Personal Narrative 3D Object Film, Video Manuscript/Mixed Material Photo, Print, Drawing David W. Polhemus Collection

Veterans History Project Service Summary:
- War or Conflict: Vietnam War, 1961-1975; Korean War, 1950-1953
- Branch of Service: Army
- Unit of Service: 82nd Airborne Division
- Location of Service: Fort Bliss, Texas; Korea; Vietnam
- Highest Rank: Colonel
The son of a Methodist minister who served as a military chaplain during World War II, Colonel David Polhemus always felt drawn to the role of counseling troops. Acting as the chaplain to the 82nd Airborne Division at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, he explains, is when he learned the difference that a chaplain could make in the lives of the soldiers around him. He terms his approach a “ministry of presence”—that his simple presence could do more for ailing soldiers than any sermon from the pulpit. He continued to employ this method during his time in Vietnam, though he remains haunted by the things that he witnessed in country. Following his military service, he became a counselor to soldiers who, like himself, struggle with post traumatic stress disorder.
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PlayAs an Army chaplain, had a lot of leeway to express his own opinion; expressed antiwar sentiments from the pulpit; Army expected him to speak on the moral/ethical issues of the time. 00:32:19.7 - 00:33:02.0
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PlayServing as chaplain in Vietnam; attending to dying soldiers; talking with them about home; a particular patient who died in front of him. 00:40:10.8 - 00:42:13.4
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PlaySpending four years at the Academy of Health Services; developing a course on medical ethics. 00:51:35.7 - 00:54:13.7
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PlayWas awarded a doctorate in Pastoral Counseling; wrote his thesis on Vietnam veterans and post-traumatic stress disorder; set up a counseling group for Vietnam vets; realizing he had PTSD himself; PTSD is treatable but you can never be cured. 01:10:10.0 - 01:11:39.0
About this Item
Title
- David W. Polhemus Collection
Names
- Polhemus, David W.
- VA Medical Center, Prescott, Arizona
- Willis, Guy
- Fine, Sally
State of Birth
- NH
Home State
- AZ
Headings
- - Polhemus, David W.
- - Korean War, 1950-1953 -- Personal Narratives
- - United States. Army.
- - Vietnam War, 1961-1975 -- Personal Narratives
Repository
- Veterans History Project, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress
Gender
- Male
Race
- White
Status
- Veteran
Service History
-
Korean War, 1950-1953
- Branch of Service: Army
- Unit of Service: 82nd Airborne Division
- Location of Service: Fort Bliss, Texas; Korea
- Dates of Service: 1957-1978
- Entrance into Service: Enlisted
- Military Status: Veteran
- Service History Note: The veteran was a chaplain.
-
Vietnam War, 1961-1975
- Location of Service: Vietnam
- Highest Rank: Colonel
- Military Status: Veteran
Materials
- Photograph: Photocopy of photographic print [6 items] -- Photograph (collected 1957)
- Video: VHS [1 item] -- Oral history interview (collected 04/18/2006)
- Artifact: Artifact photocopy [1 item] -- (collected 1944)
- Manuscript: Military papers (orders, personnel/201 files, etc) [1 item] -- Typewritten document (collected 07/20/1942)
- Video: DVD [1 item] -- Reference copy (collected unknown)
Collection Number
- AFC/2001/001/48280
Cite as
- David W. Polhemus Collection (AFC/2001/001/48280), Veterans History Project, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress
Online Format
- image
- video