GWFW Huntsville 

Below are some highlights from February 2026 outreach to veterans in Huntsville, AL: 
 

I just completed nearly 30 days of chaplain duty in December and January at Little Rock AFB and at my new assignment at Maxwell AFB, AL with the 908 FTW. It was wonderful to spend time engaged with that side of my ministry life, but it is also good to be back investing time in connecting with veterans here in Huntsville.

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The notable highlights this month have occurred through our outreach efforts to homeless veterans in Huntsville.

 

The first is through a partnership with the Downtown Rescue Mission. I have gotten connected with a Navy veteran there who is also one of the ministry’s chaplains. After initially pitching doing a veteran support group on their campus in the fall, I felt strongly I needed to reach back out which I did on February 2. I requested to meet with their veterans for a weekly time of prayer and support. Aaron approached the director and he whole-heartedly agreed.  The following Monday we started the Veteran Support Group.
 

The initial meeting was just to introduce each other and share basics about military service and how they came to be at the Mission. Not only are these veterans dealing with homelessness, but also substance abuse recovery. We started with two Army veterans the first week and added a Navy veteran on the second meeting. These are all men of faith and have a determination to get themselves into a better place.

One played football against Bo Jackson, another walked over 50 miles from TN to enter the Mission’s program and the other is just slowly opening up. In our three sessions we have talked about identity, being a soldier of Christ and the faith of the Roman centurion who asked Jesus for help. In talking about being a soldier of Christ we tapped into the military bearing and discipline to approach living for Christ today with focus and determination. The way Jesus received the Roman centurion one veteran said gave him hope. Hope that he can overcome his challenges and that God is still able to accept him.
 

The second outreach effort is in partnership with another ministry focused on serving homeless veterans and hosts a Veteran Support Group at First Stop, a one stop shop resource center for the homeless. This takes place every Thursday at 0900. I attended two sessions this month and had memorable experiences with one veteran in particular. The first is Robert. We were about to close it up for the day and he just suddenly walked into the room without acknowledging us. It was odd, but when we asked if he was a veteran he confirmed he was an Air Force veteran.  The leader of this support group was shocked to learn this because for years he had seen Robert and never knew he was a veteran.  He was suffering from a spider bite and having trouble walking, but did not want to seek medical attention. Finally, we convinced him and could only hope he would go for medical treatment. He came back the following week and reported that he had a serious infection, but is on antibiotics. His leg may have been saved simply by him coming into this veteran support group and opening up for the first time. He also revealed a great tragedy in his life that seems to have been the impetus for his homelessness. He lost his wife and son almost 10 years ago to a house fire caused by a faulty space heater while he was away working a night shift.

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To learn more from Dorn about veteran homelessness, join us at the

March 10th, 2026, Veteran's Luncheon. Click here to learn more and to register.