I wasn't really aware of how long it has been since I posted something here until I got on to post something about that night two years ago in Hawthorne, NV. Guess I need to pay more attention when I am actually in port and not on a government computer and able to post.
Anyway, today was a special day not just because it is a day in which all of the Deadwalkers from 1/9 remember our seven brothers lost in a mortar explosion. Today, one of the Corpsmen from that night was awarded the Navy and Marine Corps Medal for his bravery and actions that night. This is the highest award for heroism displayed in peacetime.
On that night, Ian was severely injured by the blast. So much so that he is still recovering from his wounds and has endured multiple surgeries to rebuild his face. Despite his significantly more severe injuries, he repeatedly waved off efforts of others to assist him directing them to his injured Marines. If fact, his airway was blocked and he intubated himself to open the airway, thus saving his own life. I can't even imagine enduring his trauma, much less having the clarity of mind to perform a life saving technique on anyone, including myself.
I didn't get to speak with him that night as he was one of eight Marines and Sailors airlifted to Reno, NV for treatment. However, I was able to speak with him a few days later when he was in between a few surgeries. I walked into his room to check on how he was doing and if there was anything he needed from me or anyone else. Before I could finish saying hello, he had written on a sheet of paper. How are you doing? Corpsman to the core of his being.
The next time I visited two days later, he had an iPad and was rapidly communicating via technology and had been contacted by one of his heroes. Ian, like myself, is from the Triangle and WRAL had done a story on him and alluded to his actions and it came up that he was a huge Duke fan (of course this sat well with his Duke graduate chaplain). Well, Coach K got word of this and personally called Ian's hospital room and spoke with him for a few minutes and promised him the game ball from their upcoming NCAA tournament game and I think also provided him a jersey from that game as well. Small tributes for a outsized man.
I am glad I get to know and work with men and women such as this Devil Doc. He is a Deadwalker to the core.
I got to see photos of him receiving his medal today and am proud of him and his progress towards a full recovery.
Wednesday, March 18, 2015
Monday, May 26, 2014
Memorial Day Reading
As I sit at home after a long bike ride watching Taking Chance, I thought it would be great to compile a short list of some great things to read on this day when we honor those who gave their full measure of devotion to the cause of their brothers and sisters in arms.
This first one is from Faith and Leadership at Duke Divinity and contains three articles written by Chaplain Mel Baars and two by myself regarding veterans issues and dealing with tragedy in our midst. If you don't have time for them all, read Mel's as she's a much better writer than myself.
http://www.faithandleadership.com/features/articles/resources-for-memorial-day
The next is a great piece that was meant for Remembrance Day (our Veteran's Day). In England and other countries Armistice Day is a day to remember the fallen from the great wars.
http://www.theatlantic.com/national/archive/2010/11/armistice-day-the-forgotten-fields-of-flanders/66409/
And of course, the poem in Flanders Fields: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/In_Flanders_Fields
Here is a reflection by a Jewish Rabbi at the dedication of a cemetery on Iwo Jima in 1945: http://chaplaincorps.navylive.dodlive.mil/2014/03/26/honoring-the-fallen-in-the-battle-of-iwo-jima-69-years-later/
I highly recommend watching President Regan's speech at the D-Day memorial in 1984: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eEIqdcHbc8I
Finally, take an hour and a half and watch Taking Chance. It is a truly powerful depiction of how many people a fallen service member touches in his or her life and death.
