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

by Jane Hampton Cook

  Sgt. Joseph Bills, Chaplain’s Assistant, U.S. Army, Afghanistan (2004–2005); Iraq (2006-2007)

  The Iraqi children’s eyes shone and their smiles just radiated unspeakable joy. You would think we had given them something unbelievably grand, something they could never ever imagine owning. You’d think we had just handed them they key to a better life. Maybe we did.

  We gave them pencils. And they gave us an emotional payback of satisfaction that is difficult to describe.

  The exchange was just one of many through a program our battalion (mainly our chaplain’s office) put together called Operation Flying Start and Operation Flying Start was just one of many similar humanitarian missions we did in Iraq. We contacted churches and organizations back home, and they gathered school supplies, soccer and sports equipment, etc., so we could distribute them here to orphanages and schools.

  As our convoy vehicles prepared to take all this stuff to the Iraqi people, we did it along with the Iraqi Army because we wanted to push them out front to make relationships. At that point, the average Iraqi citizen was scared of the Iraqi Army. They thought if they talked to the Iraqi soldiers, that others would kill them. So by having the Iraqi army help us distribute these supplies, we intended to teach the kids not to be afraid of them. We wanted to help them realize there’s a different way of life and that America is not bad; we were there to help.

  To see how the children reacted to the gifts of basic, simple necessities gave us a greater appreciation of what our being over there was all about. Someone can have a conversation about whether or not we should be there but there’s no denying that these are still people who have suffered a lot they are an oppressed people. It’s just horrible. There’s no way life should be like this.

  Prayer:

  Lord, show me where I can help in my own community to lift a burden from the oppressed and poor.

  “He who oppresses the poor shows contempt for their Maker, but whoever is kind to the needy honors God.” (Proverbs 14:31)

  July 13

  MEETING CHRIST IN THE DESERT

  Sgt. Joseph Bills, Chaplain’s Assistant, U.S. Army, Afghanistan (2004–2005); Iraq (2006-2007)

  Mighty is our God… Mighty is our King… Camouflage-clad soldiers playing guitar, keyboard, and drums belted out songs of praise and worship from the front of the modest chapel that we built in the desert of Iraq. As the music drifted out of the building and over the sand, U.S. soldiers and contractors continued to file in, along with people of the Muslim faith who were either curious or just enjoyed the music. Either way, they heard the gospel.

  Plenty of people had said it couldn’t be done. “You can’t build a church,” they had said. “You don’t have the wood and the supplies. It’s impossible.”

  But God made a way; we built that church, and he met us there. We had multiple people come to Christ in Iraq. As one can imagine, there were people coming to church who never would have under any other circumstances. Many of these people were dealing with family issues separate from (but perhaps complicated by) the stress of their deployments. When they decided to seek answers from God, the church was there for them, and so were the chaplain along with many other believing soldiers.

  The same thing happened in Afghanistan, too. Some Afghanis that had been checked out and cleared were allowed on the base, and at least one of them, after coming to church, became a born again Christian. It was so incredible to be a part of God’s work on the other side of the world. At these services, people would come to the Lord and want to be baptized. So we would have baptisms right there in Afghanistan and Iraq. We’re not going to let a combat zone stop that.

  I would never say God makes a war happen so he can draw people to himself. But I can say that even during war, amidst the casualties and death, he still brings new life to those who call on his name. The enemy may take the body, but the Lord saves the soul. I count it a privilege to have been a witness to that.

  Prayer:

  Lord, open my eyes to where you are working, and show me how to be a part of it.

  “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” (1 John 1:9)

  July 14

  SADDAM’S REMAINS

  Sgt. Joseph Bills, Chaplain’s Assistant, U.S. Army, Afghanistan (2004–2005); Iraq (2006-2007)

  “Sergeant Bills, grab the chaplain, let’s go.” It was 6 p.m. on December 30, 2006. My colonel seemed urgent to get on the helicopter but then, we considered all Hero Missions urgent, so I didn’t think much about it. I just moved.

