SERMON OUTLINE 001--22 OCT 2006

CHARACTERISTICS of a CHRISTIAN WARRIOR
Courage

FOB Paliwoda
22OCT06

“The quality of our worship is not based on our activities but on our character.”
-Henry Blackaby

Introduction

How is everyone doing?

Who is here in theater for the first time?

As a fellow soldier, I want to thank you for the sacrifices you and your family are making to serve our nation. It also means a great deal to me that we have all come together to agree to look out for one another, protect one another, and perhaps save one another.

I guess what I really what to say is that I thank you for your courage. Some of us might be thinking that on the outside we seem courageous but inside we are filled with fear. Are you filled with fear? There is a taboo as old as the Army itself against talking about fear. It can spread like a cancer amongst a unit. It is the same reason why you will never see NASCAR drivers attending a fellow driver’s funeral. We do not want to face these fears because we do not know if we have the strength to see past them, to overcome them. Perhaps we are thinking our loved ones at home. Maybe we are a little anxious about what we might have to face. In fact, even the most experienced veteran among us probably has a little fear, the fear that comes with wondering if we are going to make it through the gauntlet yet again. Soldiers do not like to talk about this stuff, but it is there.

Transition

What if I told you that we as Christians have a role model of what it means to be courageous as a warrior? Before I get to this, let me share with you the job description of this warrior. Wanted: man to lead over two million moody, opinionated, and fractious people into a foreign land they know nothing about. In this land they will face not one but a succession of peoples who not only as a group but as individual nations should have no problem defeating these folks you are to lead. Pay is low, risk is high, we can provide you no life insurance, and you must follow the most popular leader these people have ever known.

Would you accept this job? I know that I would not, but thank God that there was someone who did. And that someone was Joshua.

Characteristics of Joshua

What type of person was Joshua and why should we look to him today? He did not wait for danger to call upon God. He was able to function in a crisis because he had spiritually prepared himself for the tests he would face in the future.

FAITHFUL: here he is replacing the greatest leader, the only leader that the Israelites have ever known.

COURAGEOUS (אָמֵץ): Joshua was the first Special Forces soldier in history. He and Caleb risked their lives by spying out the land of Canaan over 40 years before. They pleaded with the Israelites to enter (Numbers 14:1-10). Joshua was not reckless. He had courage because he knew that the Lord had given the Canaanites over to Israel.

FORGIVING: Joshua saw firsthand how fickle the Israelites had been. Would you want to lead such a group? He watched an entire generation, his generation; die in the desert because of their lack of faith. Yet, despite all this, he was still willing to lead them and keep himself accountable for their actions.

PATIENT: Let me suggest a Biblical definition of patience, the type of patience that Joshua had. Patience is waiting for God to direct you according to His timetable. Joshua never did anything without either a direct leading from God or prayerful consideration.

HOLY: God blessed Joshua, because he was all these things.

Transition

Joshua was faithful, courageous, forgiving, patient, and holy. I do not know about you, but I know I would like to be like that, especially out here. The truth is we all must face fear, whether we are here or back home. But despite the fact that fear, like sin, is crouching at our door, God has given us the tools to overcome it.

I read somewhere that courage is just fear that has said its prayers. In other words, we can turn our fear over to God, and through faith He will take our fears and replace them with courage. We know this because this is exactly what Joshua did. For many, success is controlling others; for Joshua it just meant being controlled by God.

Practices of Joshua (PMCS)

Why could Joshua be faithful, courageous, forgiving, patient, and holy? Some believe that we are born with such traits. But if we look at Scripture, we can see that God gave Joshua a simple to understand but hard to execute plan that allowed him to be the leader he was. By extension, we too can develop these traits if we follow this plan.

PRAYER: 2“Moses My servant is dead. Now therefore, arise, go over this Jordan, you and all this people, to the land which I am giving to them—the children of Israel.”

God directly spoke to Joshua through prayer. When do we pray? Are we times of trial prayers? Meaning, we only pray when we find ourselves attacked or in crisis? Are we a prepatory prayer? Do we pray every day, every moment for God to lead us? Here is a hint: we will not have to pray so much in times of trial if we pray before them.