This first one is from Faith and Leadership at Duke Divinity and contains three articles written by Chaplain Mel Baars and two by myself regarding veterans issues and dealing with tragedy in our midst. If you don't have time for them all, read Mel's as she's a much better writer than myself.
http://www.faithandleadership.com/features/articles/resources-for-memorial-day
The next is a great piece that was meant for Remembrance Day (our Veteran's Day). In England and other countries Armistice Day is a day to remember the fallen from the great wars.
http://www.theatlantic.com/national/archive/2010/11/armistice-day-the-forgotten-fields-of-flanders/66409/
And of course, the poem in Flanders Fields: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/In_Flanders_Fields
Here is a reflection by a Jewish Rabbi at the dedication of a cemetery on Iwo Jima in 1945: http://chaplaincorps.navylive.dodlive.mil/2014/03/26/honoring-the-fallen-in-the-battle-of-iwo-jima-69-years-later/
I highly recommend watching President Regan's speech at the D-Day memorial in 1984: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eEIqdcHbc8I
Finally, take an hour and a half and watch Taking Chance. It is a truly powerful depiction of how many people a fallen service member touches in his or her life and death.
Tuesday, March 18, 2014
One Year Later
This is a time of year when many people are recovering from their celebration of St Patrick last night. However, this time of year is one of reflection for me and many other Marines and Sailors who were with the Walking Dead in Hawthorne, NV.
Personally, I am grateful for not having any night vision goggles that night. If I had some I would have been down range following my Marines and would have been close enough to the blast that at a minimum I would have spent some time in the hospital. The individual with whom I ran the two previous day range events was seriously injured and I was always within arms reach of him.
I learned what secondary trauma looks and feels like. I wasn't on the hill, but I can tell you exactly what it looked like, what it smelled like and what happened in all of its tragic detail. I learned just how surreal it is to know the full story and less than 12 hours later seeing CNN leading the news talking about and making some crazy guesses about what happened.
I miss Josh, Billy, Ripp, Mason, Joshua, David and Rog. We all do. They were good men. Their families raised them right and were so gracious and loving towards us as we all grieved together at many funerals over the span of a week.
But, what I didn't expect was to find so much beauty in the midst of all that carnage. I saw bravery and heroism that we don't speak much of in peacetime and training. There are Marines and Sailors that are here who wouldn't have made it without the quick thinking of those on the scene and due to the amazing leadership and training of the Battalion Surgeon.
I saw communities pour out their hearts for their lost sons and welcome their brothers in arms as if we had grown up right alongside them. I saw people lining a highway for 50 miles to honor someone they never met, people pulling over to the side of the road just to nod to those of us in a long processional. I saw a funeral crowd for a Lance Corporal that surprised and briefly overwhelmed the staff at Arlington.
That night and the events that followed impacted me and made me a better chaplain, a better minister and a better person.
I leave you with the memorial remarks at the two memorial services; one at Bridgeport and one at Camp Lejeune.
Personally, I am grateful for not having any night vision goggles that night. If I had some I would have been down range following my Marines and would have been close enough to the blast that at a minimum I would have spent some time in the hospital. The individual with whom I ran the two previous day range events was seriously injured and I was always within arms reach of him.
I learned what secondary trauma looks and feels like. I wasn't on the hill, but I can tell you exactly what it looked like, what it smelled like and what happened in all of its tragic detail. I learned just how surreal it is to know the full story and less than 12 hours later seeing CNN leading the news talking about and making some crazy guesses about what happened.
I miss Josh, Billy, Ripp, Mason, Joshua, David and Rog. We all do. They were good men. Their families raised them right and were so gracious and loving towards us as we all grieved together at many funerals over the span of a week.
But, what I didn't expect was to find so much beauty in the midst of all that carnage. I saw bravery and heroism that we don't speak much of in peacetime and training. There are Marines and Sailors that are here who wouldn't have made it without the quick thinking of those on the scene and due to the amazing leadership and training of the Battalion Surgeon.
I saw communities pour out their hearts for their lost sons and welcome their brothers in arms as if we had grown up right alongside them. I saw people lining a highway for 50 miles to honor someone they never met, people pulling over to the side of the road just to nod to those of us in a long processional. I saw a funeral crowd for a Lance Corporal that surprised and briefly overwhelmed the staff at Arlington.
That night and the events that followed impacted me and made me a better chaplain, a better minister and a better person.
