The Church: One of the First Military Veterans Organizations

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Date
2015-11
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Publisher
Virginia Tech
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.

Description
Keywords
Civil War diary, Ryland, Confederate states, 34th Virginia Infantry, Company K, Baptist Church, University of Richmond, Virginia Baptist Historical Society, ViS, Veterans in Society, Race and/or Reconciliation, the Third Conference on Veterans in Society
Citation