Stories of Faith and Courage from the War in Iraq and Afghanistan

by Jane Hampton Cook

  Here’s Hoyt’s BUA prayer from Nov. 19, 2006: “We thank You this day Lord, for leaving the windows of heaven open to us through the gift of prayer. We confess to You our world’s experience sometimes dwarfs our awareness of You and things appear insurmountable.

  “But You have set eternity in our heart and planted wisdom in our innermost being and given understanding to the mind.

  “We pray for insight into the illusive goals of peace so we may cease the perplexities of war. We pray for a graceful approach with each other so we may practice the lessons of love. We pray for Your enduring mercy and comfort so our wounded may be relieved from the suffering we cannot touch.

  “And we pray to You, the God of our Universe, so our vision will exceed the horizon of the here and now and our heart will, in purpose and in faith, be lifted to hope in You. Keep us in prayer this week so we may hear Your voice of triumph in the tasks before us each day. Amen.”

  Prayer:

  Thank you for prayer and its power to encourage and keep us from losing heart.

  “Now He was telling them a parable to show that at all times they ought to pray, and to not lose heart.” (Luke 18:1)

  March 24

  BUA PRAYER: NOT BY MIGHT

  Multinational Force-Iraq Command Chaplain, (Col.) Mike Hoyt, United States Army

  The enemy often accused Americans of being religious crusaders. But such false rhetoric did not erase the need for people of all ranks to receive ethical and spiritual encouragement. The challenge of the commanding general’s chaplain was to find a way to provide that nourishment despite the enemy’s provocations.

  Discussions about having a prayer at the BUA, the daily Battle Update Assessment, inevitably led to questions about whether or not America is a Christian nation. As plain as he could, Hoyt made the case that America was expecting the Iraqis to be what they are: Muslim. They expected America to be what America is, a place embracing freedom of worship.

  “We at least espouse Christ-like principles. And we allow Christianity to occur unfettered and unbothered and their view of us (the Iraqi) is that we are a Christian nation. So I don’t think it’s wise for us to stop being Christian while we are the lead nation for this coalition. We ought not to deny our heritage or our history when we’re expecting everybody else to step up to the plate and be what they are. Let’s continue to be what we are,” Hoyt said, adding that he sought to be as inclusive as he could with the theology that he owned.

  Here’s the BUA prayer Hoyt offered on July 28, 2007. “Lord God, we are in that most difficult of jobs to win a war without loving it. We do not shirk the battle. We ask wisdom to keep our balance. Teach us O Lord, to live both of these truths. We serve in Iraq leaving behind our ‘real life’ so we can work in the ‘real life’ mission we are trained to conduct. We pursue our craft with a genuine selfless attitude, yet we do not overlook Your ceaseless Grace.

  “We reenlist with commitment to our job, but postpone reviving our hearts in relationship with You for the days ahead. We are consumed with what we do; and we are prone to forget what You have done. Thank You Lord for Your eternal patience and still, small voice that tells us life is not meant to be a series of trade offs, but a triumph of faith. Help us to exchange in faith that which we cannot keep in order to gain that which we cannot lose.”

  Prayer:

  Thank you for reminding me that above power and might, you move through the spirit.

  “It is not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit says the Lord of hosts.” (Zechariah 4:6)

  March 25

  BUA PRAYER: THEY LOOKED FORWARD TO IT

  Multinational Force-Iraq Command Chaplain, (Col.) Mike Hoyt, United States Army

  We got many, many requests for the prayers and many compliments from other nations routinely asking for them. The couple of Sundays that the BUA prayer didn’t happen, the commanding general was personally asked by other members of the staff and coalition, “Where was the prayer today?” They looked forward to it.

  Whatever the chaplain said at the BUA, he had to make it brief. Time was a factor. As a result, Hoyt composed only a few lines at time, something that could be read in less than a minute. Here’s the BUA prayer from April 7, 2007 with an introduction from Scripture:

  “Pilate said to them, ‘You have a guard; go, make it as secure as you know how’ (Matthew 27:65) but “I am God, and there is no one like Me, declaring the end from the beginning and from ancient times things which have not been done, Saying ‘My purpose will be established, and I will accomplish all My good pleasure’” (Isaiah 46:9–10).

  “Thank You God we do not own the final solution. Even when we think we have all things carefully wrapped up in our plans and means, truly we are the ones shrouded in the mystery of life eternal under Your conditions. Nothing is final with You until You declare it so. Even at the consummation of the Age it is Your Holy and unstoppable purpose to make all things new.

  “You make fresh Your mercies for us each day. You interfere upon our designs with a loving deliverance that remakes our hearts and redeems a soul even after we have long buried the idea of a second chance! Nothing unravels the weight of guilt and the sepulchers of excuses like Your Holy forgiveness. Nothing resurrects a new horizon to a lost vision like Your promise that all things are possible in faith. And nothing heals our wounded bodies, comrades, relationships like the bona fide example of a living God who makes death a by word, and suffering a benediction in the vocabulary of victory.

