The ministry that’s taken on this project is MarkInc, an offshoot of Glasgow Reformed Presbyterian Church (PCA) in Bear, DE. It is led by Dr. Chuck Betters, the Glasgow pastor, and his wife, Sharon, executive director of MarkInc. They lost their teenage son, Mark, in a car accident 16 years ago and have since recognized how much loss can alter family life

As a chaplain of the 512th Airlift Wing, Lt. Col. John W. Groth made certain that the remains of fallen military personnel were given a dignified transfer at the Dover Air Force Base mortuary…

By 2009, he was part of a base team that had processed more than 4,500 remains from the nation’s conflicts. The mortuary is an operations center for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, and in some ways working in the mortuary is like a funeral home.

But combat death can batter human tissue with horrific force, and that leaves a lasting impression when body bags are opened. And while Groth became accustomed to looking after others, he was not tuned into the subtleties of his own well-being…

After 21 years of service, Groth was medically discharged from the Air Force Reserve in 2009 because of post-traumatic stress disorder.

Of course, he is not alone. A 2008 Rand Corp. study reported that one in five vets returning from Iraq and Afghanistan had symptoms of PTSD or major depression…

To raise awareness about what is increasingly talked about as a hidden cost of war, Groth and Yeager are lending their stories to publicize a Delaware ministry that wants to educate veterans and families about the need to get psychological and spiritual help.

“I want people to know they have permission to say, ‘Hey, something I’ve been through has changed me, and I need to talk about it,’ ” said Groth, who points out that finding a safe person to talk to about the discomfort is the first step in healing.

To raise awareness about what is increasingly talked about as a hidden cost of war, Groth… is lending his story to publicize a Delaware ministry that wants to educate veterans and families about the need to get psychological and spiritual help.

(Following taken from separate web site)

The ministry that’s taken on this project is MarkInc, an offshoot of Glasgow Reformed Presbyterian Church. It is led by Dr. Chuck Betters, the Glasgow pastor, and his wife, Sharon, executive director of MarkInc.

They lost their teenage son, Mark, in a car accident 16 years ago and have since recognized how much loss can alter family life. They wondered where God was in their suffering and found their faith tested. Over the years, they’ve observed this in others, too.

“For reasons known only to Him, God has chosen to build His Kingdom through broken, needy people who often feel inadequate,” Betters writes.

And, loss can lead to “a new level of normal,” though suffering people need to realize they’re not alone, Betters said.

In the past, that’s why MarkInc has prepared CDs on everything from the death of a family member to coping with autism. They also believe too many veterans are falling through the cracks and that it’s been that way since the Vietnam War.

There were 50,000 service deaths in Vietnam, but since the end of combat well over 50,000 have committed suicide, Betters said.

Link to Betters’ ministry: http://www.markinc.org/

Read More: http://beta.courierpostonline.com/article/BL/20110330/NEWS02/103300346/1022/Eagles-may-rest-starters/Invisible-wounds-of-war [Editor’s note: the original URL (link) referenced is no longer valid, so the link has been removed.]