MEDITATION: 8“This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success.”

People often ask how they can possibly know when God is speaking to them. Does God speak to us with a megaphone? God speaks to us in, through, and out of the Word. Illustration: The author who wrote conversations with God. He just sat down and started writing. If it comes from God, it will raise, not lower, expectations.

CONSIDERATION: 7“Only be strong and very courageous, that you may observe to do according to all the law which Moses My servant commanded you; do not turn from it to the right hand or to the left, that you may prosper wherever you go.”

Joshua did not just understand the law, he lived it. He was observant of God’s commands. This is the Christian’s greatest challenge. It is one thing to know, it is another thing to do.

STRIKE: Once we have done all these things, then and only then can we proceed. But when we have done these things, we can go forward with confidence and courage. We can be decisive. Another word I will use is we can strike. We have made all the preparations, now we can execute.

Transition

Let me share with you why I think it is important for us as Christians to live courageously like Joshua. See, we are here, in Iraq, for a reason. God has brought us together for a common purpose. Illustration: people are watching you. I met an 18 year old who just came here from AIT. In the history of combat, church services have always been sparsely attended. However, spirituality has grown. Almost everyone is asking questions. There are many answers out there, but there is only one right one.

Conclusion

As we are going through RIP/TOA with 1-8, I would like to ask all of us, what are our spiritual RIP/TOA tasks?

PRAYER-heart centered on Christ

MEDITATION-daily study of the Word

CONSIDERATION-living out God’s plan for you

STRIKE-forward knowing you are following God

“We do not need the grace of God to stand crises, human nature and pride are sufficient, we can face the strain magnificently; but it does require the supernatural grace of God to live twenty-four hours in every day as a saint, to go through drudgery as a disciple, to live an ordinary, unobserved, ignored existence as a disciple of Jesus. It is inbred in us that we have to do exceptional things for God; but we have not. We have to be exceptional in the ordinary things, to be holy in mean streets, among mean people, and this is not learned in five minutes.” Oswald Chambers

Looking ahead, a man will again prepare us to cross into the Promised Land. His Hebrew name was Yeshua, meaning God saves. He will do great things to bring his people home, and he will share the love and truth of God with peoples who had yet to hear them, but they will know Him by his Greek name, the name spoken by billions of lips this morning, and that name is Jesus.

DIGIJOURNAL 002--26 OCT 2006

DATELINE: 26OCT06 FOB PALIWODA

Hello again from FOB Paliwoda. We are still preparing to take over the reigns from our preceding unit. Things are pretty exciting out in the field. Before I share a couple of events, one thing I need to stress is that things tend to sound a great deal worse in the States than they actually are on the ground.

I am definitely in a more kinetic (army-speak for flying bullets) environment than I was last time. Our counterparts in the Iraqi Army and the Iraqi Police are fighting in direct fire engagements every day. We are helping them with mortar and artillery fire, when possible, as well as backing them up on the ground. What is happening is that the Sunni minority sees the writing on the wall. They brutalized this country under Saddam, so now they know that it is payback time. They delusionally think that by inciting a civil war they will regain control. The problem is that the Kurds are better trained and armed while the Shia have more people. Of course, Iran is playing its own part in all this.

What this means for soldiers on the ground is that, for now, the Iraqis are focusing more on killing each other than on trying to kill us. In the short term, this is good, but long term this bodes for a extended stay for American forces, which we do not want. The problem with this society is that too many people are trying to get even. I will admit that I would have a different attitude if someone had killed my family, but Ghandi said this about this attitude of vengeance, “If we take an eye for an eye, everyone will be blind.”

For myself and Paul, ministry continues. Again, I am still in the trust-earning phase (which is perhaps the most difficult) with the soldiers. I am very fortunate in that I have a very capable and mature chaplain assistant. I still cannot believe he is only 21 years old. Last time I was here, there were five other chaplains to talk to, and the work to get chapel services going was not as difficult. Here, I am, for now, the only game in town. The chaplain in the unit we are replacing said that he never felt lonelier than he did this past year. It is tough, but it is also very humbling to serve with guys who are willing to do so much for each other.