  “We have to go now,” he said again. We flew in two different birds to Baghdad in case anything should happen to one of them.

  After landing on one of small bases there, I noticed secret service men walking around. Okay, what’s going on? I wondered.

  I soon learned that the remains we were about to collect were not those of a hero at all. We were picking up the remains of Saddam Hussein, hanged that morning, and to be delivered back to his hometown of Tikrit. We got the mission because we transfer remains, and we were in charge of the north where Tikrit is.

  The officials in Baghdad had wanted to bury him in an unmarked grave there in Baghdad and keep its location a secret. But his family was there, pleading with them to be able to take the body home for a burial. After eight hours, the officials gave in.

  Finally, around 11 p.m., we were ready to go. The family wanted to verify the identity of the body, so they unzipped the body bag. We all stood around staring into that face. Here was the dictator that had so oppressed his people. Here was the tyrant America had spent years fighting. At least, here was his body.

  The magnitude of the scene was not lost on me I wanted to somehow document the moment, but snapping a picture of his body was out of the question. Instead, once we were back in the helicopter, I took a picture of myself just to capture the date and time. It may look like an ordinary picture to anyone else, but when I see it, I’ll always remember that was the moment after I had seen the face of evil, and had seen that he had met justice once and for all.

  Prayer:

  Lord, thank you for delivering the Iraqi people out of the hands of Saddam Hussein.

  “Surely God will crush the heads of his enemies, the hairy crowns of those who go on in their sins.” (Psalm 68:21)

  July 15

  DUST STORM

  Sgt. Joseph Bills, Chaplain’s Assistant, U.S. Army, Afghanistan (2004–2005); Iraq (2006-2007)

  Sweltering. Blistering. Withering. Scorching. It was summertime in Iraq, the temperature hit 130 degrees. It was in this heat that we learned there was another Hero Mission to do. One problem an intense dust storm along the way meant we couldn’t fly out to pick up the soldier.

  This was a big deal. It’s not good for a body to just sit in the heat like that, as one can imagine. And these soldiers, his friends and comrades, were out there with him. Not only do we want to get him out of there as quick as possible out of respect for the dead, but in order for his teammates around him to get their heads straight. They can’t be sitting there with their friends decomposing in the back of a Humvee can’t function. That’s why we were such a fast reaction team.

  We were paralyzed to do our duty because the dust storm stubbornly refused to ease up. It looked like we wouldn’t be able to take off all day. We were helpless to control the situation, except for one thing: prayer.

  Lord, the chaplain and I prayed together, we need to get this soldier on home. We really need to get our guy out of there. Calm the winds, settle the dust, clear the skies. Make a way for us to fly.

  Within an hour and against the meteorological odds we were getting on the bird and going to pick up that soldier. We got him through God’s grace so he could be taken care of properly. And his fellow soldiers, though still keenly aware of his loss, were better able to focus on the rest of their mission.

  Sometimes the Lord answers prayer so directly, so quickly, that it can only be credited t
o God (as in this case). Other times, what we pray for isn’t given to us for reasons we can’t ever hope to understand. I’ve learned to make my peace with that. The important thing is to keep on praying, and trust God for every outcome.

  Prayer:

  Lord, help me remember to take all things to you in prayer, believing you will answer according to your wisdom.

  “Pray continually.” (1 Thessalonians 5:17)

  July 16

  THE LORD IS MY STRENGTH

  Sgt. Joseph Bills, Chaplain’s Assistant, U.S. Army, Afghanistan (2004–2005); Iraq (2006-2007)

  Hero Missions wasn’t the only responsibility I had in Iraq, but it was the most challenging and the most rewarding, hands down. For all the counseling that the chaplain and I gave to other people, sometimes I wished someone would ask me how I’m doing. We try to bear the burden as best we can, but it’s a lot for anybody.

