Patient Care Services
Day of Prayer and Reflection for Veterans
Veterans have provided selfless service to our nation, often at great personal cost. In recognition of their service and sacrifice, VA hosted a Day of Prayer and Reflection for Veterans on Tuesday, November 12, at 10 a.m. in room 230 at VACO. This day was for all Americans to consider the sacrifice and suffering of our Nation’s heroes. Prayer has been a long-standing source of guidance, strength, and wisdom. For those of faith, regardless of your personal religious beliefs, we invite you to include our Veterans, their families, the Department, and the Nation in your prayer.
In addition, to the ceremony at VACO, chaplains across the country hosted ceremonies at thier local facilities.
Below are highlights from this year’s programs
President Abraham Lincoln founded our national commitment to our Nation’s Veterans by establishing what remains the mission of VA today – to care for those who have borne the battle, and their widows and orphans. Caring for our Nation’s Veterans involves a holistic approach that considers the physical, emotional, spiritual, and relational needs of our Veterans. In defending the freedoms we cherish as Americans, many Veterans have suffered wounds not visible to the eye. In addition to their physical suffering, many bear wounds to their souls and injuries to their spirits.
Thus, I announce a Day of Prayer and Reflection for Veterans on this 12th day of November. This Day of Prayer and Reflection for Veterans is for all Americans to consider the sacrifices and sufferings of our Nation’s Heroes, and for those of faith to ask for Divine sustenance in the lives of our Veterans, their family members, the Department of Veterans Affairs, and the Nation as we seek to care for those who have borne the battle, and their widows and orphans.
Healing is a process of restoration and renewal of body, mind, or spirit. We respect the religious beliefs of all Americans and do not encourage or favor any religious beliefs or actions contrary to individuals’ personal viewpoints. However, on this day we ask those who pray, regardless of personal religious beliefs, to ask for healing of our Veterans, their families, the Department of Veteran Affairs, and our nation. Prayer has been a source of guidance, strength, and wisdom for many Americans since the founding of our Republic. During the American Revolution, General George Washington instituted a Chaplain Corps to bolster troop morale and ensure the spiritual needs of the soldiers were met. In 1865 when President Abraham Lincoln established the first National Homes for Disabled Volunteer Soldiers, chaplains were assigned to provide prayerful care.
On this Day of Prayer and Reflection for Veterans, I call upon the Chaplains from the Department of Veterans Affairs to organize community-wide prayers of healing for our Veterans, their families, the Department of Veteran Affairs, and our nation. On this Day of Prayer and Reflection for Veterans, let us come together, all according to their own faiths, to seek Divine healing.
