Face of Defense: former chaplain fights emotional demons with comedy

By Staff Sgt. Natasha Stannard, Air ForceAugust 25, 2016

Retired Army Chaplain James King performs his comedy routine
Retired Army Chaplain James King performs his comedy routine at a club in Newport News, Virginia., April 14, 2016. King started doing comedy through the Armed Services Arts Partnership, a program that aids struggling veterans through the teaching of ... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL

JOINT BASE LANGLEY-EUSTIS, Va. -- As an Army chaplain, James King served nearly two decades taking in others' pain and feeling helpless as his comrades were sent to war.

Eventually, the now-retired lieutenant colonel realized that the buildup of emotions he carried needed to be addressed. He was depressed, and his life was becoming unmanageable.

"I was carrying things [inside] myself," King said. "I was bottling things up. I was isolating myself. I was not using healthy practices. I was not eating healthy."

He was drinking more often than he should, and his wife and friends had expressed concerned for his welfare.

"And, after initially not listening," he remembered. "I finally did."

PERSONAL STRUGGLES

King's duties as a chaplain included helping people through difficult situations. However, he said, providing spiritual and emotional aid to others became overwhelming.

"It's vital, but to be there time after time, to see the family's responses, to experience their pain and not be able to do anything about it because you just can't change the basic fact that the one that they love is not going to come back alive is hard," King explained.

"I went through some emotionally difficult things with their families, but I'm still here and I'm physically whole. So, it's hard to complain."

King sought out counseling and, through that, he found other avenues to relieve his stressors, one being the Armed Services Arts Partnership comedy boot camp, a nonprofit organization that provides veterans with an artistic outlet to deal with their emotional issues in a safe and understanding environment.

"One of the things I am learning is that I can't bottle things up, so I'm expressing some of my struggle through humor, and it's working so far," King said.

HEALING THROUGH COMEDY

Since starting the class in April, King has not only performed in local comedy shows, but he has used the class as an opportunity to show others that it's possible to overcome personal demons.

"Jim came in ready to be the best, but he helped everyone out," said Fred McKinnon, an Army veteran and comedy boot camp coach. "He took the class seriously. I think the sky's the limit for him. If he puts forth the effort I could see him having a lot of success."

But for King, the class was more than a place to showcase his talent. It was a salvation.

"Without the boot camp and counseling, I'd be an even bigger problem waiting to happen," King admitted. "If I had not gotten help to find avenues to deal with the issues, they would still be bottled up inside me. And, the problem is that the more you bottle something up, the more the pressure builds."

King understands that some people may have difficulty revealing personal issues or asking for help, but he believes that tackling personal demons ultimately makes you stronger.

"If somebody wants to say that we are weak because we seek help, they're just proving themselves weak," King said. "We have sense enough to get help for everything else; we need to get help for our emotional, mental and psychological needs."

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