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

SERMON OUTLINE 003--19 NOV 2006

CHARACTERISTICS of a CHRISTIAN WARRIOR
Grace

FOB Paliwoda
19NOV06

I. Introduction: Seeking Grace

A. Building up to a conclusion

1. Courage of Joshua

2. Humility of Andrew

3. Hope/Perseverance of Nehemiah

4. Passion of David

B. Challenges in the military

1. The updated deployment schedule came out this week. It seems like the Army is
having a difficult time trying to ensure that everyone gets to stay home at least
one year before they redeploy back to Iraq or Afghanistan.

2. Election results have created a sense of doubt as to the future of our operations.

3. As we move into the holiday season, we miss our families and friends even more.

4. The pace can easily begin to wear us down.

C. The world as our reflection

1. When we look at the world, we often see our reflection. If we are insecure, petty, and suspicious people, the world will seem out to get us.

2. How do you see the world?

3. How often do you see God in it?

II. What is grace?

A. How one person saw the world…


15 When Joseph’s brothers saw that their father was dead, they said, “Perhaps Joseph will hate us, and may actually repay us for all the evil which we did to him.” 16 So they sent messengers to Joseph, saying, “Before your father died he commanded, saying, 17 ‘Thus you shall say to Joseph: “I beg you, please forgive the trespass of your brothers and their sin; for they did evil to you.” ’ Now, please, forgive the trespass of the servants of the God of your father.” And Joseph wept when they spoke to him.
 18 Then his brothers also went and fell down before his face, and they said, “Behold, we are your servants.”
 19 Joseph said to them, “Do not be afraid, for am I in the place of God? 20 But as for you, you meant evil against me; but God meant it for good, in order to bring it about as it is this day, to save many people alive. 21 Now therefore, do not be afraid; I will provide for you and your little ones.” And he comforted them and spoke kindly to them. Genesis 50:15-21

B. Revenge or Mercy?

1. Joseph could have been bitter, but instead he saw God working in the world.

2. Retribution is the rule. If we do not payback what is done to us, we lose face and
honor.

3. The insurgents are counting on the culture of revenge

4. What culture are we creating? Illustration: disrespect towards an Iraqi worker.

C. Grace is holding the destiny, the life of your enemy in your hand, but forgiving him like a brother. Illustration: In the book Bono: In Conversation with Michka Assaya, the lead singer and songwriter for the rock group U2 makes an explicit confession of faith: "It's a mind-blowing concept that the God who created the universe might be looking for company, a real relationship with people, but the thing that keeps me on my knees is the difference between grace and karma." Saying that the idea of karma is central to all religions, Bono explained:

What you put out comes back to you: an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth, or in physics—in physical laws—every action is met by an equal or an opposite one. It's clear to me that karma is at the very heart of the universe. I'm absolutely sure of it. And yet, along comes this idea called grace to upend all that "as you reap, so you will sow" stuff. Grace defies reason and logic. Love interrupts, if you like, the consequences of your actions, which in my case is very good news indeed, because I've done a lot of stupid stuff….It doesn't excuse my mistakes, but I'm holding out for grace. I'm holding out that Jesus took my sins onto the cross, because I know who I am, and I hope I don't have to depend on my own religiosity.

III. What are its conditions?


36 Then Jesus came with them to a place called Gethsemane, and said to the disciples, “Sit here while I go and pray over there.” 37 And He took with Him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and He began to be sorrowful and deeply distressed. 38 Then He said to them, “My soul is exceedingly sorrowful, even to death. Stay here and watch with Me.”
 39 He went a little farther and fell on His face, and prayed, saying, “O My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as You will.”
 40 Then He came to the disciples and found them sleeping, and said to Peter, “What! Could you not watch with Me one hour? 41 Watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.”
 42 Again, a second time, He went away and prayed, saying, “O My Father, if this cup cannot pass away from Me unless I drink it, Your will be done.” 43 And He came and found them asleep again, for their eyes were heavy.
 44 So He left them, went away again, and prayed the third time, saying the same words. 45 Then He came to His disciples and said to them, “Are you still sleeping and resting? Behold, the hour is at hand, and the Son of Man is being betrayed into the hands of sinners. 46 Rise, let us be going. See, My betrayer is at hand.” Matthew 26:36-46

A. Grace usually follows after a painful experience.

1. Does God call us to endure, to trust, to have faith in order that we live pain free lives?

2. In fact, a precondition for grace seems to be sorrow. The woman caught in adultery in the gospel of John is forgiven, but she still must face the shame that comes from her acts.

3. Peter betrays Jesus three times before the cock crows, while Christ proclaims his faith in God’s will three times before the morning dawn.

