I was invited and participated in an Interfaith Chaplaincy in the U.S. Military Panel at the World War II Museum in New Orleans. It was the first time I displayed the National Restoration to Military Families Team (NRT) “REMEMBERING OUR FALLEN PEACEMAKERS IN UNIFORM” handmade quilt.

By Chaplain PJ Banks-Anderson, D.Min.

I was invited and participated in an Interfaith Chaplaincy in the U.S. Military Panel at the World War II Museum in New Orleans. It was the first time I displayed the National Restoration to Military Families Team (NRT) “REMEMBERING OUR FALLEN PEACEMAKERS IN UNIFORM” handmade quilt. I was able to close the credibility gap regarding fallen service members’ families by sharing with the gathered community that there are no follow up calls, cards, or consolation visits offered to these families and that NRT is attempting to fill that void. Many were amazed that these families either fall off the Department of Defense and VA radar when it comes to grief and/or money management or make minimal provision for grief counseling at a handful of urban VA centers around the country. Then, though, there are transportation concerns for the fallen peacemakers’ families living in rural communities.

I am not necessarily implying that the Department of Defense is incapable of being trustworthy or the Jurors have reason to doubt the testimony of a witness or that parents have reason to doubt their children’s word, or that citizens doubt the promises of politicians or that employee’s lie to their employers (and vice versa), or that creditors can’t believe a debtor’s verbal promise to pay or that there is ample reason to doubt the word of a significant other or that men and women of the clergy are defiling the marriage bed or living on the down low.