I leave you with the memorial remarks at the two memorial services; one at Bridgeport and one at Camp Lejeune.
Wednesday, March 5, 2014
Shipboard Ash Wednesday
Many
here may have arrived out of mere curiosity. Some have participated in this
service for as long as they can remember. So why are we here on this Wednesday?
We
come here in this place and time to mark ourselves in an overtly outer manner
as Christians. This is the one time where we do this. Why do we mark ourselves
in such a bold way when Jesus says, “beware of practicing your piety before
others in order to be seen by them?” Does this practice violate what Jesus
expects of us in the Sermon on the Mount?
I
don’t think so, because of the motives involved in what we are doing here
today. This isn’t in the same manner that the hypocrites of Jesus’ day showed
off their fasting. This is only for one day, if that long, as most people will
wash the ashes off at some point in the day. It will mark you as a believer in
a world where believing isn’t always looked upon positively. It may mark you as
odd, an outsider. It probably won’t bring you respect or fame. It may just end
up getting you ridicule or weird looks.
But,
it’s not to let the world know we are Christians. We are called to let the
world know through our actions. It is placed on our foreheads as a reminder. We
forget many things, for example that God is God and we are not. We forget we
are sinners. We forget that we don’t really know what a fast is. We forget that
we have tendencies that make us like the hypocrites in the Gospel passage from
today. We forget that from dust we came and to dust we shall return. We need a
physical mark that we feel as it is applied as our reminder.
In
Jesus’ time, people would walk around in sackcloth (essentially a burlap sack)
and put dust or ashes on their heads to show that they were either repenting
from something or in mourning. And because they believed that sins could lead
to suffering the two reasons for walking around with ashes on their bodies were
very similar. They would let the world know they were turning away from
something. They wanted to whole world to know their sins and pain.
But,
Jesus came along and said that is not what God wanted. God wanted them to
repent in a more private manner. If they are fasting they should put oil on
their head and wash their face. The fast God chose is different from what
humans choose when they fast. We want everyone to know we are fasting, Jesus
proclaims that isn’t necessary because God already knows that you are fasting
and the reason behind that fast.
So
what is the fast that God chooses and what does that mean for us? God chooses a
different kind of fast than we typically understand the word fast. We think it
has to involve giving up something for the next 40 days. Actually, its more
than 40 days because you get to break the fast every Sunday. We give up things
like candy, meat, soda, caffeine, sweets, TV, facebook, etc. These things get
so involved in our life that we think giving them up is so difficult that we
offer that denial up to God as our fast during Lent. Others will take on extra
duties and responsibilities as part of their Lenten discipline. Both of these
are acceptable, but is that really what God chose as his fast?
In
today’s reading, Isaiah speaks for God and describes the fast God chooses. It’s
not what we might consider a fast by today’s standards and today’s culture.
Isaiah asks if humbling yourself in sackcloth and ashes with your head down for
the whole world to see is the fast God chooses. Because this fast only serves
to make us have righteous justification for looking down on others who don’t do
the same. Our fast should be lasting and mirror what God wants. That is why we
mark ourselves to remember this fast.
Our
fast should be one of destroying the bonds of injustice where we find them;
lifting oppression anywhere we find it and setting people free. Sharing our
bread with the hungry and bringing the homeless and poor into all aspects of
our lives, including our homes. Clothing those who need basic articles of
clothing. Isaiah says “if you remove the yoke from among you, the pointing of
the finger, the speaking of evil, if you offer your food to the hungry and
satisfy the needs of the afflicted, then your light shall rise in the darkness
and your gloom be like the noonday. You shall be like a watered garden, like a
spring of water, whose waters never fail.”
This
fast is something that we can do as sailors. It’s hard to give up certain foods
for 40 days while underway or working crazy hours. It’s hard to give up
caffeine when coffee may be the only drink available. That kind of fast is
setting you up for failure and the frustration that comes with it. It’s more
like a New Year’s resolution rather than a spiritual discipline, which will
change your life and mold you to be like Christ.