The mortaring of Balad seems to have died down. This is good. With the end of Ramadan, I expect that the insurgents will feel emboldened. To give you an idea of the culture, it is traditional at the end of Ramadan to give boys toy AK-47s. This is a real bright idea since we tend to shoot at folks who point real-looking guns at us. It shall be an interesting year.

Warhorse Archangel

DISPATCH 005--25 OCT 2006

“Courage is fear that has said its prayers.” Anonymous

Hello from Iraq,

For most of us, we are approaching our third week in country. We are still conducting the training necessary to take over our area of operation from the previous unit. The challenge that the battalion faces is that we are located at four different Forward Operating Bases (FOBs). As a chaplain, this means that it is difficult for me to get to see all of our soldiers on a regular basis. CPL Paul Crnkovich, my chaplain assistant, and I are going to do all we can to visit three of the four FOBs every two weeks. We will be on the road with soldiers from F Co. in order to travel across the AO. I would ask that you keep all of our soldiers in your prayers, especially those going on patrols and out on the roads.

It is interesting to read from Iraq the media accounts of what is going on in Iraq. I will not try to gloss over the fact that we are in a war with a real enemy who wants to do real damage to us. However, things are not as bad here as they are being portrayed through some media outlets. Before I explain, I must also state that I am not one to blame the media. We are very fortunate to live in a society that has freedom of the press. However, I would claim that with this freedom comes responsibility. Sometimes the news reports are so bleak that it makes me wonder if they want things to go bad. During the Tet offensive in Vietnam, US Forces soundly defeated the Viet Cong (South Vietnamese Communist Rebels) and effectively eliminated them as a fighting force for the remainder of the war. The North Vietnamese Regulars had to shoulder the burden of fighting after Tet. Unfortunately, the media portrayed this battle as a loss for the US, and many scholars mark this time as the point where the majority of Americans began to doubt our reasons for being in the conflict. My intent is not to sway anyone’s mind. Instead, I just ask that all Americans think critically when they digest news reports from any media outlet. Remember, we are in an election year, which is probably driving a great deal of the hype. The vast majority of American and Iraqi forces are doing all that they can to keep innocent Iraqis safe while eliminating or capturing the enemy. America should be proud of what our soldiers are doing over here.

Well, enough of my rant. I want to share one other bit of advice to our friends and family at home. I am encouraging our soldiers, especially our married soldiers, to not only stay in touch with their families but also with their parents. During my last deployment, I received two books from my wife written by Frank Schaeffer entitled Faith of Our Sons and Keeping Faith. Both books chronicled the feelings and reflections of Frank and his wife as they watched their youngest son enlist in the Marines and then get sent to Afghanistan. The honest portrayal of the struggle that parents face when their children deploy reminded me that I needed to stay in touch with my parents. I try to remind our soldiers that they need to call Mom and Dad because they will always be two-years-old in their eyes. It took me seeing my own children being held by my wife to understand just how sacred that bond is. So please tell your husbands and your wives that they not only need to be writing and calling you and the kids but also their parents. Additionally, try to do all you can to keep them informed about what is going on.

I continue to keep our soldiers and their families in my prayers. LTC Dunlop reminded us all last night that our soldiers have done a terrific job of remaining flexible despite an early deployment, a change in area, and a movement of over 700 people across oceans and deserts. Our Warhorse soldiers are truly some of the best people our society has to offer. We will continue to make you proud and keep ourselves safe as we do what we came here to do—to make this country a region of peace for a generation that has known only war. We love you all.

Gratia et Veritas,
Chaplain Kevin Wainwright

DIGIJOURNAL 001--23 OCT 2006

DATELINE: 23OCT06 FOB PALIWODA

Hello everyone. I am writing from FOB Paliwoda where I will be stationed in the foreseeable future. I hope everyone is well, and I thank you for the many emails and prayers of support that you have sent my way. The FOB is located near the Iraqi city of Balad, which is predominantly Shia surrounded by Sunni neighbors. Balad has been in the news recently, and, without getting into details, things have not been as bad as they are reported on TV.

