One of our guest lecturers in my military chaplaincy class was a chaplain who served in a Baghdad ER. His stories and photos were a lot more graphic than HBO… He spoke of telling a soldier he was going to die and letting him borrow his cell phone to call home… all while we looked at a photo of his fatal injury on the big screen in front of us.
The young men and women who work in these hospital see things humans weren’t meant to see… over and over and over.
They need chaplains.
I often share links of interest on my Facebook account… I guess I should share them with you too. Here are the links I’ve posted in June.
Most Americans Believe in Higher Power, Poll Finds
Source: www.washingtonpost.com
Most Americans believe that angels and demons are active in the world, and nearly 80 percent think miracles occur, according to a poll released yesterday that takes an in-depth look at Americans’ religious beliefs.
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Father Emil Kapaun’s cause for sainthood to be officially opened
Source: catholicnewsagency.c…
The Cause for the Canonization of Father Emil Kapaun, an Army Chaplain who died while in a North Korean Prisoner of War Camp in 1951, will be officially opened on June 29.
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War’s Stresses Take Toll on Military’s Chaplains
Source: www.nytimes.com
“Just as it has claimed so many other members of the military, the war in Iraq has taken a toll on chaplains. Although they do not engage in combat, chaplains face the perils of war as they move around Iraq to visit troops. None have been killed, but some, like Chaplain Brunk, have been wounded. Many report post-traumatic stress disorder and other stress problems.”
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Soldiers’ Self-Harm: ‘Anything Not to Go Back’
Source: www.newsweek.com
There’s a rising trend of soldiers harming themselves to avoid returning to war.
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Joel got four free tickets to last night’s Springfield Cardinals game. It was military appreciation night… unfortunately he was away for Army training and couldn’t go with us. Um… thanks!?
We invited a friend of mine to join us and had a wonderful time. We got our first foul ball which was incredibly exciting. 
Seeing the young soldiers reminded me of why I want to be a chaplain. Sarah made a few friends. These future MPs represented the Army well. I’m very proud of them. They ate an INCREDIBLE amount of food. I’m going to need a huge snack budget when I become a chaplain…
I recently turned in a 20 page paper for the Military Chaplaincy course at AGTS. It covered my call, my strengths and weaknesses as it pertains to the chaplaincy, my vision of ministry opportunities and challenges, free exercise of religion, pluralism, working with chaplains of other faith groups, and a personal fitness plan addressing spiritual, physical, emotional, mental and career growth.
I’m soooo happy to have my husband home… I’ve not had time to blog. Sorry! Here are some photos I took on the day he got here. More posts to come soon. I promise.
I do. I miss him. I know he’s supposed to come home on Wednesday… I also know I was supposed to see him on Tuesday… and last week. I miss him.
It’s hard to believe he’ll be here soon. Really. I don’t mean that metaphorically and it isn’t a cliché. I really can’t believe he’ll be here on the day after tomorrow. I’ll believe it when I hold him in my arms and not really until then.
I’m trying to think of things to do to make him feel at home. I’ve put his stuff back in his drawers and taken my stuff off of his night stand… I organized the bathroom so he will actually fit in there. I’ve cleaned his beloved leather couch and put his freshly washed favorite blanket beside it. [I also realized I've used up all of his good razors... oops.]
In summary, I’m trying to make it look like we didn’t actually move him out. I’d like to stock the fridge and pantry with all of his favorite things… but there’s an inch of ice on my car and I can’t actually remember what he likes to eat anyway. I know he needs Miracle Whip [yuck] and cherry Poptarts… and maybe some Power Ade…
As much as I miss him — and really I miss him A LOT — I’m a bit apprehensive about reintegration. I’m not who I was when he left. Since Joel moved to Ada, OK and started preparing for mobilization, I’ve joined the Army, turned thirty, attended officer basic and become a seminarian. I listen to whatever music I want, rarely watch TV, never watch ESPN, fix the car myself when it’s busted, decide when and where we eat out, take out the trash, discipline the kids. Since Joel left, I’ve driven over 9,446 miles in road trips. Three trips to Texas, two to South Carolina, once to Georgia and twice to Tennessee. Plus one round trip flight from Oklahoma City to Tennessee and one from South Carolina to Indiana.
It’s been a long journey.
I’m not who I was. I’m glad. I hope he is too.
I was supposed to fly to Indiana one week from today to meet Joel at the airport. We planned on spending one week together while he made preparations for his soldiers to return.
Plans have changed. His replacement didn’t work out so he has to stay a little longer.
I should still see him soon, just not as soon as I had hoped… and the fun-filled kid-free week has been canceled.
I’m disappointed, of course… and hoping we get our money back on my plane tickets.
Ah well, such is the Army. I’ll hold him when I hold him.
