Hurtling through the dark but missile-streaked skies over Hanoi in 1972 after his B-52 bomber was shot down, Robert Certain was pretty sure he was going to die, just like three of the men in his plane had, and remembers praying for his parachute not to open rather than dying in captivity.
Then a 25-year-old Air Force navigator, the Rev. Certain is now the 63-year-old senior priest of St. Peter and St. Paul Episcopal Church in east Cobb, but war is still very much on the mind of the retired colonel.
Now, though, he thinks more about helping the military personnel returning from wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.
Certain had flashes of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder for decades, which is one reason his large church is doing all it can to help returning veterans deal with the problems that cause more suicides among military people today than ever.
The military suicide rate has been rising for five years even though the Department of Veterans Affairs offers more psychological help to vets now than in the past.
Certain, who had wanted to be a minister since he was 15 but who didn't go to seminary until after he was released by the North Vietnamese in 1973, has organized at his church a non-profit organization called CareForTheTroops (http://www.careforthetroops.org/), dedicated to mental health problems of returning vets, as well as difficulties experienced by their families.
Led by Peter McCall, a volunteer, it organizes workshops and seminars for clergy, psychologists and others to counsel them on how to help men and women suffering from PTSD, traumatic brain injury or family problems stemming from multiple deployments.
Certain also is a member of the national Defense Health Board, the U.S. Psychological Health External Advisory Subcommittee, the Task Force on the Prevention of Suicide by Members of the Armed Forces and the National Action Alliance for Suicide Prevention.
“PTSD can affect anyone who has experienced significant trauma, and we are here to help,” Certain says. “I struggled with the effects of PTSD for 30 years.”
The church’s CareForTheTroops program offers a wide range of services and is aimed at helping men and women deal with PTSD and thoughts of suicide.
Shot down on his 100th combat mission, Certain, a 1969 Emory graduate, was repatriated in April 1973, attended an Episcopal seminary and was ordained a priest in 1976. He since has obtained a master’s and doctorate in divinity.
Before returning to his native Georgia, he served as a chaplain in the Air Force and headed parishes in Texas, Mississippi, Tennessee, Arizona and California.
His organization has ties with groups like Veteran’s Heart Georgia (www.veteransheartgeorgia.org/), which strives to help mentally damaged troops.
Certain says part of the military suicide problem is that vets are embarrassed to admit they need help.
“When I needed help I went off to the VA,” Certain says. “It is helpful, but it takes time. We need to find faster ways.”
The church’s group organizes seminars and workshops aimed at informing clergy and therapists unfamiliar with the military.
“We have to get the message across that PTSD is not a death knell, but a treatable malady,” Certain says. “We need to do more now.”
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