Date

7-21-2026

Department

School of Behavioral Sciences

Degree

Doctor of Education in Community Care and Counseling (EdD)

Chair

Lisa Ansell

Keywords

combat veterans, identity, meaning-making, moral injury, Operation Iraqi Freedom, spiritual well-being

Disciplines

Counseling

Abstract

The purpose of this phenomenological study was to describe the lived experiences of moral injury and spiritual well-being among male Operation Iraqi Freedom combat veterans ages 35 to 55 in Missouri. The theory guiding this study was Park’s Meaning-Making Model, with moral injury theory providing conceptual context for understanding morally injurious experiences. The questions guiding the study are: How do male combat veterans between the ages of 35 to 55 of Operation Iraqi Freedom describe their lived experiences of moral injury and spiritual well being? How do the veterans understand the relationship between morally injurious experiences and their spiritual well-being? What meanings do veterans assign to spiritual change, struggle, or growth following morally injurious events? Data were collected through semistructured virtual interviews with 12 participants and analyzed using transcendental integrated phenomenological analysis. Moral injury and spiritual well-being were found to be interconnected through reflection, forgiveness, spiritual engagement, and changing understandings of self, based on responses. Identity emerged as the overarching theme from the study, illustrating how participants reconstructed personal and spiritual meaning following morally injurious experiences. Previous studies have focused specifically on PTSD and effectiveness of therapeutic treatment approaches whereas this study, through the participant responses from brave and courageous OIF veterans shed light into the emotional and spiritual totalities which tested the heart and spirit of men who at times felt betrayed by their country but found hope from faith.

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