Download or read book Military Chaplains in Afghanistan Iraq and Beyond written by Eric Patterson and published by Rowman & Littlefield. This book was released on 2014-08-07 with total page 243 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The role of military chaplains has changed over the past decade as Western militaries have deployed to highly religious environments such as East Africa, Afghanistan, and Iraq. U.S. military chaplains, who are by definition non-combatants, have been called upon by their war-fighting commanders to take on new roles beyond providing religious services to the troops. Chaplains are now also required to engage the local citizenry and provide their commanders with assessments of the religious and cultural landscape outside the base and reach out to local civilian clerics in hostile territory in pursuit of peace and understanding. In this edited volume, practitioners and scholars chronicle the changes that have happened in the field in the twenty-first century. Using concrete examples, this volume takes a critical look at the rapidly changing role of the military chaplain, and raises issues critical to U.S. foreign and national security policy and diplomacy.
Download or read book A Bridge in Babylon written by Owen R. Chandler and published by Chalice Press. This book was released on 2021-06-15 with total page 130 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Army chaplain Owen Chandler takes us to the battlefields of Iraq in this gripping spiritual memoir of war, love, family, church and God. As an Arizona Army National Reservist, Rev. Chandler was deployed to Iraq as chaplain of the 336th Combat Sustainment Support Battalion, leaving behind his wife, three young children, and a congregation for more than a year. In this honest and eloquent memoir, Chandler shares his story of serving as an “embedded presence of hope” in Iraq through personal letters, journal entries, scriptures and photos exchanged with family back home. Expanding far beyond the military chaplain caricature of M*A*S*H’s Father Francis Mulcahy, Chandler reflects on the brutal realities of war, his fellow soldiers, and the families waiting for them all to come home. He shares the struggle to hold onto faith and hope in the midst of battlefields, opening readers’ hearts to the challenges of military chaplaincy and the plight of veterans shattered by their experiences. A Bridge to Babylon inspires readers and provide tools to create bridges to our veterans, especially Reserve soldiers with shockingly high rates of suicide and substance abuse.
Download or read book Chaplain Turner s War written by Moni Basu and published by Agate Publishing. This book was released on 2012-04-19 with total page 66 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: An award-winning journalist portrays life and faith on the frontlines of the Iraq War through the experience of a US Army chaplain. The US mission in Iraq ended Dec. 18, 2011, as the last American soldiers climbed into trucks and headed south through the desert towards Kuwait. Nearly 4,500 American troops died in the Iraq war. More than 30,000 others were physically wounded. Countless others live with scars that can’t be seen. While medics and doctors heal the physical scars of the wounded, the military employs a select few to heal the hearts, minds, and souls of soldiers—all of whom are changed forever by war. In January 2008, Atlanta Journal-Constitution international reporter Moni Basu began documenting life at war and at home with Darren Turner, a chaplain in the US Army. Chaplain Turner served as the emotional support system of U.S. soldiers more accustomed to toughing it out than opening up. For the first time ever, the entire series of Ms. Basu’s articles on Chaplain Turner have been collected into one book. There have been few looks into one of this nation’s most controversial wars that have been as honest, heartbreaking, and inspiring as Chaplain Turner’s War. The experiences of the young men and women Chaplain Turner served speak with a clarity and force that is relatable to readers of any religion and of any opinion about the Iraq War. It is a story of people’s lives who are so often taken for granted as steely warriors, and so rarely appreciated as heroes returning home with a lifetime of emotional weight.
Download or read book A Table in the Presence written by Carey H. Cash and published by HarperChristian + ORM. This book was released on 2005-02-02 with total page 265 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: On April 10th, 2003, the 1st Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment, faced with the task of seizing the presidential palace in downtown Baghdad, ran headlong into what Lieutenant Colonel Oliver North called, "the worst day of fighting for U.S. Marines." Hiding in buildings and mosques, wearing civilian clothes, and spread out for over a mile, Saddam Hussein's militants rained down bullets and rocket propelled grenades on the 1st Battalion. But when the smoke of the eight-hour battle cleared, only one Marine had lost his life. Some said the 1st Battalion was incredibly lucky. But in the hearts and minds of the Marines who were there, there was no question. God had brought them miraculously through that battle. As the 1st Battalion's chaplain, Lieutenant Carey Cash had the unique privilege of seeing firsthand, from the beginning of the war to the end, how God miraculously delivered, and even transformed, the lives of the men of the 1st Battalion. Their regiment, the most highly decorated regiment in the history of the Marines, was the first ground force to cross the border into Iraq, the first to see one of their own killed in battle, and they were the unit to fight what most believe to have been the decisive battle of the war-April 10th in downtown Baghdad. Through it all, Carey Cash says, the presence of God was undeniable. Cash even had the privilege of baptizing fifty-seven new Christians-Marines and Sailors-during the war in Iraq. The men of the 1st Battalion came to discover what King David had discovered long ago--that God's presence could be richly experienced even in the presence of enemies. Here is the amazing story of their experience.
