Retired military officer tells how to help military returning to civilian life

AUSTINTOWN

Too often, the media and movies are the sole means by which people’s perceptions of war are formed, fed, shaped and cemented. But such romanticized, Hollywood-style portrayals are usually miles from the realities of life on the battlefield, a chaplain and longtime military member contends.

“War isn’t glorious,” retired Maj. Leslie Haines said during a workshop she conducted Saturday at Redeemer Lutheran Church, 2305 S. Canfield-Niles Road (state Route 46). “What we do is hard; we never forget the first time we take someone’s life.”

The Fort Wayne, Ind., woman, who served 33 years in the Army, including one tour of duty each in Iraq and Guantanamo Bay, led the seven-hour seminar, “Binding the Wounds of War.” The program’s primary aim was to provide tools for others to help veterans – especially those who have served in Iraq and Afghanistan – make easier transitions to civilian life and being back with their families.

Read more about the event in Sunday's Vindicator or on Vindy.com.