An Army Chaplain’s Bullet Proof Faith

An Army Chaplain’s Bullet Proof Faith

November 18, 2025

Host: Pastor Matt Recker

Guest: Florio Pierre

Note: This transcript is taken from a Stand in the Gap Today program aired on 11/18/25. To listen to the podcast, click HERE.

Disclaimer: While reasonable efforts have been made to provide an accurate transcription, the following is a representation of a mechanical transcription and as such, may not be a word for word transcript. Please listen to the audio version for any questions concerning the following dialogue.

Matt Recker:

Greetings and welcome to this edition of Stand In the Gap Today. I’m Pastor Matt Recker of Heritage Baptist Church in New York City, and today we have a very special guest chaplain, Lieutenant Colonel Florio Pierre of the United States Army, retired. He’s going to share some of his experiences through his 26 year ministry as military chaplain to the United States Army. The title of our conversation today with Chaplain Pierre is An Army Chaplain’s Bulletproof Faith. Chaplain Pierre served in multiple deployments and some of these in combat zones such as Iraq in 2003 during Operation Iraqi Freedom, and again in 2005. He also deployed to Afghanistan in 2014 and was Garrison Chaplain in the Netherlands and in Japan. So we welcome Chaplain Pierre to our program today and it’s an honor having you.

Florio Pierre:

Thank you.

Matt Recker:

Yes, Chaplain Pierre. You’ve counseled literally thousands of men and women through your ministry as army chaplain, both individually and in their marriages over the years that you served. And we want to dive into how combat operations affect them and how you have had to maintain a bulletproof faith in the process. But before we get into that, first, tell us a little bit about yourself. I know you were born in Haiti and moved to New York City as a teenager. So let’s begin there with a little bit of your life story. So tell us about your growing up, how you came to know Christ and surrender yourself to him.

Florio Pierre:

My full testimony will be detailed in a book that I’m writing, which covers both my spiritual and professional journey, including the health struggles I face following combat operations. But in brief, my story begins on the island of Espanola, today known as Haiti. I grew up in the syncretic household strongly influenced by Catholicism, the true gospel. The message of salvation by faith alone through faith and grace alone in Christ alone was something that I had never heard. I believe salvation had to be earned, carefully accumulated through good works and sacramental observance from infant baptism to final absolution. Then came a miraculous turning point, my sister Frida, which had come to faith through the ministry of two sisters, the metzler. She shared God’s word with me and spoke of Christ’s deep love for my soul. Her words pierced me very, very instantly. I couldn’t ignore such a great salvation being offered.

In June of 1985, I confessed my sins and trusted Jesus Christ eyes my Lord and Savior. My sister affectionately called me her first fruit, her first convert as she liked to joke her first victim. Even though while I was studying architecture at the city University of New York and in Manhattan, I felt an immediate call to ministry, but it was under your guidance, pastor Matt, that was scripturally baptized by immersion. And soon after I surrendered to full-time ministry and pursued seminary training at BDO University. There I met Helen and our heart were united through what I called the language of love. We married and sued and embarked on our first mission, serving a short-term missionary to France. Later the Lord led me to the Chaplain Sea, where I served as a pastor within the armed forces, primarily with the US Army. Today, Ellen and I are blessed with three daughters all pursuing their careers or grad studies.

Matt Recker:

Great chaplain Pierre. And our theme of the program is an army chaplain’s bulletproof faith. So what do we mean by this and how does one get this kind of faith? Why is it important for an army chaplain to have a bulletproof faith?

Florio Pierre:

Well, bulletproof faith is a spiritual armor that protects us in times of testing, whether in combat or in everyday battles of life. This kind of faith is critical in combat. We are instantly tested by what you see, what you endure and how you process it all. Some lose their faith because of the horrors they experience In college, I read Kendi by Voltaire in which the main character struggles to hold onto faith after witnessing atrocities like cannibalism. I never saw anything like that, but I did see human flesh burns beyond recognition consumed by a tank round that insinuated both machine and group. One man tried to escape the flame but did make it. That’s on the enemy side. Driving past scenes like that in hum with the smell of stunts of burnt flesh hanging in the air, that kind of trauma never leaves your soul. Let me share one story.

