The Church: One of the First Military Veterans Organizations

Abstract

Today, the Federal Department of Veterans Affairs recognizes well over 100 military veteran organizations including the American Legion, American Veterans (AMVETS), Paralyzed Veterans of America, and Veterans of Foreign Wars. But these assets, these associations, and these contact resources were not always available. I want to show you how the church "in this case the Baptist church" helped two veterans relocate from the battle trenches of the Civil War to the civilian world following General Robert E. Lee's infamous surrender at Appomattox. The reintegration challenges faced by these two veterans and the assistance they received in addressing them demonstrates how, 150 years ago, the church served as one of our first military veterans organizations. ; Presented at Race and/or Reconciliation, the Third Conference on Veterans in Society, which took place in Roanoke, VA from November 12-14, 2015. ; Conference hosted by the Center for the Study of Rhetoric in Society, Department of English http://www.rhetoric.english.vt.edu/