B. Grace will always be associated with pain because a necessary precondition of grace is sin.

1. Christ was resolute in doing what God asked of him.

2. Illustration: Jim Collins, the author of Good to Great, interviewed Admiral Jim Stockdale, the highest-ranking officer in the Hanoi Hilton prisoner of war camp during the height of the Vietnam War. Regarding the prisoner of war camp, Collins asked Stockdale,

"Who didn't make it out?"

"Oh, that's easy," answered Stockdale. "The optimists."

"The optimists? I don't understand," responded Collins.

"The optimists. Oh, they were the ones who said, 'We're going to be out by
Christmas.' And Christmas would come, and Christmas would go. Then they'd say, 'We're going to be out by Easter.' And Easter would come, and Easter would go. And then Thanksgiving, and then it would be Christmas again. And they died of a broken heart. This is a very important lesson. You must never confuse faith that you will prevail in the end—which you can never afford to lose—with the discipline to confront the most brutal facts of your current reality, whatever they might be."

IV. What are we to do with grace?

A. If we have received God’s grace, how should we respond?

B. Do we create an environment that allows God’s love to ripple outwards toward the world, or do we try to dam up and limit its reach?

1. Congregations do not necessarily provide the best soil for growing grace. Illustration:
Churches that stifle confession of sin. Why is a tavern a more safe environment
to share one’s sins than the church?

2. The Army, with its no-fault, no weakness environment, can all too often silence that still, small voice of God. Illustration: soldiers coming to talk to the chaplain because no one else will listen.

V. Conclusion

A. Prepare our hearts for the coming of the Lord. Illustration: Preparing the soil-Author J. R. R. Tolkien once wrote in a letter: “No man can estimate what is really happening at the present. All we do know, and that to a large extent by direct experience, is that evil labors with vast power and perpetual success—in vain: preparing always only the soil for unexpected good to sprout in.”

B. This Thursday, in America and on bases throughout Iraq and Afghanistan, we will celebrate Thanksgiving. As we have gone about are daily struggles that come with a deployment to a combat zone, have we stopped to take the time to see where God is working in our lives? Have stopped to give thanks for the simple yet important things that allow us to experience His joy?

C. When you look at the world, what do you see? Illustration: A man whom many believe was the greatest American president is a good example. When he was 7 years of age, his family was forced out of their home, and he went to work. When he was 9, his mother died. He lost his job as a store clerk when he was 20. He wanted to go to law school, but he didn't have the education. At age 23 he went into debt to be a partner in a small store. Three years later the business partner died, and the resulting debt took years to repay. When he was 28, after courting a girl for four years, he asked her to marry him, and she turned him down. On his third try he was elected to Congress, at age 37, but then failed to be re-elected. His son died at 4 years of age. When this man was 45, he ran for the Senate and lost. At age 47 he ran for the vice-presidency and lost. But at age 51 he was elected president of the United States.

The man was Abraham Lincoln, a man who learned to face discouragement and move beyond it. Did you know that it was Abraham Lincoln who, in the midst of the Civil War, in 1863, established the annual celebration of Thanksgiving? Lincoln had learned how important it is to stop and thank God in the midst of great difficulties.

D. What did God do when He looked at His world? The Season of Advent, the arrival of the Messiah, is upon us.

DIGIJOURNAL 006--28 NOV 2006

DATELINE: 28NOV06 PB O'RYAN

Hello everyone,

I am visiting our soldiers here at PB O’Ryan. They are in very good spirits. One thing I have consistently noticed is how every soldier, regardless of rank, has stepped up their performance since arriving here in country. As I walk around the base, soldiers are busy everywhere fixing things, doing maintenance, or getting ready for a patrol. They are motivating. I am reminded, usually when I am wondering why I am here, what an honor it is to serve and work alongside of such amazing people.

What follows below are some observations over the past couple of days.

Headspace and Timing
Soldiers use the above term to describe the adjustment that they must make on the .50 cal machine gun to account for wear of the firing mechanism. If it is not constantly checked, the rounds will jam as the ammo belt goes through the feed tray. It is also used to describe when a soldier makes a bonehead move. Well, I had a headspace and timing issue the other day. Paul and I both have lately been suffering from insomnia, probably due to many things, but the mice using our rooms as an autobahn does not help (more on that later). It grew bad enough for me to visit the doc at the aid station. He gave me some low strength sleep meds, and I felt satisfied that the issue was solved. Unfortunately, for the next two days, I still had trouble sleeping. I got so fed up that I was going to go back to the doc to try something else. I complained about it to Paul (who just rolled his eyes), but when I went to my shelf where I keep my meds I made an interesting discovery: Tylenol and the sleep meds look remarkably similar. I had placed the two pill-filled, Ziploc bags next to one another. Thus, I have made the medical discovery that regular Tylenol in no way helps put one to sleep. After my extended rant to Paul, I sheepishly told him what had happened. I could read what he wanted but was too nice to say in the imaginary cartoon bubble above his head. I had had what soldiers would call a headspace and timing problem.