During the early days of the invasion of Bagdad, I was exhausted around one to 3:00 AM I told my chaplain, assistant specialist Mario, that’s not his real name, and that I needed to sleep even in the middle of a defensive posture. I slept soundly for a few hours. First lieutenant was Spanish that I could rest during such chaos. But I knew God had my six, as we say in the military, he was covering me. That’s what bulletproof faith is. It’s the kind of trust that lets you sleep in war, counsel in trauma and stand in darkness with hope. It is a great moment of darkness, but bulletproof faith helps to bring light into darkness. So it’s putting the spiritual armor on to protect you in time of conflict. It’s very important.

Matt Recker:

Yes, no doubt. And thank God for his word that does speak to us about the importance of faith and putting on, as you just mentioned, the whole armor of God and really a bulletproof faith would have to have on that whole panel plea of the armor of God. So it seems the Lord has really led you and blessed you from Haiti to City College in New York and then you were in France as you mentioned. And just quickly, how did you specifically determine your call to the chaplaincy?

Florio Pierre:

Well

Matt Recker:

Have a few moments.

Florio Pierre:

I met at Chaplain Scott Bullock and you notice my evangelistic passion and my athletic background, so he pursued me relentlessly and one day I visited for Jackson, South Carolina and then saw him preach and I witnessed something life changing. Soldiers from every background from Chicago, from New York City, LA Seattle came forward and I had the privilege of counseling a staff sergeant who openly shared his personal struggles. That moment revealed to me a profound spiritual hunger

Speaker 3:

Within the military. I had never experienced those walks and concern before. From that day forward I knew this.

Matt Recker:

Okay, thank you. Thank you Chaplain Pierre, we’re going to have to just break in coming up next. We’re going to talk to Chaplain Pierre about counseling during tours of combat, which included a march into Baghdad during Operation Iraqi Freedom. So don’t go away, we’ll be right back and stand in the gap today. This is Pastor Matt Recker and I am the host today of Stand In the Gap Today. And our conversation today is with Chaplain Florio Pierre, United States Army. Retired Lieutenant Colonel served 26 years as military chaplain to the United States Army and our program is titled today an army chaplain’s Bulletproof Faith and Chaplain Pierre, among other tours of combat. You were at the tip of the spear in 2003 during the invasion into Iraq called Operation Iraqi Freedom. And those thunder runs that took place, which were aggressive raids by our armored brigades and infantry divisions into Baghdad. Those raids into the city center tested and then broke the Iraqi resistance. And through this key, locations were secured such as Baghdad International Airport and Sadam Hussein’s palaces. And you were right in the midst of that and it would be interesting for you to share the importance of having bulletproof faith in such tours of combat like Operation Iraqi Freedom or other tours that you were in. Could you share a little bit more about that?

Florio Pierre:

Thanks for the question. I’ve given an illustration earlier that Shaq the first lieutenant probably because no one else, I didn’t know if calm in their bodies to sleep that night, but I knew the armor I had gone before battle wasn’t just cavalier, it was the armor of God that was essential before the invasion, while we were still in Kuwait, I went for a prayer walk. I was gone for so long that I’ve actually lost sense of time in the desert. If you’ve never been in the desert at night, you can’t really picture it. It’s disorienting. But if you are an active service member or you’ve served over there, you’ve stepped out of your tent in daylight and it’s dark before you return. You know what I’m talking about. It’s very disorienting. One time I told my religious affairs specialist, that’s what we call them during those days, I told him I’m going out to pray in that direction. I knew it might be dark when I would come back. So I tried to keep a straight line so I could return just by turning around. When I turned around, the whole scene had changed hundreds of light stretch from miles.

It got so confusing very quickly. But the Holy Spirit always guided me back to my tent On the morning of September 14th. During my quiet time, I was struggling with God. I wanted a miracle in some areas of my life and the Holy Spirit reminded me bulletproof faith makes faith work. Literally I realized I wanted a Cinderella faith where everything works out and happily ever after. That’s the kind of faith that we need to trust Christ for salvation during salvation. But for dear living and especially in combat, faith had to be put to work. God reminded me of my time at the city University of New York studying architecture before the call to the ministry. I thought if I prayed about calculus, a class I was taking, I’d pass automatically. But no, I failed my first exam. That’s when I learned you have to put in the work.

