FORT PICKETT, Va. –
A groundbreaking effort to unify medical, spiritual, and behavioral care in the Virginia National Guard took shape June 25, 2025, at Fort Pickett, Virginia, as Soldiers across the three disciplines gathered for an integrated training event focused on improving how they work together to serve the force.
At the center of this initiative is Capt. David Porter, chaplain for the Staunton-based 116th Infantry Brigade Combat Team. Porter has spent the last two years designing and championing a coordinated approach to Soldier wellness.
“Too often, we approach Soldier care from a reductionist perspective,” Porter said. “Chaplains think like chaplains, medics look through a medical lens and behavioral health stays in its own lane. We’re trying to break down those silos and care for Soldiers together.”
The training brought together unit ministry teams, medics and behavioral health professionals to build relationships, define shared responsibilities and learn how to more effectively coordinate care for Soldiers experiencing physical, emotional and moral challenges.
Porter said the idea was born during a recent overseas deployment, where his team collaborated daily with medical and behavioral health assets in a high-stress environment. The experience revealed what could be achieved when all care providers worked as a cohesive unit.
“When I got back, the question became, ‘how do we replicate that success here at home? How do we train together, build trust, and speak the same language of Soldier care?’” Porter said. “June 25 was just the beginning of that answer.”
At the core of the training was moral injury, an often overlooked but significant psychological and spiritual issue that can occur when a Soldier witnesses or participates in something that violates their ethical or moral beliefs.
“For three decades, the conversation has tried to get spirituality out of the picture,” Porter said. “Moral injury puts it back in. It demands we listen for more than clinical symptoms, it demands we listen for the soul.”
As part of the initiative, the Virginia Guard has developed new pocket-sized leader cards featuring step-by-step guidance for responding to Soldier concerns, QR codes linking to resources and checklists for knowing when to involve chaplains, behavioral health or medics. The idea is to take the guesswork out of care and make the handoffs between disciplines smoother and more informed.
“If I know you, if I’ve trained with you, and I trust you, then when something happens, we can move quickly and confidently to get that Soldier the help they need,” Porter explained. “This is about building those relationships now, before the moment of crisis.”
Sgt. Amy Laurel Richardson, a medic with the Charlottesville-based Charlie Company, 429th Brigade Support Battalion, 116th IBCT, said the training reflects what frontline medical personnel already see on a regular basis.
“Integrating all of your assets together allows for a more holistic response,” Richardson said. “Roughly 60 to 70% of Soldiers who need behavioral or spiritual care present through the medical stream, usually with vague complaints like insomnia, anxiety or chest pain.”
Richardson recalled one instance where a Soldier collapsed during a ceremony. What began as a basic medical issue revealed deeper emotional struggles through follow-up questions. Working alongside Porter, Richardson helped connect the Soldier to additional care after building trust.
“That’s an example of where all three houses combined to provide care,” she said. “In my time in the Guard, I’ve never seen all three train together and connect like this. It’s very much appreciated and it works.”
Brigade leaders are backing the initiative, dedicating time, funding and space on the training calendar to make integrated care a priority.
Porter is quick to emphasize that this isn’t about advancing the role of chaplains alone.
“This is not about promoting chaplains. It’s about all of us. I’m challenging chaplains, medics and behavioral health to do better. We need every voice at the table,” he said.
More training events are planned, and the long-term goal is to establish a Guard-wide model for coordinated Soldier wellness, one that mirrors the success of interdisciplinary care teams used in clinical VA settings and high-tempo operational deployments.
“This is a bold move, but it’s the right one,” Porter said. “If we say we’re committed to putting Soldiers first, then we have to train that way, work that way, and care that way, as a team.”