Jihad Declared Against the Rodents
Mice have infiltrated Patrol Base Paliwoda, specifically the chapel complex. Since you have been so generous with your boxes, they figured that they needed their cut as well. My main issue is not so much that they are vermin that spread disease, but that they are so bold and brazen. My wife had sent me a bag of pistachios, which I love, that I had sitting next to my computer. I was working on something, munching away, when I set the bag down in close proximity. I worked for about ten more minutes when I heard a rustling in the bag. Apparently Iraqi mice also love pistachios. The little rat was practically on his back, rubbing his belly, munching away. Fretting about collateral damage, I did not try to pound the bag since it was so close to the number one, chaplain combat multiplier—the coffee maker. For the next several days the mice invited their buddies to hang out in our room, scuttling about at all hours of the night, driving us crazy to the point that Paul, my chaplain assistant, was chasing them around with a knife. The last straw was when, suffering from the aforementioned insomnia, I was working on my sermon and one of the mice practically came up to me to ask if he could help. I wondered what the feral cats were doing that live outside the chapel, but they are too busy getting fat eating the tuna and other kibble that our soldiers feed them. We were able to bum a mousetrap from our S2. It is at this point, acting as the high priest of Dunlopistan (our commander is LTC Dunlop), that I issued a fatwa against the infidel mice. My dark acolyte, Paul, immediately went to work waging our jihad against the vermin. We had eliminated one just an hour after we set the trap (the trick being to bait it with peanut butter and not cheese). Archangel Household 6 (my wife’s call sign) should be sending us some traps from the mother ship (code for Wal-Mart/Sam’s/Target Boutique). The mice better enjoy their time, because they are going down.

Thank You for the Boxes
Let me share with you how much it means to our soldiers when you send a box with a note in it. We have some new members on our MiTT team (which I think stands for Military Training Team). They help to train our Iraqi Army counterparts and act as liaisons between them and us. One of these new soldiers is an E-7 (Sergeant First Class, i.e. an higher ranking NCO). He is an older guy who has been very helpful. He was able to get a bed for Paul, who had been sleeping on a cot. (Sleeping on a cot, you say, well I must be a mean chaplain. Except I offered Paul a bed, and in keeping with his monastic character, he said he preferred a cot. I responded by saying that it would make me look like a jerk with him sleeping in a cot and me on a bed. To which the Dark Acolyte responded with the challenge that it was really all about me then. At this point I gave up, succumbed to his jedi mind-trick, and went about my business, knowing that, if he could, everything that he owned would be OD [olive drab] green). Anyway, I gave this NCO a box and five letters for a soldier from folks back at home. The next day he came by the chapel to ask if I could decipher an email address. I did, and, thinking that he was only going to respond to one of the cards, asked him how he liked the box, to which I received this response. He said that he was writing everyone back because this was the first time he ever received a box from someone. I knew he had been in Bosnia, and I shared my surprise that this was the first box. He added that not only did he not receive any boxes in Bosnia, but he did not get a box the entire year he was in VIETNAM!!! He then added that all he ever got was people throwing trash on him when he deplaned in the States coming home from his Vietnam tour. I could not say much after that. A box may be a small thing, and it is a hassle to put it together and stand in line to mail it. However, never underestimate how the Holy Spirit can take anything, any small seed we sow, and make it a huge tree. On behalf of that vet, I thank you for making his day.

Medical Supplies
Our engineer company commander and some of our civil affairs folks have asked me to ask you for any excess medical supplies you might have. We have several health clinics in the area, and, due to some bureaucratic inefficiencies, they have had a hard time getting even basic stuff. We would like to get something to pass out to them. What I had in mind was just the necessities: bandages, band-aides, gauze, gloves, masks, etc. Obviously we could not receive controlled substances, but even basic, over the counter meds like aspirin, Tylenol, vitamins, pepto, etc. would be good. Before anyone purchases anything, I know some hospitals and doctor’s offices can only keep things for a certain length of time. I do not know what they do with the stuff when it gets old. I also think that there are trial sizes of things that folks might be able to get. Anyway, it is another request, and you have already been so generous. If you feel moved to get some medical items, we could definitely use them.

Signing Off
I must be going to dinner. I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving. Life here is good as we "Live the Legend" (The First Cavalry Division’s motto). We have been very blessed, and we are thankful for your prayers. Take care.

Gratia et Veritas
Warhorse Archangel