Same thing in the seminary at BJU. Same thing at Webster University. Faith is not passive. It’s active. That doesn’t mean God doesn’t still do miracles, he does. But in combat, bulletproof faith is action based. It’s like judges seven where God used Gideon’s 700 men. They didn’t put down their weapons to drink. They acted like it depended on them while trusting God for the miracle. They could have panicked when their numbers dropped from 32,000 to 300, but they didn’t. That’s bulletproof faith. That’s how it works. It worked like it depends on you trust, like it all depends on God. Honestly, that’s one of the greatest psychological operations ever recorded in history. Every service member should read that story. So I said, Lord, if that’s what it takes, show me how to make it work. And God said, well, you already know. You’ve done it before. Bulletproof Faith doesn’t mean no struggles. It means you step into the battle field and with action-based faith in and one and in the one calls you to be out there. That’s your Lord and Savior.

Matt Recker:

Amen. Yes. That’s good brother. Action based faith chaplain Pierre. And we thank you for that encouragement and challenge. And scripture does say faith works by love forsaking all. I trust him. And there is work behind true faith. That is for sure. So there you were in combat and you were enduring the same trials of affliction in many ways that those who were actually in combat, but you were right beside them in combat as well, facing the same trials, and yet you had to give them counsel. So when they were going through difficult times. So can you tell us what it was like being a spiritual leader for your troops in the field of battle? In other words, helping them, encouraging them, strengthening them while perhaps you were also under attack?

Florio Pierre:

Right. Yeah. That was probably the most consequential time of my life as a spiritual leader out there. Every soul believer, agnostic, atheist was one bullet away from eternity. That reality is sobering in a way that no other ministry setting can compare to. I worried almost I worried most for those who didn’t know Christ as their savior, I couldn’t imagine one of my soldiers stepping into eternity without the comfort of his presence. For many soldiers, the chaplain’s presence itself felt like a sign that God was with them. Maybe that comes from the Old Testament icons like the Ark of the Covenant going into battle with Israel. Some saw me as a good luck charm. Others saw me as the one who brings God’s words of encouragement and prayer and comfort for me. I saw myself as a shepherd. My responsibility was to cover those under my care. Men and women raid and laid down their lives not only for our country but for people they have never met. That was an incredible privilege. So I also carried my pain. I had to hold their burdens and my own at the same time, counseling comforting and praying with them while fighting my own battles inside as well.

Matt Recker:

I’m sure there were very many challenging moments during these different combat operations and many opportunities. As you said, many of the soldiers did not know Christ. Some did, but I’m sure many did not. And you were concerned about them as you shared, and you would want to pray with them and pray for them. And I’m sure you had men and women come up to you at different times and say, pray for me in this situation. And so what kind of other challenging moments can you share that you had as a chaplain serving on a military base while engaged in such combat operations?

Florio Pierre:

Oh, that’s a hard one. One of the hardest moments was during a converting Baghdad when we lost a senior non-commissioned officer, I’ll call him First Sergeant Willie, that’s not his real name. Before we deployed, I had talked to him about salvation in the states. He was a deeply spiritual man, someone who cared a lot for all soldiers. I remember telling him, you can know for sure that if you die today you’ll have eternal life because Jesus Christ died for your stands. He was the only soldier from our organic unit who did not make it back. We lost another from an attack, an attached unit. But First Sergeant Willie was the only one from our base that we lost. Losing him hit me deeply. Not just because of how it happened, but because of who he was. That was a tremendously hard loss, not just for me, I speak on behalf of all soldiers who mourn. Losing a high ranking leader of that caliber is hard for any unit, but specifically that leader was one who cares so much for the soldiers. If you needed shoes and he had a set of boots, he would take those and he’ll give those to you so you can continue to do patrolling or routine operations. So that’s the type of man he was.

