The latest episode of the Camino Podcast takes a look at military veterans on pilgrimage. Here are the details:
Episode 32 – Veterans on the Camino: Soldiers are hardly a new phenomenon on the Camino de Santiago; indeed, the pilgrimage originated hand in glove with the military initiative to reconquer the Iberian peninsula from the Moors. Today, though, a new movement is taking place to bring more veterans to pilgrimage, as a potential rite of passage to mark their re-entry into civilian life. Brad Genereux has been a key catalyst in this work, taking his own experience–which he wrote about in A Soldier to Santiago–and extending it outward to others through his organization, Veterans on the Camino. Dan Huvane, a US marine, was part of a 2018 cohort that Brad led. The potential of this is also the stuff of research, with Dr. Heather Warfield at the forefront of that work. This episode features Brad, Dan, and Heather, talking about their experiences and the impact of pilgrimage on veterans.
Check out the additional details below for more information:
On Veterans on the Camino: You can find the home page for VOTC here, while Brad’s book, A Soldier to Santiago can be found on Amazon and plenty of other spots. As of late November 2019, VOTC are also running a fundraising campaign for Giving Tuesday, which you can find here. Read Dan’s reflection on his 2018 walk here.
Dr. Warfield’s pilgrimage-related research can be found on her Antioch University page. One of her edited volumes, Pilgrimage as Transformative Process, can be found on Amazon, though the price is reflective of academic publications, not mainstream ones! Her new podcast on pilgrimage, Meaningful Journeys, just posted its first episode.
Other Vets on Pilgrimage: Brad’s organization is not the only one doing this work. A Canadian group of veterans walked in 2017–check out their Facebook page for stories from their walk and a detailed final report (thanks to oursonpolaire for the tip!). Warriors on the Way is another US-based organization focused on taking combat veterans on the Camino. Another published reflection to consider is Colonel Tracey Meck’s See You Along the Way.
Relevant Research: It’s still an emerging field! You can find a short piece from a researcher at Australia’s Monash University here, which references Brad.
