Mel, a Lutheran pastor, accepted a Veterans Administration chaplaincy position. There, he became an Assistant Clinical Professor with the Department of Psychiatry–Medical College of Georgia. He was the Chaplain of the V.A.’s 1st Vietnam Vets Ward, a noted MCG Grand Rounds speaker, and a first published author on pastoral care of Vietnam vets and PTSD. Mel is mostly identified as the Founder/Developer/Executive Director of Lutheran Counseling Services (LCS).