Matt Recker:

I’m sure that that really hit hard your entire division when you lost that leader. And it sounds like somebody that you got to know personally and got to share the gospel with him, but he knew the Lord as you said. So praise God for that. Thank you Chaplain Pierre for these different memories and stories and things that you experienced serving God in the United States Army. And up next we’re going to continue talking with Chaplain Pierre about counseling those who struggle with PTSD. So stay right there as we continue Stand in the gap today, an army chaplain’s bulletproof faith. Our conversation today is with chaplain Lieutenant Colonel Floreal Pierre of the United States Army, retired and Chapman Pierre. As we mentioned during the opening of our program today, we are aware that PTSD and suicide are major problems among United States military veterans and first responders who both have significantly higher rates than those in our non-veteran population. And sadly, we saw even a recent shooting done by a military vet and initial reports were that he was suffering with PTSD. Recent data shows as well that suicide rates for veterans is more than double the rate than other United States adults. So this issue remains a top clinical priority for the Department of Veterans Affairs. So Chaplain Pierre, thanks again for being with us. And let’s talk a little bit about PTSD and can you explain what it is and what are some of its symptoms?

Florio Pierre:

Thank you for the question. PTSD is really a normal reaction to an abnormal event, post-traumatic stress disorder. It’s how the body and mind respond to something overwhelming, something you saw, smelled, heard, touched or even tasted, that your brain just can’t fall away like a normal memory. Not everyone who goes through trauma developed PTSD, A lot of factors come into play, your personal history, genetics, your environment. But for someone to be diagnosed, certain conditions have to last for at least a month. They fall into four categories. And the first one is intrusive memories like flashbacks, nightmares, distressed memories that come back without warning. Strong physical reactions like sweating, heart racing, just from being reminded of those events. Second one is avoidance. Staying away from places, people and objects connected to the trauma.

Trying not to think about it, talk about it or feel something related to it. Thirdly, negative changes in thinking and in mood. Believing lies about yourself and others or the world. Blaming yourself, carrying guilt, losing interest in things. And fourthly, changes in arousal and reactivity always on edge, being jumpy, irritability, anger, outburst, trouble sleeping, trouble focusing. These are very real events that people face when they’re dealing with trauma. That’s usually when someone ends up in my office. Sometimes they come on their own. Sometimes the command sends them. Either way, I meet them right there in that moment of struggle.

Matt Recker:

Very helpful. Chaplain Pierre. And as you said, PTSD is really a normal reaction to abnormal events, and those are some very difficult symptoms to live with. So what counseling models do you use to provide peace to individuals during those times of crisis where they’re experiencing PSD? And how important is it for you? How do you keep a bulletproof faith so you don’t fall into as well those same kinds of symptoms? Because you’re experiencing a lot of the same things they’re experiencing, but what are some counseling models really? That’s my primary question here of how you provide peace to those during these times.

Florio Pierre:

Sure, absolutely. Every model I use, I weave scripture into it because God’s word I gives the kind of strength the soul really needs. And before I start a session, I always pray I invite the Holy Spirit into that room with me, with the Soldier family member, one verse that come back over and over again, and it’s Ecclesiastes four 12, which says, threefold cord is not easily broken. People use this verse a lot in weddings, but I use it in counseling too. That third strain is Christ. That’s the one holding everything together. One practical model that I often use is the A DCX model A, it’s an acronym. The A is activating events, maybe a loss of loved ones, maybe their spouse cheated, maybe they got kicked out of the military, or they’re getting kicked out of the military. Maybe they popped hot on a urinalysis test because of drugs and so forth.

Those kinds of events almost always bring them to me. B is a belief that they form about the event. This is where things really spiral. Oftentimes, instead of saying, I lost my job, I can find another, it becomes, I lost my job, I lose my wife, I lose my dog. I’m going to lose my cat. I’m going to lose everything. You see what I mean? So C is the meaning that the person or family assigns to that event. How do they interpret it? What stories are they telling themselves about what happened? So X is really, is what defines it as a crisis X is whether it turns into a full blown crisis. Crisis depends on a few things. The demands that outweighs the resources and what expectation that they have and that they can’t match the reality of what they have right now when hope feels out of reach. So that’s where I step in. We look at resources like faith, family, friends, church, and this is often where they’re appointed to the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ as a Jehovah Gyre, the God who provides.