  At times I’d come home from a mission and break down and cry. I tried to give it to the Lord, asked God to be with that soldier’s family. One soldier had a one-year-old son, but he will never see his dad. Maybe that son was born while his dad was gone, and all he’ll have is a picture.

  All of these soldiers’ deaths have affected me. I think about the ones that weren’t married. I’d sit there and think about their mom or dad getting this news right now. When I picked up their son, they didn’t even know yet. We were on the spot so fast that thoughts of their loved ones flashed though my mind: Wow. This is going to tear their hearts out.

  Sometimes people wonder how, with my job, I could remain positive and upbeat and keep a smile on my face. The only reason I could do that is because of the Lord. Everything else just kind of falls into place. I don’t worry as much about danger, something happening to me. I don’t do stupid things, of course, and put myself in harm’s way by careless mistake. But once I do give myself over to the Lord, it’s a relief. It takes a lot of stress and burdens off of me.

  My time in Iraq was the hardest experience I’ve ever had for a number of reasons, but the Lord sustained me and I would do it again in a heartbeat.

  Prayer:

  Lord, sustain me and be my strength through each day and stage of my life.

  “Because you are my help, I sing in the shadow of your wings. My soul clings to you; your right hand upholds me.” (Psalm 63:7–8)

  July 17

  SIGNIFICANCE OF LIFE

  Lt. Kevin Hamilton, U.S. Army, Iraq (2003–2004)

  The air crackled, sizzled, and smoked with gunfire and rockets hellbent for American soldiers. A platoon of 82nd Airborne troops had just been ambushed outside Fallujah and had taken several casualties. As my team and I came closer to the scene just minutes later, a sniper team in the area came on the radio with a warning.

  “There’s a group of thirty to forty men in the middle of the road about a mile away with guns and RPGs,” he told us. It was the ambush team. My vehicle and two tanks raced towards the area.

  When we arrived on scene, all of the men scattered in vehicles. One truck pulled out and blocked the road so that we could not pursue. Shots rang out from the tank, warning the truck to move. With that, the truck recklessly sped towards the tank.

  The tank commander fired a few shots into the cab killing the driver; the truck rolled to a stop and four men burst out and took off running. The tank commander shot them all.

  Afterwards, I had to secure the area and clear the bodies of any weapons. That’s when I saw him… one of the men who had tried to escape on foot and had been shot. We tried applying first aid but it was pretty obvious that he was not going to make it.

  That whole night stands out to me as a paradox. We shot them and then tried to save them. My emotions went from rage over the fact that they had killed some of our soldiers to compassion and sadness. Here is a man about to enter the gates of hell, I thought as I watched him die. It was pretty rough, and I will never forget it for the rest of my life.

  It really brought home the greater significance to taking a life. I realized that whether I liked it or not these terrorists needed Jesus just as much as my soldiers did. And no matter what uniform a person dies in be it dress uniform or tattered robes if they do not know Christ as their savior, their eternal fate is the same.

  Prayer:

  Lord, give me a heart for people’s souls.

  “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” (Romans 6:23)

  Kevin and Kristen Hamilton

  Lt. Kevin Hamilton

  July 18

  MY TIMES ARE IN YOUR HANDS

  Kristen Hamilton, wife of Kevin Hamilton, U.S. Army, Iraq (2003–2004)

  My heart was heavy. I desperately missed my husband and longed to be with him. I could only imagine just how lonely, scary, and disconcerting it would be to be sent halfway around the world to risk his life in uncomfortable conditions with people that he had only known for a matter of months. I wanted so badly to fly to him and “take care” of all his needs. Kevin is a strong, independent man certainly more than capable of taking care of himself. Still, I would lay awake and wonder: Who’s encouraging my husband when he feels down? Who’s ministering to his spirit when he needs a friend? Is anyone praying with him? In the end, I felt like no one could replace me in looking out for my husband.

