Domiciliary. 

He was struggling with mental health issues, a messy divorce and substance abuse before coming to the Domiciliary, which led him to the Unity Chapel.

He soon became immersed in the Bible and also chose to be baptized.

“Getting baptized was one of the greatest days of my life,” he said. “People said that when I came up (out of the water), I was a different person. There was a light to me. I felt saved; I felt like a new man. It began my spiritual journey; I realized this was a call that I had been ignoring my whole life.”

Chowdhury is now working with Supply Chain Management in the Milwaukee VA Medical Center but hopes to pursue religious education after graduating from the Domiciliary. He hopes to become a chaplain.

“I can’t be more grateful to the Dom and Chaplain Allen. They are why I want to serve and give back.”

‘I’ve found my purpose’

Kevin Olson, 41, also chose to be baptized after completing his fifth stay earlier this year in the Domiciliary, where he was admitted for substance abuse.

But the U.S. Army Veteran said this stint was different because he knew he needed to take a different path.

“I needed more in my life to help me on the road to recovery,” he said.

So he renewed his visits to the Unity Chapel and working with the chaplains. After graduating from the Domiciliary program, he continued to attend worship services and the weekly Bible studies.

But he delayed his baptism, waiting until he reached six months of sobriety. 

That happened this summer.

“It was an amazing feeling,” he said. “When I came out of the water, I felt like a brand new man. It felt like God had consumed my whole body and soul.”

He said he knows he won’t backslide this time.

“I figured out there was more to life than what I was doing, and there is a purpose for me,” he said. “I feel I’ve found my purpose: supporting other Veterans dealing with mental health problems, addiction and the legal system.”

‘I feel empowered’

Megan Sherman, 48, spent time in the Milwaukee VA inpatient mental health unit before moving on to the Domiciliary. From there, she was introduced to the Sunday services at Unity Chapel.

“I’ve never been to a church that has had such a big impact on me,” she said. “The services there move me, resonate with me and enlighten me. They are uplifting. I look forward to every Sunday I get to go.”

She described her baptism this summer as a “spiritual awakening,” noting she has become a different person.

“I’m more giving and more understanding,” she said. “And I’m more eager to rely on my faith.

She praised the chaplains for their outreach. 

“They are very welcoming of new people, very empathetic and sympathetic to what Veterans go through,” she said. “I can’t compliment them enough. I feel empowered after each Sunday service. It sets the tone for my week.”

‘Sent from heaven’

Olson and Piaro agreed.

“I believe Chaplain Allen is sent from heaven,” Piaro said.

Olson praised Allen for building a community at the Unity Chapel on Sundays, especially when it comes to involving the Domiciliary residents.

“He’s done a superb job inviting them to the church, to fulfill their spiritual needs,” he said. “He’s filling the pews. It’s amazing.”

Allen praised his fellow chaplains for their work.

“All of our chaplains use their unique gifts and talents to offer spiritual support to Veterans, their families and staff,” he said. “They do their best to find commonalities that bring forth healing through one’s spirituality.

“It is important, as chaplains, we have an opportunity to meet people where they are and journey alongside them.  … (This allows us to) open the door and work alongside service lines like Mental Health and Whole Health to offer additional service the Veteran may have declined previously.”

Click here to learn more about Chaplain Services at the Milwaukee VA, including weekly church services and Bible studies.