I will share a few random thoughts about my experience so far.

I joked with the guys that I was disappointed when I landed at Anaconda (the biggest logistical base in Iraq). I expected pretty ladies to be placing flower wreaths around our necks as we deplaned. Instead, we had a tired, grumpy air force loadmaster yelling at us to move smartly.

The heat was not as bad as I remembered, at least for this time of year. I suspect that the summer in Central Texas (Ft. Hood) did wonders for my acclimation.

After a few days at Anaconda, Paul, my chaplain assistant, and I hopped a ride on a combat patrol heading out to our new home, FOB Paliwoda. We were, or rather I was, itching to get to our FOB, and the Wainwrights are not known for their patience. It was my first time on the road since November of 04. Our area of operation borders the Tigris River. This means that the foliage near the river is almost tropical turning to desert as one moves away from the Tigris and its canals. We also get the added bonus of bugs during this rotation.

Our base is on the outskirts of Balad, a primarily Shia city surrounded by Sunni. Sunni insurgents have been trying to incite sectarian violence by attacking Shia and by lobbing mortars into the city. For the first few days we were here, the Sunni insurgents would mortar the Shia, and we would mortar the insurgents. It has died down. The news has made it sound like the military has lost all control of the situation in Iraq. This is just not the case. While violence is up, our guys are doing an admirable and effective job of eliminating the insurgents on all sides. At the same time, if we truly want to get out of here, we are helping the Iraqi Army and the Iraqi Police to do their jobs. Americans are notoriously impatient, and we will have to be patient while the Iraqis learn how to protect themselves.

We had four services this week: two Protestant, one Catholic, and one LDS. Ministry to active duty soldiers is definitely different than to the National Guard. Our soldiers are younger and less trusting. They want to see if you are genuine in your concern for them and in your desire to share some of the same hardships. I told Paul that I am in the trust earning phase. While the soldiers are slowly warming up to me, I still have much to prove that I am worthy of their trust.

We found out that the insurgents have instructed their snipers to target medics and chaplains. Great. All this means is that I will not be wearing my cross when I leave the FOB. Paul and I plan to go out on some of the patrols with our soldiers. The last thing the chaplain wants to be is a liability, so I am going to try to be as inconspicuous as I can. My favorite saying is that I am my wife’s favorite husband, so I am going to do what I need to do to not earn the enemy marksmanship badge: the Purple Heart.

I am getting worried about the upcoming Thanksgiving and Christmas Holidays. My hope is that some folks will read this and think about adopting some of our soldiers, especially our young, single ones. Whether it is letters, goody boxes, or just a friendly email, it helps them to know that despite what the news says our folks at home still support them. If you would like to support our soldiers with mail and goody items, please do not hesitate to email me at kevin.wainright@us.army.mil or kevin.wainwright@hotmail.com. My snail mail address is:
Wainwright, Kevin
HHC 3-8 CAB, 1CD
FOB Paliwoda
APOAE 09391

Last time I was here, there was an abundance of items waiting for us. Things are slim now. Paul and I are trying to put together a book and DVD library as well as a table for toiletries and other goodies. Please feel free to send any of the following items to my address, and we will make sure it gets out to soldiers. I will also make sure to keep you updated on what you sent with pictures and thank yous. Below is a list of items that soldiers could use:

-new or used books
-new or used dvds
-new or used computer games (Playstation or Xbox)
-hand sanitizer
-flushable wipes
-gum
-chewing tobacco
-chewing gum
-microwave popcorn
-snacks
-toothpaste
-toothbrushes
-deodorant
-liquid soap
-laundry detergent
-sunscreen
-new or used magazines

Again, I want to thank you for your prayers and support. Our soldiers are great people doing great things. I am very blessed that God has called and allowed me to serve with such fine men and women. I love you all.

Warhorse Archangel

DISPATCH 004--18 OCT 2006

“I have heard of You by the hearing of the ear, but now my eye sees You.” Job 42:5

A prophet under trial and tribulation wrote these words after a lengthy testing of faith. Job, who was the most faithful man of his generation, witnesses all that he owned, all that he cherished, and even his own health vanish before his eyes. The eyes that had wept for his family, looked away from friends who betrayed him, and even angrily accused God of abandonment, eventually saw the Lord intimately and completely.


