Chinese Pastor Dongchuan Yang recently came home to celebrate the holidays after serving as a chaplain at the army hospital in Germany. During the time spent abroad, he personally witness the pain many wounded soldiers endured coming back from the fighting in Iraq. He stated that the war indeed brought much pain for many families. Yang expressed sadness over seeing young men wounded or maimed in the hospital. For some soldiers, many not only have to deal with their physical injuries but also with the mental scars from experiencing trauma in the battlefield. Many soldiers felt unsure that they would be able to find a place in society given the conditions they faced. Some, especially the amputees felt unsure that they would fit back into society.. Consequently, Pastor Yang counseled with many soldiers giving them hope through preaching the love of the gospel.
According to Yang, different soldiers react to their injuries differently. Some were able to recover from their injuries in a short time. However, many soldiers require longer time to recover both physically and mentally. Pastor Yang said that by listening them he was able to find better ways in comforting the wounded – especially those with long lasting psychological scars.
This is first time that Pastor Yang has worked in an army hospital. Over the months of working with wounded soldiers, Pastor Yang has recorded his experience in a book titled “A Pastor’s Handbook for the Battalion.” Yang is due for retirement next year. However, he has expressed desires to enlist in the California National Guard as a chaplain so that he can continue ministering to soldiers..
When asked what he thought of the war, Pastor Yang curtly replied the he hopes to see the war ended peacefully so that the soldiers can go home. Yang concluded by urging Christians worldwide to pray for Iraq war soldiers.
