I was at the 2010 National Gospel Quartet Convention when I spotted Ron Leonard. He was wearing military fatigues and a friendly smile.
I started asking questions and learned he was a veteran. Ron works with soldiers and veterans in spreading the word of God. He also helps some of them and their families deal with post-traumatic stress disorder.
Our military service members and their families give of themselves 24/7 to defend and protect the freedoms we enjoy. Yet they are forgotten by many, and they fall through the cracks of programs that should be helping them.
One thing is certain: They are not forgotten by God. We must make certain as a nation and as individuals that they and their families are given the resources necessary to survive when they return home from serving their country.
Ron Leonard and his wife Marilyn are working to help. They have formed Military Ministries: Sharing Christ with Others. They are based in Hermitage, Tenn., but they travel wherever they are needed.
Leonard, who accepted Christ when he was 10, has been in ministry since his late teens. He worked in Christian camps and ministered in the military for 20 years while on active duty and the reserves.
“When I retired in 2004, I saw the great need of sharing with the body of Christ the problem of PTSD and how the church can biblically respond,” he said. Leonard is in close contact with military chaplains and hears the stories of increasing suicides within the military family.
“The Army is dealing with the problem in a positive way,” he said. “The signs of PTSD are depression, loneliness, feeling hopeless and feeling withdrawn. Sometimes this turns into violence against loved ones.”
“My wonderful wife Marilyn, who has always been supportive of the ministry, often says, ‘When people know we really care, then they will respond,’?” said Leonard.
When veterans return home, Leonard said, churches can “reach out, welcome and help them through the adjustment period experienced by families separated by war. A strong Christian support base must be there daily.”
“We need prayer warriors and men and women who will lend an ear to the needs. Most of all, churches must not be judging any feelings or things they say. Keep the lines of communication open. Children are also experiencing trauma and anxiety and need guidance and support,” Leonard said.
Gordon Jensen composed the words to Leonard’s favorite song: “Tears Are a Language God Understands.” Tears are shed as loved ones go off to war. Some return home in body bags, others are severely injured. Then there are the invisible wounds, emotional scars that war inflicts on soldiers and their families.
This year, more than 50,000 military men and women will return home. Unfortunately, many are the new generation of homeless with no jobs to return to. Some families will be unable to cope.
“Many of these men and women have been separated from loved ones for over a year, and have returned home very different physically and mentally from when they left,” said Leonard. “As citizens of the nation they protect, we can never do enough to thank them for their service.”
Ron and Marilyn Leonard can be reached at P.O. Box 306, Hermitage, Tenn., 37076, or by e-mail at inchristalone2004@yahoo.com.
– Baxley is a writer who lives in South Carolina with her family.