The Cross in Camouflage-- An Army Chaplain's Weblog

[...] not being to intrusive and sending clues that I was available to handle the work of the memorial service among SPC C’s unit members. I touched based with the LT and the SGT. The CO and SGM each [...]

[...] can more easily face being in the position of risking everything. I decided to attend the memorial service because I felt it was my duty. I felt it was my duty as a chaplain and as another human who [...]

[...] I reminded them to take care of each other. I lobbied the leadership that I should conduct a memorial service (religious) rather than a simple memorial ceremony (military honors with prayer). I was [...]

[...] The memorial service we held for SGT Pierre Raymond was a difficult one. SGT Raymond was a replacement soldier [...]

[...] Angels are what we call our fallen soldiers. This soldier came from one of our attached units. SPC Hargrave retrieved a vehicle while I put on my gear. Due to the fact that we keep light discipline on [...]

[...] stated, “Oh, Habaniya...” with an ominous tone. The two soldiers who accompanied me and SPC Hargrave had made this trip before. They sat in the back seats and the one sergeant handled the [...]

[...] the night. One evening as I stood outside under the stark and beautiful night sky waiting for SPC Hargrave I spent the time observing the Milky Way, a prominent red Mars and a clear bright Venus. [...]

[...] SPC Hargrave and I have been among the fortunate Unit Ministry Teams (UMT’s) who have been afforded [...]

[...] ;angel" to attend to and the following evening we went to say goodbye to CH Rivera at Mortuary Affairs. He and the Marines who staffed the MA were quickly ending their tour. The new team had come [...]

[...] to come clean because he no longer wanted to feel dead inside. He had been working in Mortuary Affairs. To his other Marines he seemed constantly off his game, distracted and preoccupied. Perhaps [...]

[...] partly because of the dark and partly because of the limited visibility the humvees have. Mortuary Affairs is located in an old concrete hangar. It is run by the Marines. It is one of the very few [...]

[...] inspired me to order a couple books on constellations and simple astronomy. The calls for Mortuary Affairs often come in the middle of the night. One evening as I stood outside under the stark and [...]

[...] I was definitely ready to go home for a while. My memorial message for SSG Gregory McCoy and SGT Kennard (promoted posthumously): Grace and peace to you my fellow soldiers and friends. As we take time [...]

[...] He also told me about some of his own personal frustrations as well as the perception that the BN commander was keeping them from doing more complex missions. CPT C recommended that I share the unit [...]

[...] , there was childlike wonder in the air. I caught New Year's Eve fever and I went to the BN Commander and said, "Sir, we need to drop something." He said, "What do you mean?" I [...]

[...] concern was the welfare of soldiers (like himself) and that I was “eyes and ears of the BN commander.” A few days later while visiting the motor pool, I saw the young specialist. She told [...]

[...] I keep looking at the photograph of SPC C. There is something that haunts me even though I have a long history of working with the dead. I [...]

[...] emergency room. (Personal history says otherwise, however.) I came closer and touched the leg of SPC C. He had tattoos on various areas. Later I learned that he had a new one put right over his heart [...]

[...] by a Marine who showed me the way to the chaplain’s office. Chaplain Rivera, a U.S. Navy chaplain is assigned to Mortuary Affairs. He takes care of all the Marine casualties that come [...]

[...] is one that helps us to face the ever changing aspects of our lives with realism and hope. A Navy chaplain recently shared the story of a Marine who divulged to him that prior to deployment he had [...]

[...] it with any units who were conducting humanitarian missions. Just as luck would have it, the Navy chaplain from Mortuary Affairs had made arrangements with a Marine unit that was planning a [...]

[...] a squadron during an awards ceremony. I gave them my standard talk that gives credit to a Navy chaplain I once heard on TV. “What can a chaplain do for you? A chaplain can help you answer three [...]

[...] his potential mobility even more. As things calmed down it became clear that some of the unit members were gathered trying to make sense of what happened to them. They had the stunned look of the [...]

[...] from shrapnel wounds. The surgeons were hopeful that they would be able to save both his legs. Unit members as well as we from the battalion waited a couple of hours before he was brought down. We all [...]

[...] it was surreal. One of the highlights of my ministry among our soldiers in Iraq occurred unit members took me to their training site at the “Crossed Swords.” This was a military reviewing [...]

[...] he was away. For some reason, the BDE chaplain, Williamson wanted to keep coming down and do CH Keough’s service even though it involved a potentially dangerous drive over. I just couldn’t see [...]

[...] “dishonorable” deaths. I don’t agree. The soldier was overcome by an enemy. The day that CH Keough was to return from RR, a team of soldiers had a couple of missions in the city including [...]

[...] . He takes care of all the Marine casualties that come through and the MA team members. Unit chaplains come in for the Army so that we can “take care of our own.” It is partly a matter of duty and [...]