Download or read book Safest Place in Iraq written by Colonel Paul Linzey and published by Morgan James Publishing. This book was released on 2020-03-10 with total page 159 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Safest Place in Iraq tells the stories of men and women who experienced God during the war in Iraq, demonstrating the truth that Christian military chaplains are still allowed to openly share Christ and provide pastoral ministry, if they do it right. Even on good days, living for Christ is a challenging, risk-laden endeavor. One way to make the task a bit easier is to see how other Christians have successfully navigated their temptations and struggles. Safest Place in Iraq aims to do just that, by peering behind the curtain and showing how one military chaplain handled the various dangers, people, and circumstances he encountered during his war-time deployment in South Central Iraq. The result is a story that ranges from death and destruction to friendship and faith, and from temptation and torment to redemption and revival. Colonel Paul Linzey US Army Chaplain (Ret.) identifies the broad themes that everyone—both Christian and non-Christian—has to deal with when the going gets tough. He also shows by example what it takes to overcome life’s obstacles, whether dodging mortars in the desert, or fighting fear, loneliness, and temptation at home or at work. And in the process, Safest Place in Iraq shows that it is possible to remain true to one’s values and calling as a person of faith in a hostile world.
Download or read book Unvalidated Pain written by Melinda Russell and published by AuthorHouse. This book was released on 2013-01-09 with total page 137 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Iraq, fall 2007. The surge was in full swing. The tours were increased to 15 months. IEDs had become a daily occurrence. But she was a chaplain in an Aviation Brigade, going to a large, safe COB. There wouldnt be dangerous convoys. There wouldnt be mortars shaking everyone from their beds in the middle of the night. Except for the long time away from family and home, it would be an easy tour. Until June 2, 2008, when the Chaplains world was turned upside down. You know the pain of military suicides through statistics. Now, share that pain through the eyes of a Chaplain who lost her assistant 10 months into a 15 month tour in Iraq. His pain may have ended that fateful summer morning, but nothing will ever be the same for those who experience Unvalidated Pain.
Download or read book A Chaplain in Iraq written by Stephen Andrew Missick and published by . This book was released on 2020-10-10 with total page 58 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: What is it like to be a Chaplain serving in the United States Military during the war in Iraq? Stephen A Missick returned to Iraq for a second deployment, this time serving as a Chaplain.
Download or read book Gateway to Iraq written by Rachel Coggins and published by Xulon Press. This book was released on 2009-07 with total page 120 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "Chaplain Coggins offers a glimpse into a world few civilians ever see. In retelling her experiences, Coggins reveals the struggles that confront today's war-zone soldiers and their loved ones, struggles that are often hidden from most Americans."--Page 4 of cover.
Download or read book Chaplains as Liaisons with Religious Leaders written by George Adams and published by . This book was released on 2006 with total page 66 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Faith Under Fire written by Roger Benimoff and published by Crown. This book was released on 2010-03-02 with total page 290 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: “Running away from God doesn’t work. I had tried.” —Roger Benimoff As he left for his second tour of duty as an Army chaplain in Iraq, Roger Benimoff noted in his journal: I am excited and I am scared. I am on fire for God...He is my hope, strength, and focus. But not long after returning to Iraq, the burdens of his job–the memorial services for soldiers killed in action, the therapy sessions after contact with the enemy, the perilous excursions “outside the wire” while under enemy fire–began to overwhelm him. Amid the dust, heat, and blood of Iraq, Benimoff felt the pillar of strength he’d always relied on to hold him up–his faith in God–begin to crumble. Unable to make sense of the senseless, Benimoff turned to his journal. What did it mean to believe in a God who would allow the utter horror and injustice of war? Did He want these brave young men and women to die? In his darkest moment, Benimoff wrote: Why am I so angry? I do not want anything to do with God. I am sick of religion. It is a crutch for the weak. Benimoff’s spiritual crisis heightened upon his return home to Fort Carson, Colorado. He withdrew emotionally from wife and sons, creating tensions that threatened to shatter the family. He was assigned to work at Walter Reed Army Medical Center, where he counseled returning soldiers suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder–until he was diagnosed himself with PTSD. Finding himself in the role of patient rather than caregiver, connecting as an equal with his fellow sufferers, and revisiting scriptural readings that once again rang with meaning and truth, he began his most decisive battle: for the love of his family and for the chance to once again open his heart to the healing grace of God. Intimate and powerful, drawing on Benimoff’s and his wife’s journals, Faith Under Fire chronicles a spiritual struggle through war, loss, and the hard process of learning to believe again.
