We live in a throwaway society. Often we don’t even bother to try to repair an object that gets broken or no longer works. Maybe it’s just as cheap to replace a broken lawnmower as it is to find a good repairman. But what if the broken object is a cherished porcelain bowl left to you by your grandmother? Japanese history tells of how a fifteenth-century shogun had his favorite Chinese tea bowl repaired after it shattered when he dropped it. The mended bowl was clumsily pinned together, but all its beauty was lost. The shogun then had another craftsman develop a new technique in which the cracks were filled in with lacquer and gold. Instead of hiding the cracks, the artisan had visibly transformed the bowl into an object of even greater beauty (Deng, June 6, 2024).
When I consider the work done by MISNS I relate this principle of beauty from imperfection and brokenness to servicewomen and their families. Many female veterans honorably serve their country, yet after they separate and return to civilian life, they experience a myriad of negative consequences, including depression, anxiety, shame, substance use, physical and mental health diagnoses, family upheaval, and homelessness. Among the risk factors are adverse childhood experiences, abuse, military sexual trauma, racism, and gender discrimination (Short et al., 2023). Workers in the field recognize that moral injury is distinct from and yet somewhat overlapping with PTSD. Moral injury researcher and clinical psychologist at the VA Boston Health Care System Brett Litz has aptly distinguished them by describing PTSD as a “racing heart” and moral injury as a “broken heart” (Seck, July 17, 2023).
Each recruit joins the military with a personal history, with some life events that are already morally injurious or potentially morally injurious, and these underlying common themes can make the new soldier vulnerable to increased moral injury. Historically the military environment has been unaware of the need to provide the resources and mentoring to address pre-military traumas or post-deployment traumas. Such knowledge would give soldiers the tools to perhaps prevent and certainly to mitigate future traumas.
MISNS, or Moral Injury Support Network for Servicewomen, has led the way in addressing this issue. Since 2015 Dr. Daniel Roberts and the Harriet Tubman Chaplain Network along with military veteran researchers have worked to provide advocacy and counseling to women veterans in need of support (MISNS, 2024). As a leader in the field of moral injury research and advocacy, Dr. Roberts and MISNS have become an integral part of the moral injury community. Just recently we see the encouraging news of an initiative by the Veterans Administration to survey moral injury in post-9/11 veterans, both male and female.
Continuing its role in the forefront of caring for female veterans, MISNS is launching a new 5 Year Strategic Plan for Moral Injury Support Network for Servicewomen, Inc. As the plan states, its mission is “to serve as a global facilitator of moral injury support, research, training, and advocacy to end the silent suffering of servicewomen and military families” (Roberts, September 5, 2024). The key elements are the ATHENA NEXIS project and the Moral Injury in Military Families project. The Moral Injury in Military Families project recognizes that a traumatized wife and/or mother dramatically affects the emotional and physical health of the spouse and children in the family. There has been very little research on the condition of moral injury in families and a total lack of support services for these women and their families. Dr. Roberts and MISNS believe that generational trauma must be ended through focused effort. Many corporations and foundations already support families, but they have not been made aware of the connection between female servicemembers, moral injury, and healthy family relationships. The servicewoman’s wounds must be repaired and healed from the pervasive and continuing negative impact of moral injury.
MISNS provides hope. Just as the Japanese concept of kintsugi suggests, broken objects (and a woman and her family relationships) can be repaired with gold and become even lovelier and more valuable (Kondo, 2024). No human being is too broken or distressed to be rescued and restored and to become even more beautiful. Through the ATHENA NEXUS project and the Moral Injury in Military Families project, families will be made stronger in the broken places through attention to their spiritual and psychological health needs.
Learn more about Moral Injury Support Network for Servicewomen, Inc. and sign up for our newsletter at: https://misns.org.
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Click here for further information and to register: https://misns.org/programs/cmic/
Susan Sganga is the Media Specialist for Moral Injury Support Network for Servicewomen, Inc. and is a public health specialist located in North Carolina. She can be reached at 704-254-1548 or susanpsganga@gmail.com.
Sources
Deng, C. (2024, June 6). Kintsugi. Encyclopedia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/art/kintsugi-ceramics
Kondo, Marie (2024). Beauty in broken things: the art of kintsugi. https://konmari.com/beauty-in-broken things
Our story. (2024). MISNS. https://misns.org/about-us/our-story/
Roberts, Daniel. (September 5, 2024). Strategic Document for ATHENA NEXUS and MI in Military Families. Email.
Seck, Hope Hodge (July 17, 2023). VA lays groundwork for first major survey of moral injury in veterans. Military Times.https://www.militarytimes.com/veterans/2023/07/17/va-lays-groundwork-for-first-major-survey-of-moral-injury-in-veterans/
Short, Michael, Felder, Stephanie, Baird, Lisa Garland, and Gamble, Brenda (9 (4), 2023). Female veterans’ risk factors for homelessness: A scoping review. Journal of Military, Veteran and Family Health.