Matt Recker:

Yeah, that’s good demands outmatch the resources. Many people feel that when they’re going through these activating events that bring about that crisis, I guess, right? So that’s where you can point them to the Lord Jesus Christ and to the Word of God and to his salvation. And I’m sure you’ve been able to share the gospel with many soldiers in these kinds of situations as well.

Florio Pierre:

Yeah, absolutely. There’s no greater, I guess, moment really to interject the gospel of hope that our savior has, he’s given his life so that these men and women in crisis can know that there is hope out there. A lot of them give up very quickly, and we are there to tell them there is hope. There is always hope

Matt Recker:

Tender At those moments when they’re going through these types of crisis, is there a tenderness and openness to the gospel?

Florio Pierre:

That is a very good question. It just depends if the Holy Spirit of God does the work that moment, yes, oftentimes it’s later on that we see conversion, but that moment is a very, it’s a great moment for them to be tender and more receptive to the gospel of Jesus Christ. For sure.

Matt Recker:

Maybe somebody listening right now is going through PTSD. Maybe they’re a veteran of the military or maybe they’re a first responder. What is a scripture that you would just point them directly to find comfort in?

Florio Pierre:

I oftentimes talk about great peace, which love your law and nothing shall offend them. And that scripture provides peace and it helps them to know that it is the word of God that provides peace, and they can do all things through Christ who strengthens them. Philippians four 13, these verses come readily to mine because we are anchored when we think about them. They are the cornerstone of our beliefs, our foundation, who we believe in can determine whether we fall or we stand. And that grounds them once they use the scriptures to keep them attached to something that is infinite, something that is unchanging. Although their worlds may change, their circumstances may change. They go through crisis, but Christ never changes. He is the Jehovah Rafa, the God who heals.

Matt Recker:

Amen. Yes. And he is our strength, as you mentioned, Philippians four 13. He is our peace. Christ is our peace, and that’s what men and women need going through the PTSD moments. They need to understand the peace and the strength of Jesus Christ. And just quickly, how have you seen this affect the personal lives of those who struggle with these things? I’m sure it has tremendous effects in their personal lives.

Florio Pierre:

Yeah, I’ve seen people meet God in their darkest hours. I’ve seen soldiers discover him as a Jehovah Gyra their provider, or they discover him as Jehovah Rafa, the God who heals crisis counseling gives us a chance to connect a hering soul to,

Matt Recker:

Okay, chaplain Pierre, thank you so much. That was very helpful. Now don’t go away friends, as we continue talking to Chaplain Pierre, our final segment, we’re going to learn about his experience in counseling families over the years. We’ll be right back to Stand in the Gap today. Thank you for joining us, and stay right there and welcome back to Stand In the Gap today. And as the gentleman just said, to go to that website and check out stand in the gap radio.com and look over that website and many of the different things that are offered there. You’ll be blessed. So we welcome you back to our program. We’ll continue our conversation with Chaplain Florio Pierre. He served in the United States military for 26 years, and we’re talking about the issues of PTSD and suicide in the military, and also how to counsel those who are experiencing those things. And as well, this relates to first responders who also face serious situations resulting in PTSD. So now we want to really focus in on counseling families. So Chaplain Pierre, thank you again for being with us. And how does Bulletproof Faith guide you in counseling families that come to you?

Florio Pierre:

Well, pastor Matt, we are aware of secondhand smokes effects on another individual. Well, the same issue is present when we are dealing with counseling people who are encountering their traumatic events over and over and over many years and decades. In my case, a chaplain opening up the proverbial can of worm, if one is not min up, one can be in a lot of stressful events personally. That is why the flight attendant always instructs us to put our mask on first before we help someone else or a child with theirs. I had to go to the source of all comfort and healing and operate from the overflow of the Holy Spirit’s power in my life in order for my faith to guide me to believe that God does not waste suffering, and literally he does not waste suffering and that he’s there during every counseling session and that he is the solution to the deep-seated emotional trauma of the soul.