  “Remind us of the strength of an unbreakable and immortal promise in You. Lead us in our worship to the rendezvous with your Almighty power. And bring to us this week those unexpected, unthought of appearances from You that sets our hearts aflame with the joyful news nothing is final until it is complete in You. Amen.”

  Prayer:

  Thank you for firmly establishing your purpose. Show your purpose for me today. May I live my life fully in your will.

  “My purpose will be established, and I will accomplish all My good pleasure.” (Isaiah 46:10)

  March 26

  BUA PRAYER: SEPTEMBER 11, 2006

  Multinational Force-Iraq Command Chaplain, (Col.) Mike Hoyt, United States Army

  The anniversary of September 11, 2006, brought an opportunity for Multinational Force-Iraq Command Chaplain, CH Colonel Mike Hoyt to deliver a special prayer during the commemorative ceremony in the Green Zone at the temporary U.S. Embassy in Baghdad.

  “Almighty and Everlasting God, We gather today in the shade of Your enduring love to mark terrible moments in our past and express convictions of hope for our future. We acknowledge Your Majesty holds all of our experience in the grip of Your Eternity. Nothing we remember or endeavor to achieve removes us from Your Sovereignty, even when events seem to distance us from Your Love. You do not change. We come in prayer relying upon Your constancy of character, eternal purpose, and abiding love to be our guide.”

  “We will not and cannot forget the acts of terror thrust upon our world September 11, 2001. Neither will we become a part of terror’s bitter cycle. So we come, in the posture of prayer, humbling our hearts first as we remember the triumph of good over evil.

  “We humbly ask You to carry our prayer of compassion towards those friends and families who face each day bereaved of a loved one killed in this battle against evil. Comfort them in Your Holy hug as the God of this Universe and help us to remember the outcomes of our labor keep sacred their loving sacrifice.

  “We beseech Your miracles of healing upon the maimed and wounded bodies of those smashed in the vice of terror. Restore their confidence in the good works of humanity and grant them a zeal for life.

  “We pray for our enemies… we do not know how. We cannot excuse their conduct or negotiate with their evil. We freely admit their actions are beyond our reach but well within Yours. Let justice roll down like waters and righteousness like an ever flowing stream. Show us paths of reconciliation and guard us from the self made tyranny that fails to see the beam in our own
eye so that we may walk the road of redemption with integrity.

  “Inspire in us, through Your works of Grace, a forgiving spirit. Equip us in the duty of justice to remember mercy. Protect us from the deceptions of might and power so we may see Your works and hear Your still, small voice.

  “Finally, Great and Merciful God You who exact the destinies of nations from the character of its citizens we pray for our future. Remove the stumbling blocks of international strife and bring to our leaders the strength and wisdom from above. So that one day we may ‘beat our swords into plowshares and each man may dwell in safety under his vine and his fig tree’. Amen.”

  Prayer:

  Thank you for sending your justice and righteousness like a flowing stream with consistency and power.

  “Let justice roll down like waters and righteousness like an ever flowing stream.” (Amos 5:24)

  March 27

  OPERATION BANDANAS

  Mary Bass Gray, Operation Bandanas, www.operationbandanas.org

  Mary Bass Gray of Fayetteville, North Carolina, did what many mothers of deployed soldiers do as her two sons made numerous trips to the Middle East. She prayed continuously. She also turned to Psalm 91, often known as the soldier’s Psalm, and prayed its inspiring verses for her sons.

  “One of my sons did night missions. As I read the scripture ‘you shall not be afraid of the terror by night or the arrows that flies by day’ (Psalm 91:5), I pray courage for my son as well,” Gray explained.

  When Gray found a website selling camouflage bandanas imprinted with Psalm 91 in November 2006, she knew immediately what she had to do. She decided to find a way to get a bandana into the hands of every soldier at Fort Bragg, North Carolina. As a result, Operation Bandanas for Fort Bragg was born.

  Mary began collecting donations to buy the Psalm 91 bandanas, which cost three dollars each. Volunteers from her church began getting together to fold the bandanas and stuff them into plastic zip-lock bags along with printed notes. Cases of the folded bandanas were shipped to Fort Bragg soldiers. The effort grew beyond Fort Bragg as other churches and communities learned about the bandanas. Today, the bandanas are going to military personnel in a variety of places.

  Verse 3 in Psalm 91 stood out to Mary, “Surely he will save you from the fowler’s snare.”

  “I think of our troops being under the attack of the enemy over there who is the fowler and the traps that are laid for them through these IEDs and roadside bombs. And I pray for each and every one of them that God will deliver them from the snare of the fowler. So it’s a beautiful Psalm that anyone can read but a soldier specifically will get encouragement from it,” Mary explained.

  Bandanas serve a practical purpose. Soldiers use them for a variety of purposes, a face shield from sand storms, a sweat band, and even a tourniquet. Mary noted that God’s Word is an offensive weapon not a defensive weapon, in God’s armor.

  “So I believe that as our soldiers suit up for battle, we should also be able to give them a piece of the armor of God to give them protection, deliverance, courage, encouragement, and comfort,” Mary said.

  The terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001 ignited the war on terror. The coincidence of the numerical reference of Psalm 91:1 makes this passage of Scripture an even more comforting source of strength to military personnel and their families.

