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[narrator] Wars in distant lands hit very close to home
for the soldiers and families based at
Fort Campbell in Clarksville, Tennessee.
[Karrin Moser] Fear of daddy not coming home alive,
fear that daddy's got broken bones.
[Joanne McCasland] Our biggest problem was communication.
[Lori Bednarczyk] ... having to work on your marriage,
having to work with that relationship with
your children and your family.
[Meegan Pierotti-Tietje] We grieve when they leave.
We grieve.
[Joanne McCasland] I always felt like I needed to know that other
people were having the same problems because you do kind of
feel isolated and you think it's just you and just your husband.
[narrator] Enter the Lazarus Project, a program spearheaded
by Austin Peay State University's Wesley Foundation,
which provides free counseling and support for families and
friends of deployed service men and women.
[Don McCasland] I wouldn't tell her we got shot at
or an IED went off or any of that stuff.
[narrator] Don McCasland retired after deploying to Iraq 3 times.
He and his wife Joanne now lead one of the program's support groups.
Partnering with the college and local churches is
a key element to Lazarus' success.
[Don McCasland] It only takes one person,
one congregation to make a big difference.
[narrator] Bethel United Methodist Church in Clarksville
provides meeting space and art classes for children
while parents attend counseling sessions.
Just down the road,
New Providence United Methodist Church takes an active role
in helping families talk out their issues.
Pastor B.J. Brack is a firm believer in the support groups.
[B.J. Brack] Establish them in a small group relationship where
people have an opportunity to share and grow.
That's what we're finding out they need the most.
[narrator] Jodi McCullah is a campus minister at Austin Peay
and a driving force behind the Lazarus Project.
[Jodi McCullah] You have to go to them and you have
to be persistent-I'm here; what can I do?
I want to care. Tell me about how hard it is.
I really want to listen.
I really want to know what you're dealing with.
But we have to, as a community, surround them.