Seeing God in forsaken places has always been a difficult task. This is going to be the theme of my dispatches as I send you news of your loved ones and the good work that they are doing. While it is difficult to see God in combat, He always appears with a blazing clarity. As we are slowly getting to our final destinations, we see the fatigue in the faces of the soldiers we are replacing. Their faces speak of their overwhelming desire to just get home to their loved ones, to tread softly during these last few weeks so that they will not lose anyone, and to teach us the things that we need to know to not only survive in combat but to also help the Iraqi people.

I have heard that there has been some frustration over not being able to send mail to our soldiers. There was a good reason to not send out an address. We did not know how long our brief stay was going to be in Kuwait, so by the time that any mail would have arrived to our last location we would probably would have left. The mail would then have been sent back or placed in storage. The mail system in the Iraqi theater is obviously much different that what happens in the states. All mail must come in to central locations, sorted, and then shipped out via combat patrols to the outlying FOBs (Forward Operating Bases). The postal detachments and our own first sergeants and logistical soldiers put their lives on the line in order for us to receive the mail and packages that we love. The chain of command, like all commands, realize how important it is for our soldiers to receive mail, and they will continue to do all that they can to make sure our mail arrives in a timely manner.

We are slowly moving out to our locations where we will remain for the foreseeable future. Some of us are flying and some are going by combat patrol. I came by combat patrol, which allowed me to get a good view of a part of our area of operation. Most of us are near a river, which means we get both the much appreciated views of foliage and trees but also the commensurate amount of bugs. I am always motivated by the professionalism and eagerness of our soldiers. They want to get in country so they can begin to do what they joined the Army to do—to close with and destroy the bad guys while helping the good guys.

Soon we will begin learning from the unit we are replacing. We are very fortunate in that this unit has been very successful in gaining and maintaining friends while eliminating enemies. From soldier level all the way up to command our counterparts want to see us survive and succeed. MAJ Junot, our battalion executive officer, has stressed to all of us that the unit we are replacing is smarter than us, and we need to do all that we can to learn from them.

Besides mail, our soldiers should have both internet and phone connectivity at every FOB. I have been stressing to them the importance of calling home. Most of our soldiers should be able to make that call or send an email home by the end of the week.

Today we are also welcoming a visiting priest to the FOB where I am located. For our Roman Catholic soldiers, we have five priests in theater. Since there are so few priests relative to the number of Catholics in the Army, these priests become a much sought after resource. I would ask all folks to keep these priests in our prayers, for they are on the road or in the air more than possibly every other soldier in theater. The only serious chaplain casualty has been to one of our priests, CH Vakoc, during OIF II. It is our goal to get a priest to our soldiers once every two weeks. Due to mission constraints, we might not always get to do this, but we will not cease in trying to accomplish it.

What follows is a list of ideas to help our soldiers stay in touch with their families. SFC Andy Smith from E Co supplied most of the ideas. He knows how to stay connected to his family because of the practical experience he gained while being deployed three out of the last four years. His motto is—invest your time in memories, not stuff. The list is in no particular order. My hope is that we might be able to assemble daddy and mommy kits that folks back home could mail to our soldiers in the field along with the list of ideas. As with any suggestion that I might have, each family, each parent has a unique outlook and parenting style, so please feel free to disregard any idea or reshape it to fit your situation.

1. Many children, especially young children, like stickers. Send your soldier a bunch of stickers of your child’s favorite character or superhero. The soldier can then place these stickers on the letters and envelopes of the mail he sends home to his children.
   
2. Make collages of your child playing with their deployed parent and place them at your child’s eye level in their room. It is important that they not just be pictures of the parent but of the parent and child doing some of the things they like together.
   
3. Send some children’s books and blank CDs to your soldier. The soldier can then record himself reading the book on either audio or video. He can then send the recording and the book home to the child for the mom or dad to turn the pages while the children listen to the book being read.
   