Matt Recker:

What counseling models do you then use to provide strength and help families achieve victory during these times of crisis with PTSD or perhaps feeling suicidal or just marital conflict or other issues?

Florio Pierre:

So as you already know, I was trained as a marriage and family life therapist with a master’s of science in that field. So I focused a great deal on trauma because of the war we went through on the mini wars we went through. I wanted to help with the greatest need, and at that time it was trauma. I used EMDR or eye Movement desensitization or reprocessing, which uses tapping or light or my fingers, guided me by a series of protocol or questions to help the individual client’s right brain and their brain with helping them to connect real events that oftentimes are blurred and misinterpreted. Helping them to connect with emotions that often add insult to injuries, so to speak, in order to help a such service member to make sense out of their trauma, which oftentimes the brain distort, thus the nightmares and night sweats, the fears, the hypervigilance when there is no danger present, et cetera. Oftentimes I have many others like CPT or Cognitive Processing Therapy or CBT, cognitive Behavioral Therapy, but my go-to 90% of the time is EMDR. When service members are unable to make sense out of their story, they oftentimes link the blame on themselves and cause self harm, thus the high rate of suicide among our service members.

Matt Recker:

EMDR, is that an acronym

Florio Pierre:

Or for I’ve

Matt Recker:

Not heard of EMDR.

Florio Pierre:

Yeah, it stands for Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing.

Matt Recker:

I see. And that helps them in that moment of crisis of PTSD?

Florio Pierre:

It sure is a validated protocol about 85 to 90% of success, which is very high.

Matt Recker:

Yeah. Excellent. So can you share a success story that you’ve had in counseling, perhaps helping a marriage get back together? An example of a soul led to Christ, a breakthrough or victory in some other area?

Florio Pierre:

I can share dozens, but one that readily comes to mind is when I served as a division rear and family life chaplain in Hawaii, one day specialist came to me with all the right symptoms of PTSD, but no war experience at all. It was sexual abuse and trauma, relatives like incest. She developed unhealthy patterns of coping through ity, and that led to more guilt and shame. She became suicidal. She was probably the most definite case of suicide that I can remember. Statistically speaking, only 10% of suicidal people will go through with their desire to end their lives, but with proper help and intervention, 90% will survive. That’s why intervention is critical. That is how resilient the human spirit is and how strong our DNA is for survival. She was in that 10%. She had a plan and she had the means to carry out that plan in a fixed time when she was going to execute the plan.

I was in counseling with her for almost four hours because I could not let her off my site. I was afraid she was going to be the, it was going to be the last time that I was going to see her and that I could not let that happen. That is why Bulletproof faith is important, because I believe God is in that healing business. He’s a Jehovah Rafa. The Hebrew word or phrase for the God who heals is Jehovah Rafa. So this name comes from Exodus chapter 15, verse 26, where God declares, I am the God who heals you. The Woodward Rafa signifies healing, curing, restoring, and making whole. When someone deals with PTSD, there is the bruising of the soul that occurs. This is spiritual work, a work that the chaplain does very well to point sickness with a cure. We point service members to God and God to service members.

Matt Recker:

Amen. Well, as we close our program today, I wonder if you could please pray for our military chaplain Pierre, and pray for our nation as we close.

Florio Pierre:

Oh, absolutely. I would love to do that. Let’s go to the Lord in prayer. Our Father today, we see the need for your presence in our world more than ever before. We need your healing. We know today that there are thousands who are dealing with stressors that often accompanied PTSD and grief due to a loss. So we ask that your loving and comforting arms would envelop them in a real way by removing anxiety and stress and fear and the sense of hopelessness. You are the Jehovah. The God who heals someone who is listening today needs your healing touch this very moment. We pray for our service members in harm’s way that you would protect them, even them God bless as they. Amen.

Matt Recker:

Amen. Thank you so much, chaplain Pierre for being with us today. And remember, dear friends, to continue listening to Stand in the Gap Today and know that God’s grace is sufficient for you to stand in the gap for Jesus Christ.