DIGIJOURNAL 007--03 DEC 2006

DATELINE: 03DEC06 PB PALIWODA

Greetings from my adventure vacation in Iraq,

Before I say anything, I want to thank you for the tons of boxes you have sent to our soldiers and the Iraqi children. We have been overwhelmed. No matter how many times soldiers receive boxes, they always light up when they get a new one—not just for the stuff inside but because, especially in these uncertain foreign policy times, it means that we have not been forgotten. The little Christmas trees were a big hit, and we have put up our first big one in our Headquarters Company common area. Our women soldiers especially want to thank those who sent boxes for them. It cannot be easy living away from family in the boy’s locker room. I know they volunteered, but sometimes we men can act like Neanderthals (shocking). The books, especially the new releases, were also popular. It might be surprising to some (i.e. the esteemed Senator from Massachusetts) to know that we have many discerning readers, scholars, and intellectuals in uniform. They come from all ranks. Yesterday, in the midst of some frustration over the inanities of the bad guys, a corporal chided me for indulging too much of the thanatos (warlike) side of my personality. I did not know how to respond, so I made him do pushups, further inflaming his criticism of me.

I am trying to keep on top of the Wall of Blessings, writing thank you notes, and tracking boxes. Inevitably there will be some miscounts or misplaced notes. I usually and briefly go through the boxes before we pass them out, so if you have any questions about what has arrived, send them my way. I will address things in my usual bullet comments. Thank you again for your prayers, support, and love. Take care.

No Fear
Many may wonder what a chaplain goes through during a major mission. Well, myself and my assistant, CPL Paul “buy me a vowel” Crnkovich (Sern-ko-vich), visit with the guys before they roll. We have a word of prayer with those who want it, and generally tell them how honored and amazed we are by their courage and strength. I cannot describe how it feels to watch a young specialist or sergeant gear up and get going out to face the bad guys. Rarely do our soldiers complain, and certainly never when they are preparing for or doing the most dangerous part of their jobs. I also go through the usual guilt complex by not going out with them (we sometimes go out on the “safer” missions), but I remind myself that I am no longer an artilleryman but a chaplain who needs to be at the aid station. I say this, and it answers my intellectual worries but not my heart. Like fretting parents, Crnkovich and I usually hover between the Tactical Operations Center and the Aid Station, monitoring what is happening, doing A LOT of praying, and generally worrying. We usually do not sleep. We hear the sound of the track before we can see them driving in, and I feel like waiting at the gate and hugging each one of them as they come in, which is out-of-character because I live by the principle of “no touchy.” We do not relax until all the noses have been counted and all the sheep are in the fold. The missions make for long nights, but it does not matter when all the dirty, tired, yet smiling faces come back to base.

Church
We have several guys who came to church this morning after being up for 24 hours running a mission. Our music director is a NCO in the infantry, and he came to church, led worship, and then went straight off to guard duty. I mention this so next time, when I feel a little tired, or cranky, or just not “ready” to go to church, I will remember what these guys went through just to go on this day.

Attendance in worship is small and variable depending on what missions are underway. The vast majority of soldiers that I spend time with doing chaplain things are not churchgoers. In a way, every day is Sunday and every moment sacred when you minister in a war zone. Our soldiers get very spiritual during these deployments, for they find themselves having to find answers to those difficult questions all young people try to ignore. This is why personal devotional time is so important. One of my mentors called in mining, for you never know what nugget of Scripture might purchase a treasure many years down the line. I also do not mind the smaller worship sizes (from what I was used to as a pastor). I never liked “scoreboard” theology (the more people in worship, the better you must be), and our fellowship is closer in many ways because of our small number and what we are all going through.

Medics
Please keep our medics in your prayers. Of all our soldiers, they, like our emergency room medical personnel back at home, face the most human trauma. They are treating seriously wounded Iraqi Army and Police forces on a daily basis. One of them mentioned to me that they never get used to it. Again, courage over here is so commonplace, and it is an overused term at home, that it is difficult to take it all in and understand what obstacles our guys and gals overcome every day. The medics are truly heroes.

Lieutenants
We had a gaggle, crop, bunch, etc. (chose your favorite descriptor) of lieutenants get promoted from 2LT to 1LT. Being a 2LT is a hard job. I once heard a first sergeant sum up a popular attitude when he said that all a 2LT is is an overpaid private. While I understand that sentiment, I would have to disagree. These LTs face greater challenges than I ever did as a combat arms LT. My biggest worry during the first six months I was in my first unit was who was going to pick up my mail while I was out on my two week field problem. LTs today know they are going into combat almost as soon as the graduate from the basic course. Every commander has remarked that their LTs have really stepped up and met the huge challenge of being responsible for many soldiers in situations where bullets fly. Add to this the personal worries of loved ones, pregnant wives, and young children, and these 22-27 year-olds still go out and function. Again, I live in the company of heroes.

Props to the Red Sox
As a New York Yankee fan, it pains me greatly to make a favorable report about the Boston Red Sox. One of our senior NCOs and his family are huge Red Sox fans. Permit me to be specific. I was visiting his young daughter, who was sick in the Darnall (Ft. Hood) Hospital. The first time I went she was sleeping, and I had a chance to speak with his wife, a very kind woman (demonstrating that, despite being a Red Sox fan, our NCO must have intelligence since he married way up). The next time I visited, his daughter was awake and doing much better. Somehow the conversation with her and her mother became involved in baseball, and I casually mentioned that I was a Yankee fan. You would have thought I had uttered a blasphemy. Right away their smiles went to frowns, and almost immediately the young girl started hazing me about Johnny Damon (the former Red So(ck) now current Yankee). Needless to say, it was "game on" at this point, and all chaplain professionalism and compassion went out the window. I tried to battle back, but I felt like a novice facing true believers as both the mother and the daughter buried me under a mound of statistics and taunting. I was forsaken.

The mom then began to explain how both she and her husband were huge fans, obviously, and how the Red Sox run to the eventual World Series Championship had kept their hopes up during his first deployment to Iraq. She wrote a letter to some Boston area newspapers telling about their story, and Curt Schilling (famous Red Sox pitcher) found out. He began emailing her, her husband, and sending care packages. Fast forward to this deployment. This soldier just received five boxes from Curt, yes the Curt Schilling. Now, whatever you might think about him and his opinions, he did a great thing. How many people know about this? Does he brag about this? No. Instead he lifts the spirits of a family who is spending another Christmas Season apart. It absolutely kills me to say this, but I must admit my admiration for this athlete, despite his misguided team loyalty.

Signing Off
Well, I must be getting to the gym to fight my fat potential. God bless all of you.

Gratia et Veritas
Warhorse Archangel