  Prayer:

  Almighty God, I pray your protection over our military members, that you will keep them from the fowler’s snare and that they may abide under your shadow.

  “He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.” (Psalm 91:1)

  March 28

  RECEIVING BANDANAS

  Mary Bass Gray, Operation Bandanas, www.operationbandanas.org

  When Mary Bass Gray of Fayetteville, North Carolina, began Operation Bandanas in November 2006, she turned to chaplains for help. As a result, chaplains became the primary distributors of these donated camouflage bandanas imprinted with Psalm 91. By June 2008, Operation Bandanas had provided more than 55,000 bandanas to members of the military. How did military personnel receive them? They received them with much appreciation!

  Multinational Force-Iraq Command Chaplain, CH Colonel Mike Hoyt, who served as senior chaplain for all United States forces in Iraq (2006–07), explained the impact of these bandanas on Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, and Marines.

  “The conversation stops when I pull one of these out. I tell that this is being presented to you by citizens of the United States of America, from Christians who specifically have you in mind in prayer. They have spent their money and their time to be sure these are delivered to you guys, to let you know that they support you and are behind your personal spiritual life,” he said.

  Hoyt explained that when he pulled out the bandanas from their zip-lock bags and handed them to members of the military, many asked him pray over them right then and there.

  “Everyone looks at me right in the eye and says thanks,” Hoyt noted. No one just stuffed a bandana into their pocket as if it were just another token.

  “Man, what a powerful thing that is for soldiers. The bandana sort of becomes a hallowed relic right there,” Hoyt said.

  The bandanas have been used in many ways. Some soldiers who received the bandanas before deploying had their children write a message on the back of the bandana, as a continual reminder of those back home. A sergeant suffered a severe leg wound from a rocket attack in Iraq. Those who were with him grabbed whatever they could find. They tied two of these bandanas together and wrapped them around his leg. The bandanas not only saved his leg, but possibly his life.

  The bandanas have also played a role as men and women return home.

  One tradition you may or may not be aware of that’s developed on the part of some soldiers is having their fellow soldiers/friends ‘sign’ these bandanas as a keepsake before heading home to remind them of God’s protection and those who shared it with them,” wrote Jeff Hawkins, 2nd Brigade Combat Team Chaplain, 82nd ABN, Camp Taji, Iraq.

  These bandanas have become tactile, visible reminders of God’s Word and his divine attributes of comfort and protection.

  Prayer:

  Thank you for using a simple piece of cloth, something a little heavier than a feather, as a reminder of your shield and protection.

  “He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart.” (Psalm 91:4)

  March 29

  SWIFFER

  Maj. Brad Head, United States Air Force

  “One of the hottest commodities in the PX is a Swiffer. When a new shipment arrives, word spreads like wild fire and these mop-like wonders are gone in minutes,” Air Force Major Brad Head fired off in an email to his wife Meredith shortly after arriving in Taji, an air base twelve miles north of Bagdad, in February 2007.

  Having developed policy and programs for the U.S. Air Force Academy while stationed at the Pentagon, Major Head volunteered to come to Iraq and develop curriculum for the Iraqi Air Force Training School. He and twelve other United States Air Force members from around the world were charged with the task of building the training pipeline necessary to resurrect the Iraqi Air Force which had been disbanded early in the war.

  “Besides the fact that we are a very small island of Air Force blue in a very large sea of Army green, the best way to describe Taji is MUDDY. This place is ridiculous! There are literally hundreds of construction projects going on all over the place and the last thing they are worried about is using concrete for the roads.”

  Head’s mission was a critical piece of President George W. Bush’s National Strategy for Victory in Iraq. The primary tenant of this new strategy was to get a large number of coalition troops out of Iraq in order to re-establish the Iraqi military.

  It would take a lot more than a Swiffer, however, to clean up the mess threatening Head’s mission. Setting up his 10x10 feet room alone proved a challenge. Head and his roommate ea
ch received a wall locker, night stand, and mattress, and spent the better part of their first twenty-four hours trying to piece the IKEA-like furniture together with the help of a single leatherman hand tool. Realizing parts were missing from the furniture that they were to assemble, they bought used items from a contractor and searched for furniture in warehouses filled with old stuff from the Soviets and French. Worse than their personal living quarters, the twenty-seven buildings designated to house the new training school were in complete shambles. They were far from usable with less than two months to go before they were scheduled to be open for business.

  “They haven’t even started construction, or secured funding on what should be a multi-million project,” Head explained after his initial tour of the school property.

  “Needless to say, I seriously doubt we will be ready for students in April, but we’ll see. It doesn’t matter what we are all supposed to be doing here in the long term in the short term we’ll all be picking up hammers, brooms, and paint brushes and using some serious elbow grease to get this place going,” Head conveyed.

  Prayer:

  Father, give me the fortitude and tools I need to clean up the mud and messes facing my life or the life of someone close to me today.

  “How broken and shattered is the hammer of the whole earth! How desolate is Babylon among the nations!” (Jeremiah 50:23)

  March 30

  STANDING UP SOMETHING FROM NOTHING

  Maj. Brad Head, United States Air Force