4. Find a place in the house (refrigerator, porch, etc.) where there are some items that your child could stand next to in order to gauge their height. Every day take a digital picture of the child and email it to their deployed parent. This way mommy or daddy could see how the children are growing and changing.
   
5. Have the deployed soldier record prayers he would say with the children. At bed time when the time comes that is usually when daddy or mommy would say their prayers the at home parent could play the recorded prayer.
   
6. Have the deployed soldier write letters home to the children. It is important that the children receive their own letter. It is vital that the soldier remind his children how much he loves them, how proud he is of them, and gives them a blessing. The greatest source of pain I see in some of the soldiers over here does not involve the war but instead is the fact that they did not hear words of love and encouragement from mom and dad, but especially dad.
   
7. Have the soldier make a secret code card and write coded letters to the children.
   
8. Have the soldier draw mazes or other games on the letters he sends home.
   
9. As a special treat a couple times a week, let children use one of daddy’s shirts as a nightgown or sleep-shirt. (I have also heard of wives wrapping their favorite pillow with one of their husband’s t-shirts).
   
10. Read a book together. Have one copy sent to the soldier and another at home. Read and discuss what you thought was “cool” about the story.
    
11. Send paintings and projects the child has done to the deployed soldier. The soldier could put them up in his room and take a picture of his living space. The child will then see that their stuff is in daddy’s room.
    
12. For tracking the deployment, get a fishbowl and fill it with 365 marbles. Have the child take a marble out of the fishbowl every morning. Another method is to have the child pick out their own deployment calendar. They could mark off the days that daddy or mommy is away. This way when the child is especially frustrated with the deployment you can show them how far they have gone and (hopefully) how little they have left.
    

The last subject SFC Smith and I discussed was the topic of the danger that mommy or daddy faces in Iraq. Everyone has their own preference. I chose to tell my children that I was going to be in danger and that I could get killed. However, I stressed to them that I would love them no matter where I was and that God would protect both them and me. If I did not come home it was because the mission God had for me was done, and it was time for me to go home.

The last two things I will leave you with is the Warhorse Prayer and a prayer for us while we are away. Our Chaplain Assistant, CPL Crnkovich, wrote the Warhorse Prayer. For those unfamiliar with 3-8 lingo, the words in italics represent battalion and company knick-names and words of the 3-8 Motto.

Please know that I am keeping you, our soldiers, and our leaders in my daily prayers. Please do not hesitate to write if you have any questions.

The Warhorse Prayer

Most Holy God, we ask that as Your Warhorse rides into battle, it may be for the cause of righteousness and truth; to bring about peace in a warring land, and love to a region filled with sorrow and hate.

Give us the sight of Hawks, dear God, so that we may see and know our enemy.

We ask that You in Your infinite Wisdom, Assassinate the lies and half truths propagated by our enemies to the people of this land;

Also, Lord, we beseech that You give us the tenacity of Bulldogs, to hang on to the mission at hand and never give up the fight until its end;

Mighty God, wreak havoc and Chaos upon the enemies’ strategy of death and destruction, in order that we may bring about Your peace;

Ready our lances, O Lord, that we may be your Dragoons and charge into the fray with fearlessness and valor;

Help us, O King, to Ride the Rough sands and keep our eyes ever upon You and Your holy ways;

We ask also Lord, that You reign mighty Fury upon our foes, in order to further the cause of freedom;

Finally, Lord, we ask that You arm us with the sword of Honor, to keep us right and good for all the duties we must accomplish; and the shield of Courage to lend us the strength to do our all when You call us forth into war.

All of this, we ask in Your Holy and Eternal Name,

Amen.

--CPL Paul Crnkovich

On separation from loved ones...
Give them peace to know that I am unharmed.
Give them hope to know I will return.
Give them patience to wait and courage to endure the waiting.
Give them strength so that they will not grow weary.
--Stephen Lawhead

Grace, Mercy, and Peace,
Chaplain Kevin Wainwright

DISPATCH 003--04 OCT 2006

Dear Friends,

I am writing to you from wonderful FOB Buehring. The majority of the 3-8 Combined Arms Battalion (CAB) soldiers have arrived safely, and we are getting ready to begin our train up for our upcoming movement into Iraq.