The
fast God chooses is life changing, done in private and becomes natural. This
fast lasts more than 40 days. This fast changes other people. This fast doesn’t
require outward signs that you are fasting because when you participate in this
fast, people can’t help but know that you are marked. These ashes remind us of
this fast, the fast that God chose. The same fast that God asks you to choose
today.
Saturday, February 1, 2014
Remembering Guadalcanal
I’ve been out to sea for almost a month, so no real activity
on the blog because not much noteworthy happens on an open ocean transit. But,
sometimes an amazing opportunity presents itself.
One of the great things about this who Navy Chaplain gig is
that I get to travel to some amazing places and am provided with opportunities that
most pastors never consider possible. I was honored and humbled to participate
in a remembrance service off the coast of Guadalcanal
this past week.
The CO of the ship on which I am currently embarked received
a note in his suggestion box regarding a family connection with a survivor of
the Battle of Guadalcanal. The sailor briefly described how is grandfather was
in the battle and the ship he was on sank in Savo Sound, commonly referred to
as Iron Bottom Sound because there are 46 warships resting on the bottom
following 6 months of battles. This sailor also wrote that it was a dream of
his since joining the Navy to make it to that specific spot in the ocean.
On the same night the sailor placed the suggestion, he
stopped me in the passageway and gave me a brief rundown of how excited he was
that he may travel close to the site of his grandfather’s ship. The next
morning, the CO mentioned the note and asked me if I would put together a short
service in case we passed close by the wreckage of the USS LAFFEY. As luck
would have it, we were not only traveling through Savo Sound to refuel in Guadalcanal, our track was close enough that we could
alter course slightly and pass directly over the LAFFEY.
I worked with the sailor and developed a short remembrance
service to honor all who perished in the Guadalcanal
campaign. This sailor created a memorial of sorts by adding a weight to his Dixie
Cup (that is the trademark white cover that enlisted sailors wear) that he
could place in the water and have it rest close to the ship.
With everything set, about 40 of us gathered on the flight
deck as we departed Guadalcanal and with both Guadalcanal and Savo Island
in clear view we conducted a short ceremony. In addition, the sailor chose to
re-enlist in the Navy in the same spot in which his grandfather survived a
major naval battle and the sinking of his ship.
No matter how long I am a chaplain, I will always remember two
things about this whole experience off Guadalcanal.
The look on a sailor’s face when I told him that the CO wanted me to do a
ceremony to honor his grandfather and fulfill a life long dream of that sailor.
And, the fact that I was called upon by a ship to conduct a ceremony in some
historic waters, somewhere I may never have the opportunity to set my sight
upon again.
This is what being a chaplain is all about.
Monday, January 6, 2014
Sacramental Children
This weekend I had the pleasure of seeing two children participate in sacraments in ways that really show what theology means. On Friday I had the honor of baptizing a two-month old in the bell of one of my ships. This is a long Navy tradition and the baptism on Friday was the 6th in the short history of the USS Kidd. When his father handed him over to me, a complete stranger, he was upset and began to cry which is significant because every day we don't want to leave our comfort to follow Christ. The call on our lives is difficult and I think that deep down, when we baptize infants they understand what is happening in a way adults just tend to blow off. That water on their heads is shocking and causes many to cry out much like a two-month old did on Friday. I think that they also know that some people made a difficult promise on their behalf and they are none too happy about that. But something else happened on Friday. An infant accepted the water and calmed down as I walked him around to see his new family. He found a new comfort on the other side of discomfort, a lesson we could all learn from this particular child.
