DISPATCH 009--09 DEC 2006
“Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends.”
John 15:13
John 15:13
Courage.
Courage is a word, like love, that has lost much of its meaning due to its overuse in our society. Of course, many people display courage in our communities: our emergency personnel, our police, and our fire-fighters all demonstrate examples of courage. Far too often, however, we only see acts of courage if they are on the big screen or in a book.
There are many kinds of courage--courage of convictions, maintained integrity, and faithfulness to our promises--but fortunately for most in our society we are safe enough, perhaps comfortable enough, to not have to make choices that might put our lives or the lives of our loved ones in danger. A problem soon develops as acts of personal courage grow less and less. We begin to forget they ever existed, unless they took place in history, years ago, in the good old days.
Many movies and television programs describe the acts of heroism and courage of the World War II “Greatest” Generation. Whether it is Saving Private Ryan, Band of Brothers, or Flags of Our Fathers, images of the courage of our grandfathers and grandmothers have bombarded popular culture. The great tragedy is that, in our adoration of the WWII era, we have overlooked the heroes from Korea, Vietnam, the First Gulf War, and the conflicts in between and that followed. Even today we read about some who question whether our soldiers were not coerced into serving or should not be held accountable for the commitment they made to the military. I think this says more about those who make these claims than about the soldiers, your soldiers, that I see living and working every day.
Let me share with you what I see.
I see men and women who, when they are putting up with the normal and inevitable frustration of daily Army life, nevertheless do not murmur one complaint when they are asked to do the most challenging and dangerous parts of their mission. I see a mechanic who works 24 hours straight in order to get a piece of equipment up and running and safe so that soldiers can go outside the wire and do their mission. I see cooks who, without being asked or told, spend the extra time with their limited resources to make sure that not only the visiting generals but our enlisted men and women can have a better meal than what is required or expected. I see young lieutenants planning, waiting, and learning, going out every day with their platoons, making sure that they are trained and prepared for whatever the enemy might deal to them. I see a medic take the extra time with a local Iraqi so that we might be able to help their young baby recover from a serious infection. I see a communications soldier spending time learning about a brand new piece of equipment in order to make sure that we can talk to one another on the battlefield. During the typical (no soldier's day is average) day, I see so many acts of courage that it is hard to list all of them.
This past week, I watched with worry and trembling as one of our companies departed on a very serious and dangerous mission. CPL Paul Crnkovich, my chaplain assistant, and myself tried to visit with every soldier before he or she left. Whether it was a word of prayer, a joke, or just some quiet conversation we offered, in the time spent with them, they did more for me than I could possibly do for them.
Some have asked me why, after an eleven year absence, I came back on active duty. As a pastor I believed and still believe that the Lord called both me and my family to serve our fine soldiers, and to be able to minister to and with them is a tremendous honor. But what is truly awe-inspiring, what confirms that God has given me countless blessings, is watching our soldiers display on a daily basis the kind of courage that, unfortunately for some, has all but been forgotten. No one will ever be able to take away from them or from you the reverence I and most Americans have for your sacrifices, your dedication, and your service. I thank you all.
Gratia et Veritas,
Chaplain Kevin Wainwright
Courage is a word, like love, that has lost much of its meaning due to its overuse in our society. Of course, many people display courage in our communities: our emergency personnel, our police, and our fire-fighters all demonstrate examples of courage. Far too often, however, we only see acts of courage if they are on the big screen or in a book.
There are many kinds of courage--courage of convictions, maintained integrity, and faithfulness to our promises--but fortunately for most in our society we are safe enough, perhaps comfortable enough, to not have to make choices that might put our lives or the lives of our loved ones in danger. A problem soon develops as acts of personal courage grow less and less. We begin to forget they ever existed, unless they took place in history, years ago, in the good old days.
Many movies and television programs describe the acts of heroism and courage of the World War II “Greatest” Generation. Whether it is Saving Private Ryan, Band of Brothers, or Flags of Our Fathers, images of the courage of our grandfathers and grandmothers have bombarded popular culture. The great tragedy is that, in our adoration of the WWII era, we have overlooked the heroes from Korea, Vietnam, the First Gulf War, and the conflicts in between and that followed. Even today we read about some who question whether our soldiers were not coerced into serving or should not be held accountable for the commitment they made to the military. I think this says more about those who make these claims than about the soldiers, your soldiers, that I see living and working every day.
Let me share with you what I see.
I see men and women who, when they are putting up with the normal and inevitable frustration of daily Army life, nevertheless do not murmur one complaint when they are asked to do the most challenging and dangerous parts of their mission. I see a mechanic who works 24 hours straight in order to get a piece of equipment up and running and safe so that soldiers can go outside the wire and do their mission. I see cooks who, without being asked or told, spend the extra time with their limited resources to make sure that not only the visiting generals but our enlisted men and women can have a better meal than what is required or expected. I see young lieutenants planning, waiting, and learning, going out every day with their platoons, making sure that they are trained and prepared for whatever the enemy might deal to them. I see a medic take the extra time with a local Iraqi so that we might be able to help their young baby recover from a serious infection. I see a communications soldier spending time learning about a brand new piece of equipment in order to make sure that we can talk to one another on the battlefield. During the typical (no soldier's day is average) day, I see so many acts of courage that it is hard to list all of them.
This past week, I watched with worry and trembling as one of our companies departed on a very serious and dangerous mission. CPL Paul Crnkovich, my chaplain assistant, and myself tried to visit with every soldier before he or she left. Whether it was a word of prayer, a joke, or just some quiet conversation we offered, in the time spent with them, they did more for me than I could possibly do for them.
Some have asked me why, after an eleven year absence, I came back on active duty. As a pastor I believed and still believe that the Lord called both me and my family to serve our fine soldiers, and to be able to minister to and with them is a tremendous honor. But what is truly awe-inspiring, what confirms that God has given me countless blessings, is watching our soldiers display on a daily basis the kind of courage that, unfortunately for some, has all but been forgotten. No one will ever be able to take away from them or from you the reverence I and most Americans have for your sacrifices, your dedication, and your service. I thank you all.
Gratia et Veritas,
Chaplain Kevin Wainwright
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