As Samford University continues to honor the 250th anniversary of America’s founding, we continue a series highlighting alumni of Beeson Divinity School who serve their country in the field of military chaplaincy.
Major Mark Flores
Chief of Chaplain Service, Central Virginia Veterans Affairs Health Care System
Flores, MDiv ’01, saw the impact of chaplaincy while he was an undergraduate student at Boyce Bible School in Louisville, Kentucky.
When a friend became sick and was placed on home hospice, Flores witnessed the impact of a chaplain’s presence, an experience that ultimately led him to chaplaincy himself.
In 2002, Flores became a reserve chaplain in the U.S. Air Force, serving on multiple bases. It was a lot of crisis ministry, as well as counseling military couples.
“Most of our generation is non-religious,” Flores said. “They’re not coming out of a traditional church system, so they need spiritual care to really companion them where they are.”
Impacted by the loss of his friend and the chaplain he saw in those moments, Flores served as a home hospice chaplain for 15 years.
For the past 13 years, Flores has served as a chaplain for the Department of Veterans Affairs, with the last six years serving as chief of Chaplain Service for the Central Virginia Veterans Affairs Health Care System in Richmond, Virginia. Most of the veterans he meets served in Vietnam, with some having served in Korea and more recent veterans serving in the Middle East.
“A lot of the care is focusing on post-traumatic stress disorder and moral injury, which is a fairly new concept similar to PTSD, but deals more with someone’s moral and spiritual beliefs,” Flores said.
The most fulfilling part of his work is leading a team of nine chaplains, Flores said. One of their focus areas is suicide prevention and being with veterans in moments of crisis.
“That is very enriching to see our chaplains in the midst of those dark moments,” Flores said.
Chaplaincy helped Flores develop an understanding of the ministry of presence.
“The key word I’ve learned is ‘companioning,’” Flores said. “The Latin word for companion means to break bread (with someone). It’s that companioning of patience, of breaking bread with veterans symbolically and being present with them. Chaplains are a visible reminder of the holy. That’s what Christ does. He companions us where we’re at and helps transform what needs to be transformed.”