And this particular sacrament has meant something to a number of people as the photo below, taken by my fellow DESRON Chaplain is probably the most commented on photo I have ever posted on Facebook. It is a moment that many others have wanted to participate in from afar:
As if that wasn't a significant object lesson, on Sunday I saw something I have never seen nor imagined. The church I attended shared communion and they participate in a manner I haven't seen elsewhere in that they pass two plastic cups stacked together. The bread in the bottom cup and juice in the top cup. Well, as they were passing out the elements they missed a 4 year old girl and her father who were sitting in the pew in front of me. The first time an elder walked by the pew, the girl started to feverishly look around wondering when they were going to serve her and her father. As a second elder passed near she locked her eyes on him like tractor beams and was doing her best to will him to see her and serve them the elements. Unfortunately, he too passed the little girl and her father without skipping a beat.
Then, she burst into tears. It took me a second to realize that she was crying because they forgot to serve her communion. A four year old who was so distraught at the possibility of not partaking in communion that she was crying. How many adults view the importance of communion in such a manner that we will make a scene if we can't partake? Do we view it as something of significance rather than just a part of worship to get through quickly to get to lunch or home to watch the game? I have to admit, in that moment I felt wholly unworthy to partake. So I did what anyone should do when a four year old is schooling you in theology. I leaned forward and gave her the elements I had received. She wanted and needed it more than me. And through her I participated in one of the more memorable and truest communion meal I have ever had the privilege of partaking in.
And this particular sacrament has meant something to a number of people as the photo below, taken by my fellow DESRON Chaplain is probably the most commented on photo I have ever posted on Facebook. It is a moment that many others have wanted to participate in from afar:
As if that wasn't a significant object lesson, on Sunday I saw something I have never seen nor imagined. The church I attended shared communion and they participate in a manner I haven't seen elsewhere in that they pass two plastic cups stacked together. The bread in the bottom cup and juice in the top cup. Well, as they were passing out the elements they missed a 4 year old girl and her father who were sitting in the pew in front of me. The first time an elder walked by the pew, the girl started to feverishly look around wondering when they were going to serve her and her father. As a second elder passed near she locked her eyes on him like tractor beams and was doing her best to will him to see her and serve them the elements. Unfortunately, he too passed the little girl and her father without skipping a beat.
Then, she burst into tears. It took me a second to realize that she was crying because they forgot to serve her communion. A four year old who was so distraught at the possibility of not partaking in communion that she was crying. How many adults view the importance of communion in such a manner that we will make a scene if we can't partake? Do we view it as something of significance rather than just a part of worship to get through quickly to get to lunch or home to watch the game? I have to admit, in that moment I felt wholly unworthy to partake. So I did what anyone should do when a four year old is schooling you in theology. I leaned forward and gave her the elements I had received. She wanted and needed it more than me. And through her I participated in one of the more memorable and truest communion meal I have ever had the privilege of partaking in.
Monday, November 11, 2013
Poppies over Parades
As someone on Active Duty, it gets real annoying every November 11th as my Facebook feed explodes with people saying Happy Veterans Day. I've never understood why we call this a happy day. I sometimes think we focus on the day off and happy thoughts to forget why this day even matters.
At the end of World War I (the war to end all wars), an armistice took effect at 1100 on November 11th. In the years after that war, the day was set aside to remember all those who participated in such a brutal war that saw the advent of trench warfare and poison gas against troops. Armistice day was designed for parades, public meetings and a brief suspension of business (most would participate in two minutes of silence at 1100). After World War II and the realization that war may never end, remembrance was set aside on Memorial Day (a holiday from the Civil War) and Veterans Day was established to remember all who served in any war.
Perhaps we need to get back to remembering Armistice Day rather than seeing which corporation can offer the best freebies to the military. Because in doing so we have lost sight of two things. First, war is horrible, brutal and has long lasting effects. Armistice Day stood as a hope for peace, a hope to never have to send young men against their will to fight other young men holding weapons against their will across a field over an argument neither of them really had any true understanding of. I'm no pacifist, and realize that we will probably always have war and will sometimes need to resort to force in protecting the innocent. But that doesn't mean we can't work towards truly making the next war the last war as was the hope on that initial Armistice Day in 1918. If that is the reason you are saying thank you and not putting the military on some weird pedestal, then go right ahead.