  Then I read a book called The Hand of God by Alistair Begg. What an incredible blessing the book follows the life of Joseph. In chapter four Begg drives home a key point that I felt was written directly for us: Joseph was a long way from home and everything familiar to him, yet he was still hemmed in “behind and before” by God.

  It pierced my soul because I realized that I could so easily replace Joseph’s name with Kevin’s. Begg writes that God’s presence was the source of Joseph’s protection. What a relief. My burden was lifted when I understood that there was nothing that my presence could do that God’s presence wasn’t already doing. In fact, God’s presence was all that Kevin needed. His circumstances could have been a thousand times worse, and still God was with him, and God was sufficient. I didn’t have to be burdened with anxiety or concern. My amazing God was taking care of my amazing husband in ways well beyond my capabilities. From quiet, possibly lonely nights in his cot in the barracks to riding in the military vehicles on patrol, to helicopter rides to Baghdad, he was surrounded and secured with the power of God. What was left to worry about?

  Prayer:

  Lord, thank you for remaining in complete control of all my days, and those of my loved ones.

  “My times are in your hands; deliver me from my enemies and from those who pursue me.” (Psalm 31:15)

  July 19

  PREPARING TO DEPLOY

  Sgt. Shane Klein, Iowa National Guard, Iraq (2008–2009)

  As a man with a wife and four children preparing for a year in Iraq, we prayed for my physical safety. But what is more of a miracle? To save the body or the soul? God has delivered my soul from death. Not only does this show his love for me, but also shows his power. He has rescued me from eternal death to eternal life by going there himself and fetching me out.

  God does not promise that I will never suffer bodily harm, but by already giving me new life in Christ he has demonstrated his power to save to the uttermost. Since he loves me enough to sacrifice his only Son on my behalf, I know that he will always do what is best for me. I don’t know if that means physical safety, but I know that he is capable of keeping me safe in the midst of danger.

  I know that my Lord will go anywhere that I am. If the very constraints of death itself cannot hold him back from what the Father has purposed, certainly on this earth there is no obstacle he cannot overcome.

  Feeling the assurance that my Heavenly Father will never let go of me and being comforted in the knowledge of his spiritual and emotional provision for me, still I am surprised that a prevailing anxiousness builds on the horizon.

  I know that I am heading into a test of my faith; my greatest fear is that of failing. I
fear the possibility that my thoughts and actions might soil the name of the One who called me by my name and forgave me. But I know that my God has delivered my feet from falling in the past and will again. I know that he is watching every step I take. I will walk before my Lord in the land of the living.

  Prayer:

  Lord, keep my feet from stumbling as I walk the path you have set for me as a follower of Christ.

  “Be at rest once more, O my soul, for the LORD has been good to you. For you, O LORD, have delivered my soul from death, my eyes from tears, my feet from stumbling, that I may walk before the LORD in the land of the living.” (Psalm 116:7–9)

  Sgt. Shane Klein with his wife Sara and children just before his deployment to Iraq (courtesy of Catchlight Imaging)

  July 20

  A MEETING WITH THE PRESIDENT

  Lt. Col. Mark Murphy (USAF), 354th Maintenance Group Deputy Commander

  It was an event Eielson Air Force Base (Alaska) will never forget: a hangar full of airmen and soldiers getting to see President Bush up close while we hosted his refueling stop as he traveled to Asia on August 4, 2008. Air Force One landed at Eielson on time to the minute; however, when he left less than two hours later, the president was fifteen minutes behind schedule. Here’s why.

  On December 10, 2006, our son, Shawn, was a paratrooper deployed on the outskirts of Baghdad. He was supposed to spend the night in camp, but when a fellow soldier became ill, Shawn volunteered to take his place on a nighttime patrol. As the turret gunner in the lead Humvee in the convoy, Shawn was in the most exposed position. He was killed instantly with two other soldiers when an IED ripped through their vehicle.