Correspondent photo / Sean Barron.... The Rev. Jim Carmany, of New Middletown, holds the uniform top he wore during his time in the Army, which included nearly a year in Vietnam. On the uniform are a Bronze Star he earned, along with other honors

NEW MIDDLETOWN — Perhaps few things have given the Rev. Jim Carmany more pleasure than serving what for many are the top pillars of God and country.

“I’m proud that I did my job well and was honorably discharged,” Carmany said when asked about what he sees as his crowning achievements in the Army.

Long before serving as pastor of visitation with New Springfield Church of God, Carmany served his country via an 11-month stint during the Vietnam War. His primary duty was in infantry support at fire bases in and near Phu Bai, South Vietnam.

Carmany, a 1965 graduate of Akron Buchtel High School, earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Taylor University, a private college in Upland, Ind. Soon after, he was drafted in December 1969 via a lottery system into the Army, where he began his service in late January 1970.

He received basic training at Fort Campbell, Ky., then was assigned to Fort Polk, La., where he underwent advanced individual training to learn skills specific to his military work. After that, Carmany attended a school at Fort Benning, Ga., for about four months to be a noncommissioned officer, he recalled.

Afterward, Carmany was sent to Fort Riley, Kansas, where he became an E-5 sergeant.

A short time later, his schooling and training were put to the test, because Carmany received orders to go to South Vietnam, and was stationed near a demilitarized zone, he said.

“I wasn’t real excited about it, but I went in,” Carmany added.

While in the war, Carmany was part of the 101st Airborne Division. He also was a sergeant in a mortar platoon on several fire bases in the country, where he worked largely with mortar tubes that fired rounds of ammunition when troops came under enemy threat.

Specifically, such moves were needed when enemy fire threatened infantry units outside of the bases during combat, he explained, adding that incoming mortar fire also posed a threat.

Despite a relatively short stay in the military, Carmany’s duties and experiences left their marks on him emotionally.

After returning home to Canton from his discharge, for which time was needed to re-acclimate to civilian life, Carmany suffered from anxiety and depression — during a time before post-traumatic stress disorder was known and treated. Consequently, he was hospitalized a few times at a Veterans Administration facility in Brecksville and one in Canton, he remembered.

Once settled in as a civilian, Carmany spent about six months selling insurance, then entered a three-year program at United Theological Seminary in Dayton.

“I came out with a Masters of Divinity degree,” Carmany said, adding that such a path also was instrumental in allowing him to heal combat-related emotional wounds.

Also aiding in those efforts was a friend of his father’s, who was an ordained minister. Nevertheless, growing spiritual strength proved more powerful than any other measures, he added.

“I attribute my help to faith in God,” Carmany added. “That’s what helped me more than the medicine or therapy sessions.”

Carmany became a minister and also has pastored three other churches — two on a full-time basis and one part time, he said.

His time in the military may have been painful in some respects, but that doesn’t mean the father of two detached himself from that part of his life. He still exchanges Christmas cards with a man from his unit who lives in eastern Pennsylvania.

He also has made it a point over the years to remain in contact with others from his days in Vietnam, Carmany said.

“I’ve kept in touch with some of those guys ever since,” he added.

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