I would like to say a word about our training. In countless interviews and studies of soldiers in war one can discern a pattern for success and survivability in battle: good equipment, good leadership, and good training. Our battalion, in my opinion, has all three.

Our supply leadership, also known as the S-4 shop, has done their best to make sure that we have the latest in Army equipment. I have been in the Army since 1987, and I have seen a huge improvement in the basic soldier gear. Both our survivability and our livability have increased. If, because we arrived late or missed an equipment issue, we do not have the equipment we need, we have been able to get the missing stuff here in Kuwait.

Our leadership within the unit is some of the best I have seen. Our Battalion Commander and Command Sergeant Major do not just pay lip service to taking care of soldiers but make it the foundational principle of their leadership style. Some times senior enlisted and officers might tend to focus on their careers more than on their soldiers, but this is definitely not the case in 3-8. They are not here to be our friends or to cater to our whims, but instead they are here to make sure we have the best training, attitude, and support we can possibly receive.

At the company level and below, the leadership is also of high quality. All the company commanders and first sergeants make equipping their soldiers for their mission the main focus of their efforts. The commanders, first sergeants, and FRG leaders of the 3-8 have also been the most caring I have seen in my career. While making visits to soldiers and family members at Ft. Hood, I have received several comments from hospital staff about how well our chain of command does to check in on our soldiers or family members.

The last and probably most important component of our preparation for battle is our training. I only arrived to Ft. Hood in the beginning of June, but whether it is physical training, field exercises, officer or non-commissioned officer development, or section/squad level opportunity training, 3-8 has the most vigorous and task specific training I have experienced. I have had to work hard to keep up with the high physical and professional standards of our soldiers. As a soldier who will be going into combat with the 3-8, I have full confidence in the ability, preparation, and professionalism of my fellow Warhorse soldiers.

I would like to close with a reminder to all family members that I am keeping you in my prayers. If you have any prayer requests, questions, concerns, or messages that you would like to pass on to either me or your soldier, please do not hesitate to send me an email. In one of our upcoming dispatches I will list some of the items that you might want to think about sending your soldier to help make his or her life a little easier while we are here in Iraq.

Grace, Mercy, and Peace,
Chaplain Kevin Wainwright

DISPATCH 002--18 SEP 2006

Dear Friends,

Chaplains are, by nature, an interesting feature of the Army. As with most unique figures in our culture, the media often defines our understanding of these people. Chaplains are no exception. The most popular figure is Father Mulcahy from the television series MASH. Some might remember also the chaplain debating LTG George Patton in the movie that bore the latter’s name. Chaplains had roles in the movie Saving Private Ryan and the HBO mini-series Band of Brothers as well. Although I would like to think that we do not give undue credence to our stereotypes, as with most members of the clergy, chaplains tend to dwell in extremes—either they are very good or they are very bad. The type of chaplain I will be for this battalion remains to be seen, but I can tell you that, character generalizations aside, chaplains play an important and vital role in their units. I will break down these duties into three parts.

The first and most important responsibility is that chaplains ensure that every soldier, regardless of rank or religious preference, is allowed to practice his faith or to have no faith preference. This means that one’s religious preference or non-preference will not favorably or unfavorably prejudice the chain-of-command. The chaplain must ensure that the battalion commander’s religious support program is enacted and supported.

The second responsibility that chaplains have is to be the moral-ethical barometer for the unit. The chaplain must be willing to sacrifice his career and even his life in order to make sure that individual soldiers and the unit as a whole behave responsibly. Many remember the Abu Ghraib scandal that broke in 2004. When I heard that news while deployed to Iraq with the 1st ID, my first question was “Where was the chaplain?” I began checking our own detainee facility with increasing frequency. This part of my vocation is the easiest, for our soldiers usually act with honor and with integrity. Fortunately, cases like Abu Ghraib are the exception.

