MIMS — Roland McNulty, a member of Mims United Methodist Church here, remembers his tour of duty with the Air Force in Vietnam, and he is using that memory to encourage other members of his church to reach out in love and prayer to the soldiers now deployed to the Middle East.

McNulty is helping lead a ministry at his church that is collecting the names and mailing addresses of American soldiers overseas and sending letters of prayer, support and encouragement to those servicemen and -women.

“I know what it’s like to be away from your family and trying to figure out if you’re doing the right thing,” McNulty said. “It’s an empty, hollow feeling. It’s like homesickness, but it’s something more than that.”

He said that hearing news reports of protests against the Vietnam War made the time he spent there even more difficult. “We would hear about guys coming home from Vietnam after spending a year there being shot at or wounded and being called baby killers,” he said.

In the midst of his own personal struggles, McNulty said a batch of letters from a class of children from Pennsylvania brought some relief and joy. “Those letters set me free and enlightened me,” he said. “They corresponded with me every couple of days…and it made me feel great, just somebody saying we were doing the right thing over there and that they were praying for me.”

As the United States deploys more military personnel to the Middle East and people around the world protest a potential war between the United States and Iraq, McNulty says he sees “the same problems erupt in the same way,” but does not want today’s soldiers to feel the same isolation he felt in 1966.

“My ministry toward the soldiers is my own personal feelings and knowing they need support,” he said. “I have a nephew over there…and a dear friend. I want to encourage them that we’re backing them 100 percent.”

The Rev. David Harris, Mims’ pastor, said he has no real ties to anyone serving in the Middle East, but knows relatives and friends of military personnel from nearby Patrick Air Force Base. “I heard of soldiers feeling alone in this, and it really grieved me,” he said. “That whole sense of, ‘How would I feel?’ hit me, and I began to hurt for them.”

Harris’ church now has a list of 100 soldiers’ names and addresses that he received through a group called Operation Military Family and Friends, which provides support and encouragement to military personnel and their family members. Members of the church are writing letters to specific soldiers.

“We’re telling them how much we appreciate their sacrifice and being in harm’s way and we’re praying for them,” Harris said. “‘We also put in generic letters that the soldiers can pass around to others in their unit.”

Harris said the church is working with local Girl and Boy Scout troops to collect specific items that soldiers need, including baby wipes and waterless hand sanitizers for those who don’t have access to clean water.

“It’s neat, because in a tangible way we can really encourage people,” Harris said. “The response from the church has been very positive. It’s something that, regardless of political beliefs, they can feel comfortable doing.”

Harris said there is a difference between supporting the people in the military and supporting the war effort. “Being for the military is not pro-war. It’s about supporting people,” he said. “My interest is in them personally knowing we’re praying for them. I can pray for their safety without stating my feelings about the war. That’s the responsibility the church should have for any person.”

McNulty said he would like to be able to send letters to every soldier stationed overseas, but knows that is not realistic. “We’re trying to get the word out and get as many names as possible and expand the ministry as much as possible,” he said. “We would like to touch as many as we possibly can.”