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Introduction
Sergeant York is a movie that was produced by Howard Hawks as an American Biographical film in 1941. It presents the life of Alvin York, a male from a low-income family of farmers from rural Tennessee. The isolation and poverty motivate the main character to buy a bottomland and raise money. York starts believing in God, after being struck by lightning on the way to take revenge on his landowner. The beginning of the World War I (WWI) rejects his request to avoid participation as a conscientious objector. Driven by the idea to fight for his country, York becomes an effective and honored soldier and returns home. This movie reflects the impact of military service on a faithful person, who has to choose between killing people and serving the US. The ways to assist him from a social service perspective are also discussed in this paper.
Impact of Military Service
At the very beginning of WWI, York did not want to participate as a soldier, stating that his Christian religion prohibits killing other people. However, when his exemption request was denied by the military authorities, he referred to the Bible and found that he should protect his country. The movie depicts that York was different from other soldiers, who spent their free time drinking in cafes and speaking with Mademoiselles. The main character used this time for strengthening his faith by praying and reading the Bible. The courage with which he fights against the German soldiers shows that it is faith in the goodness of his actions that helped him to effectively protect his country. While the war breaks many people, York seems to become even stronger after his military service. Accordingly, in terms of the spiritual perspective, one can state that despite the complicated dilemma that was faced by York, he handled it and reinforced his Christian personality.
Military service implies cooperation among soldiers and officers to win battles, which is important for physical and psychological preparation. In Sergeant York, the interactions between soldiers are not given much attention, but it is clear that due to his religious differences, York might feel isolated from his team members. Since the troop involved people from different US states and other countries, all of them had varying cultural and ethnic backgrounds. It was another reason for the detachment and separation in the troop. From the social perspective, York was far from his home and family, his relationships with other soldiers were emotionless, and his beliefs were different. It might cause mental disorders, such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression, and so on (Rubin et al., 2012). Although the movie does not depict the life of York after the war, there are facts that point to his intentions to get married to his fiancé, which points that he did not lose his love of life.
As a holistic approach to evaluating a person’s condition, a bio-psycho-social-spiritual perspective also involves biological and psychological dimensions to be considered. From the biological perspective, the physical health of York was not significantly affected during WWI, but the impacts of alcohol abuse can be noted. No genetic vulnerabilities or other diseases are mentioned in the movie as well. The psychological perspective is more pronounced in the film since it demonstrates the growth of his coping skills, family relationships, and social skills. The first factor that pushed him away from drinking and spending all his time with friends was Gracie living in the neighborhood and her family of practicing Christians. The church was the only place where they can meet, which was the first step towards Christianity. It is also important that York’s deceased father and mother brought him up in the context of Christian values. All these factors helped him to preserve his mental health, as well as family and community ties during the complex and fierce military service.
Military Social Work Directions
The main concern the protagonist of Sergeant York’s movie faced was the need to fight against other human beings and oppose the principle of doing no harm. York also encountered many different ethnicities and cultures, having to cooperate with them against the enemy forces. The feelings of loneliness and isolation emerged from a lack of friends and like-minded persons (Rubin et al., 2012). The resistance to temptations, including women and alcohol, was another challenge that improved his loyalty to God’s Word. The goals of York were to complete his military service as a brave and worthy man, who contributed to the protection and safety of the US. He denied commercial offers that would decorate him as a national hero and preferred returning home. It might point to his need to be closer to the family and continue his life as it was before the war.
In this case, it seems to be rational to suggest that the help of a military social worker is important for York’s adaptation to a peaceful life. In addition, assistance to the mother and fiancé might be necessary to help them understand York’s changed personality and behaviors. The evidence shows that war veterans are likely to have stress and compromised mental health, which requires working with them and their families (Rubin et al., 2012). A social worker can assess York’s ability to reintegrate into civilian life and build relationships positively. Among the threats that can be prevented and minimized, there are PTSD, psychosis, depression, and mental injuries. Accordingly, family-centered counseling can be recommended due to its usefulness for achieving a healthier psychological mindset. Often, military personnel develops stoicism and denial as to their professional qualities that limit the adaptation to civilian life. The role of the social worker is to recognize the signs of these features and help in becoming open to interventions.
Considering that York is a practicing Christian, it is possible to approach him from the standpoint of pastoral counseling. According to Moon (2016), a family systems theory implies that emotions impact the behaviors and reactions of people, which are closely connected to one’s family. In particular, the family system has a great impact on a person’s thoughts, actions, and feelings. Those soldiers who returned home need approval and support, which can be provided by other family members, who are expected to pay attention to the expectations and needs of the former serviceperson. In the case of York, the military social worker should clarify the awareness and readiness of the family members to assist in his reintegration into society.
By applying pastoral counseling principles, including but not limited to vigilance and compassion, the counselor can contribute to the self-realization of York’s needs and future aspirations. Perhaps, he wants to continue serving as a pastor or seeks to focus on farming. Regardless of the area of development, it is critical to involve the parents and a fiancé in the recovery work. To do so, the social worker needs to understand the cultural ecologies of the family, which involve their cultural and religious values, symbols, and traditions (Moon, 2016).
In this case, the social service professional should act as a researcher and also as a care provider, employing biblical images and stories. The ultimate goal of this case is to remake the meaning of life so that the main character would use his experience in producing a new view of his relationships with the self and people around him (Moon, 2016). However, the counselor should not take control over the family, remembering that he or she is not an expert in their lives. Instead of considering clients as having problems, it is better to approach them with humility, reverence, and curiosity and be able to respond with compassion to their needs.
Conclusion
To conclude, Sergeant York is a biographical movie that tells the story of a man from a family of farmers, who received his strength from his faith. The analysis of the movie and mainly the main character from the bio-psycho-social-spiritual perspective allowed stating that he might have psychological and social challenges that can be addressed or minimized in terms of the military social service therapy. Considering that York has a family and wants to get married, as well as his commitment to Christian values, it was suggested that the social worker should apply the family systems theory and pastoral care as the foundation for interventions. It is expected that the military social service would assist the client in reinventing his unique meaning of life.
References
Moon, Z. (2016). Pastoral care and counseling with military families. Journal of Pastoral Care & Counseling, 70(2), 128-135.
Rubin, A., Weiss, E. L., & Coll, J. E. (2012). Handbook of military social work. John Wiley & Sons.
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