The third and last responsibility is that the unit chaplain should be the subject matter expert (SME) for the religious, cultural, and historical characteristics of the area of responsibility. For most of the peoples that inhabit our planet, there is little or no differentiation between history, culture, and religion. This is especially true in the Islamic world. These three issues have a direct impact on the missions and activities of our soldiers.

Sometimes folks get confused about who exactly the chaplain serves. I am here to serve the soldiers and the family members of the 3-8 CAB. I do not serve only those folks who belong to my faith group. While I am a person with a strong and passionate belief and practice of my faith, I am also a person who believes all people (even our enemy), as God’s Creation, should be respected in life and in death.

In closing, I encourage you to email me any questions you might have concerning what a chaplain does. I also want to correct a typing error in my last dispatch. In it I stated to “hesitate to call” if you had any questions or problems. I meant to say “do not hesitate to call” if you have any problems.

I continue to keep our Warhorse soldiers and family members in my prayers. Below I have listed two books that both my wife and I found to be helpful as we prepared for this upcoming deployment.

Grace, Mercy, and Peace,
CH (CPT) Kevin Wainwright
Warhorse Chaplain
kevin.wainwright@hotmail.com

-Separated by Duty, United in Love: A Guide to Long-Distance Relationships for Military Couples, Shellie Vandevoorde

-While They're at War: The True Story of American Families on the Homefront, Kristin Henderson

DISPATCH 001--11 SEP 2006

Dear Friends,

I cannot think of a more solemn day to begin this series of letters than the day that, for many, marks the beginning of the War on Terror. Five years ago I was having breakfast with the secretary and choir director of the small church I was serving in St. Croix Falls, Wisconsin. Someone came into the restaurant announcing that a plane had hit one of the towers of the World Trade Center. I thought it was probably some crazy person in a Cessna who had had a bad day. After we heard that it was a jet, I rushed home to see the news. On tape delay I watched as the planes hit the towers. I said a prayer and thought that at least the towers did not fall. When the first one came down I uttered my first profanity since my days as an artilleryman. Later that day, we held a prayer service at the church. To this day I still cannot get the images out of my head of the Towers coming down.

Where were you five years ago? Has time dulled the emotions felt that day, or are they still as fresh as ever? As a nation, have we lost some of the moral clarity that seemed to crystallize on that day?

Each one of us has to answer that question for ourselves, but we are living in denial if we do not believe that there is a clear moral component involved in this current conflict.

As we go about our daily duties getting prepared for our upcoming deployment, it is easy to lose sight of the big picture. It is important to recognize that any deployment will inevitably involve a level of suffering and sacrifice on behalf of our soldiers and their families. It is not easy to say goodbye, to leave friends, family, and loved ones, and to place ourselves in harm’s way. But a sacrifice must have a purpose, a meaning, if it is to be worthwhile. Like the contractions of birth precede the blessings of a child, what will our separation bring forth?

I believe that our soldiers represent the best that America has to offer. And our soldiers could not do what they do unless they have the support of you: our friends and families back home. Peace on the home front means a more focused and ready soldier downrange. As soldiers, we must depend upon one another completely and without question, so any distraction not only hurts the soldier but also adversely affects the whole team. This is why it is vital that we take care of one another not only in the combat zone but also back home as well.

My hope and prayer is that I, your unit chaplain, can help us accomplish both missions. I can be one of the links to your loved one while he or she is deployed. I also plan to write a weekly update communicating not only the nuts and bolts of our activities but also what is going on in the hearts and minds of our soldiers. The dispatches will include some hints, suggestions, and advice to help us face the upcoming challenges of deployment. If you have any questions or suggestions, please do [not] hesitate to contact me.

As the finals weeks before we leave wind down, I want you to know that I am praying not only for your soldier but also for you. You can email me any specific prayer requests that you might have. One of the foundational aspects of the Lord’s call to bring me back on active duty was knowing that I would be serving folks like yourself and your soldier-family member. There are few callings higher than the one to serve those few who are willing to sacrifice so much for so many. I pray that I will be up to the task. God bless.

Grace, Mercy, and Peace,
CH (CPT) Kevin Wainwright
Warhorse Chaplain


Next Week
-What Does a Chaplain Do?