Second, I think we don't want to keep the original impetus behind Armistice Day because we don't want to reflect on the sadness that comes with service in the military. We in America love to think happy thoughts and will do almost anything to avoid dealing with death and dark things. We can't run from it. If we avoid the dark side of military service we end up with a Veterans Administration that doesn't really help veterans with problems because they aren't living into the narrative we want. We end up with veterans on the street and unemployed because employers are scared their PTSD is a ticking time bomb. We honor the dead on Memorial Day and those who currently serve on Veterans Day because they aren't going to speak up about the horrors of war and what we ask our young men and women to do on our behalf.
Two years ago I was in Afghanistan when one of British civilians working with our battalion came into a meeting a few weeks before Veterans Day wearing a red poppy on his lapel. I had no idea why he was wearing a flower, so I asked. He talked of how that was the tradition on his side of the pond from November 1st until Armistice Day (sometimes called Remembrance Day) to honor those who served and died. He then told me of a poem "In Flanders Fields" by John McCrae written in 1915 that inspired the wearing of the poppy. It made me think that we have lost sight of the hopes of those who served in WWI. I have included it below:
In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.
We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders fields.
Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.
Maybe we can learn more about ourselves and reignite the hope that this war is the last war if we were to heed the words of this poem and spend more time wearing poppies than celebrating on a day like today.
At the end of World War I (the war to end all wars), an armistice took effect at 1100 on November 11th. In the years after that war, the day was set aside to remember all those who participated in such a brutal war that saw the advent of trench warfare and poison gas against troops. Armistice day was designed for parades, public meetings and a brief suspension of business (most would participate in two minutes of silence at 1100). After World War II and the realization that war may never end, remembrance was set aside on Memorial Day (a holiday from the Civil War) and Veterans Day was established to remember all who served in any war.
Perhaps we need to get back to remembering Armistice Day rather than seeing which corporation can offer the best freebies to the military. Because in doing so we have lost sight of two things. First, war is horrible, brutal and has long lasting effects. Armistice Day stood as a hope for peace, a hope to never have to send young men against their will to fight other young men holding weapons against their will across a field over an argument neither of them really had any true understanding of. I'm no pacifist, and realize that we will probably always have war and will sometimes need to resort to force in protecting the innocent. But that doesn't mean we can't work towards truly making the next war the last war as was the hope on that initial Armistice Day in 1918. If that is the reason you are saying thank you and not putting the military on some weird pedestal, then go right ahead.
Second, I think we don't want to keep the original impetus behind Armistice Day because we don't want to reflect on the sadness that comes with service in the military. We in America love to think happy thoughts and will do almost anything to avoid dealing with death and dark things. We can't run from it. If we avoid the dark side of military service we end up with a Veterans Administration that doesn't really help veterans with problems because they aren't living into the narrative we want. We end up with veterans on the street and unemployed because employers are scared their PTSD is a ticking time bomb. We honor the dead on Memorial Day and those who currently serve on Veterans Day because they aren't going to speak up about the horrors of war and what we ask our young men and women to do on our behalf.
Two years ago I was in Afghanistan when one of British civilians working with our battalion came into a meeting a few weeks before Veterans Day wearing a red poppy on his lapel. I had no idea why he was wearing a flower, so I asked. He talked of how that was the tradition on his side of the pond from November 1st until Armistice Day (sometimes called Remembrance Day) to honor those who served and died. He then told me of a poem "In Flanders Fields" by John McCrae written in 1915 that inspired the wearing of the poppy. It made me think that we have lost sight of the hopes of those who served in WWI. I have included it below:
In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.
We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders fields.
Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.
Maybe we can learn more about ourselves and reignite the hope that this war is the last war if we were to heed the words of this poem and spend more time wearing poppies than celebrating on a day like today.
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