National Civil War Chaplains Museum

Where do you go when the war comes home with you? For Chaplain Roger Benimoff, refuge from the war inside his mind could only be found through faith and trust in God.

Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, or PTSD, is a mental condition resulting from an individual experiencing extremely stressful or terrifying events. Symptoms can include flashbacks, anxiety, nightmares, and negative thoughts. Nearly 30% of American service members suffer from PTSD from the things they saw, experienced, or did during their service. When they return home from the field, PTSD makes it extremely difficult for them to leave those experiences behind them and transition into civilian life.

While chaplains do not actively fight like other service members, that does not mean that they are safe from the effects of PTSD. Many, like Chaplain Benimoff, develop secondary PTSD through the countless counseling sessions they conduct with service members suffering from PTSD. They may not have been there, but helping these people cope with the trauma leaves its mark on chaplains anyway. After serving two tours of duty in Iraq, Chaplain Benimoff came to work as a hospital chaplain at Walter Reed National Medical Center. He recalls, “What I needed, I realized, was a mission, more immersion in heart-pounding work, something to keep my mind totally focused. I could handle PTSD. I was handling PTSD, wasn’t I?”

Although he worked hard to help his fellow service members cope with their own PTSD, he could not find the way out on his own. It was only through a renewal of his faith and admitting to God that he needed help that Chaplain Benimoff was able to start the healing process. In his memoir, Faith Under Fire, he recalls, “Running away from God doesn’t work. I had tried.”

Today, on National PTSD Awareness Day, we thank our military chaplains for their perseverance in aiding those who are suffering, and we remember that they need someone to care for them as well.

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To be a military chaplain is to answer a divine calling, especially in the case of Chaplain Constantine Rogakos.
Constantine was born in Gythion, Greece in 1932. He greatly admired his father, a respected theologian and desired to follow his example. He graduated from the University of Athens in 1955 and served two years of mandatory service in the Greek Army as an infantry officer. He worked as a lecturer on theology for the next three years before moving to New York to continue his career. While in America, Rogakos became ordained as a priest in the Greek Orthodox Church in answer to a dream of Christ on the cross.

His life changed directions a second time in 1964 when he met Michael Cokinos, a colonel in the U.S. Army Reserve. He told Rogakos about how his unit had recently lost its chaplain and urged Rogakos to take the position. While Rogakos did not become a chaplain then, the seed was planted, and he commissioned as a 1st Lieutenant in the U.S. Army Reserve. Four years, he obtained permission from his Archbishop to answer the Lord’s call and enter the service as the first American military chaplain for the Greek Orthodox Church. His faith was tested many times during his service, but never more than during his time in Vietnam. Rogakos served with the 93rd Evacuation Hospital, where he saw the worst of what war could do to his fellow servicemembers. Still, he persevered in serving God and country, earning the Bronze Star for his efforts. Although he retired in 1988 after 22 years in the military, he never stopped serving the Lord. He returned to the States and ministered at The Annunciation Greek Orthodox Church in Kansas City, Missouri, and later at the Annunciation in Norfolk, Virginia. He continued to serve his brothers and sisters until the day he passed on November 5, 2018.

Follow the Chaplains Museum for more stories of brave chaplains as we explore the melting pot of American culture.

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The Chaplains Museum will be unveiling a new exhibit this Friday, June 26, at 12:30pm. The ceremony will be streamed live on the Liberty University History Department`s Instagram page. The video will be posted here after for those unable to attend.
History Department: @historylu

Help the Chaplains Museum expand our collection and add new exhibits. Look for the "Donate" section at the link in our bio. 

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There is always more to research and discover at the Chaplains Museum. Among our recent acquisitions is this Corona portable typewriter. The owner donated this model to the Chaplains Museum for display purposes last semester. When we receive a gift like this, the first step is to assign an accession number and item number. These numbers help us keep track of what items we have and where we have them stored. Then, one of our student workers will undertake the task of cleaning and researching the items.

Preliminary research revealed that this item is a Corona 3 portable typewriter, the first model of its kind to see widespread commercial success. Armed with this knowledge, one of our workers dug deeper to see what information he could find on its usage and history. A patent on the back revealed it to have been produced sometime after July 19, 1917, placing it near the end of World War I. On further inspection, he found a serial number on the inner body of the typewriter which gave a specific production date of 1920. While this specific typewriter was not definitely used by a chaplain, it is representative of the kind of equipment that they would have used during that time period. This particular model was so popular among military officers that it was officially recommended in the 1917 Army Officers’ Manual, written by Colonel James A. Moss. This typewriter is a key piece in our exhibit on the importance of letter-writing in a military chaplain’s ministry of service.

To see more of our newest acquisitions and research, be sure to follow the Chaplains Museum and visit us on the campus of Liberty University.

Help the Chaplains Museum expand our collection and add new exhibits. Look for the "Donate" section at the link in our bio.

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