Download or read book Finding Faith In The Desert written by Anthony W. Horton and published by . This book was released on 2004 with total page 230 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In May 2003, Captain Anthony Horton of the 1st Military Intelligence Battalion received a phone call that would change his life. He was told to pack his bags; he was being reassigned to a unit that had just deployed to Iraq, and the group needed a Chaplain. He soon took a flight straight to Baghdad International Airport and began an emotional spiritual adventure, ministering to American soldiers and to the people of Baghdad, Iraq. Chaplain Horton quickly met Iraqi families who claimed ancestral lineage to the ancient Chaldeans and Assyrians. One particular group he became familiar with was a group of people claiming to be the original Iraqis, a remnant of those ancient people of Ur, where Abraham dwelt. This group calls themselves the Mandaeans and practice a religion they believe was handed down from Adam to Abraham to John the Baptist. His account of the many individual miracles among the U.S. soldiers is truly inspirational.
Download or read book Memoirs from Babylon written by and published by . This book was released on 2011-08-01 with total page 252 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: America's unofficial nightmare during the Iraq War was the infamous Triangle of Death, sometimes referred to by Iraqis as the Graveyard of the Americans. While serving in the Triangle, Chaplain Jeff Bryan ministered to a 1,200-man infantry task force, often while patrolling streets, fields, and villages as his unit cleared them in close-quarters combat. During the most violent and controversial phase of the war, Chaplain Bryan brought God to the American warrior. He witnessed life, death, and faith at every level, including a worst-case scenario in which several troops in his unit were ambushed and captured. Memoirs from Babylon is a dramatic account of humanity at its best and worst, a gut-wrenching experience of fear and faith under fire. Chaplain Bryan's story is a unique combination of life, leadership, military history, and God-centered hope in the midst of America's nightmare.
Download or read book Heaven in the Midst of Hell written by and published by Raven Oak Press. This book was released on 2010 with total page 269 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: War exposes the divide between who we think we are and how we behave in extreme situations. Sheri Snively, who served as a Quaker chaplain with the U.S. Navy, has crafted a vivid, unsettling, and ultimately hopeful personal account of the effects of the Iraq war on soldiers and civilians in Heaven in the Midst of Hell. As she served with the Marines working amid the boredom, ten-sion, and seemingly meaningless carnage at a trauma hospital between Ramadi and Fallujah, Commander Snively experienced first-hand the grim reality of combat. As she recounts the way she and the soldiers around her experience war, she negotiates a compassionate path to healing -- marked not by formulaic answers, but by an open and ques-tioning spirit. Illustrated with the author's own evocative photographs, this is a compelling and unforgettable journey into the human soul.
Download or read book Meditations from Iraq written by Lance Kittleson and published by CSS Publishing. This book was released on 2005 with total page 237 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: I experienced the power of God's grace in two ways as I have read these e-mails: I heard the story of faith of an ordinary parish pastor who served God in a rather extraordinary setting, and I experienced the power of God to make the ordinary precious. These letters are filled with simple moments of serving coffee and serving God, baptism by bottled water and denominational tensions melting under a desert sun. Lance Kittleson shares with all of us a small piece of God's kingdom in a far-off land. (from the Preface) Elaine Siemsen Assistant Professor of Religion St. Olaf College In January 2003, Lance Kittleson's army reserve unit was deployed to Kuwait and Iraq. For the next 14 months, his ministry was transformed ? instead of pastoring an Iowa congregation, he now served under harsh and sometimes dangerous conditions as a chaplain for a support unit on the edge of war. Yet even in this chaotic and challenging environment, his trained pastor's eye finds the presence of God in moments both mundane and exhilarating. In this collection of e-mails sent to family and friends during his time in the Middle East, Kittleson shares insightful, poignant, and humorous meditations on faith and life. You'll get a firsthand glimpse of military life, as well as the remarkable ways of the spirit (both divine and human) at work. When the camp's altar suddenly disappears, you'll read about how Kittleson comes to understand that the crude replacement altar hastily assembled from discarded shipping crates is a better symbol of Jesus than any fancy altar in an ornate sanctuary. You'll also see how the sight of a superior officer offering a cup of coffee draws quizzical responses from servicemen accustomed to a rank-conscious army. Whether you are interested in learning more about what some of our men and women in uniform are experiencing in Iraq, want thoughtful sermon illustrations, or just desire inspirational reading that highlights God's presence even in the worst of life, Meditations >From Iraq is a fascinating volume for everyone. Some of the illuminating chapters include: * A Baptism In The Desert * The Spirit's Honeywagon * The Rivers Of Babylon * Tikrit And Perspective (Or Dodging Bat Guano In The Desert) * Saint SGT Murphy * Eli's Christmas Tree (Or Someone In Iowa Loves You) * The Last Convoy * SRP Blues Lance Kittleson has been an ELCA pastor since 1981. He is currently the pastor of Deer Creek Lutheran Church in Carpenter, Iowa, and St. Peter Lutheran Church in Toeterville, Iowa. Kittleson previously served parishes in Iowa and Oregon, and has been a missionary in Senegal. Kittleson's military service has included 17 years as a chaplain in the Army Reserve and 10 years as an infantry officer. He is a graduate of North Carolina State University and Luther Seminary. click here for sample
Download or read book Enlisting Faith written by Ronit Y. Stahl and published by Harvard University Press. This book was released on 2017-11-06 with total page 385 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A century ago, as the United States prepared to enter World War I, the military chaplaincy included only mainline Protestants and Catholics. Today it counts Jews, Mormons, Muslims, Christian Scientists, Buddhists, Seventh-day Adventists, Hindus, and evangelicals among its ranks. Enlisting Faith traces the uneven processes through which the military struggled with, encouraged, and regulated religious pluralism over the twentieth century. Moving from the battlefields of Europe to the jungles of Vietnam and between the forests of Civilian Conservation Corps camps and meetings in government offices, Ronit Y. Stahl reveals how the military borrowed from and battled religion. Just as the state relied on religion to sanction war and sanctify death, so too did religious groups seek recognition as American faiths. At times the state used religion to advance imperial goals. But religious citizens pushed back, challenging the state to uphold constitutional promises and moral standards. Despite the constitutional separation of church and state, the federal government authorized and managed religion in the military. The chaplaincy demonstrates how state leaders scrambled to handle the nation’s deep religious, racial, and political complexities. While officials debated which clergy could serve, what insignia they would wear, and what religions appeared on dog tags, chaplains led worship for a range of faiths, navigated questions of conscience, struggled with discrimination, and confronted untimely death. Enlisting Faith is a vivid portrayal of religious encounters, state regulation, and the trials of faith—in God and country—experienced by the millions of Americans who fought in and with the armed forces.
Download or read book Redeployment written by Phil Klay and published by Penguin. This book was released on 2014-03-04 with total page 304 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Winner of the National Book Award for Fiction "Redeployment is hilarious, biting, whipsawing and sad. It’s the best thing written so far on what the war did to people’s souls.” —Dexter Filkins, The New York Times Book Review Selected as one of the best books of the year by The New York Times Book Review, Time, Newsweek, The Washington Post Book World, Amazon, and more Phil Klay's Redeployment takes readers to the frontlines of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, asking us to understand what happened there, and what happened to the soldiers who returned. Interwoven with themes of brutality and faith, guilt and fear, helplessness and survival, the characters in these stories struggle to make meaning out of chaos. In "Redeployment", a soldier who has had to shoot dogs because they were eating human corpses must learn what it is like to return to domestic life in suburbia, surrounded by people "who have no idea where Fallujah is, where three members of your platoon died." In "After Action Report", a Lance Corporal seeks expiation for a killing he didn't commit, in order that his best friend will be unburdened. A Morturary Affairs Marine tells about his experiences collecting remains—of U.S. and Iraqi soldiers both. A chaplain sees his understanding of Christianity, and his ability to provide solace through religion, tested by the actions of a ferocious Colonel. And in the darkly comic "Money as a Weapons System", a young Foreign Service Officer is given the absurd task of helping Iraqis improve their lives by teaching them to play baseball. These stories reveal the intricate combination of monotony, bureaucracy, comradeship and violence that make up a soldier's daily life at war, and the isolation, remorse, and despair that can accompany a soldier's homecoming. Redeployment has become a classic in the tradition of war writing. Across nations and continents, Klay sets in devastating relief the two worlds a soldier inhabits: one of extremes and one of loss. Written with a hard-eyed realism and stunning emotional depth, this work marks Phil Klay as one of the most talented new voices of his generation.
Download or read book Safest Place in Iraq written by Colonel Paul Linzey and published by Morgan James Faith. This book was released on 2020-09 with total page 200 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Safest Place in Iraq deals first-hand with what it feels like to be in the war, with its emotions, temptations, and struggles, and at the same time, experience the power and the presence of God.
