“When this is done, I will go…. And if I perish, I perish.” (Esther 4:16)
October 7
I PURSUED MY ENEMIES
Col. Jim Phillips, Physician
In Afghanistan I played a war fighter role. We had Operational Detachment Alpha (ODA) teams spread out all over the country. The Afghanistan people are tough as nails. They appear to be unemotional. You could really understand how Alexander the Great lost there. They are also incredibly industrious. They can make anything out of everything. They are also pretty inscrutable, hard to read. One thing they do value is the humanity we brought. Although we pursue our enemies, we also care for those we liberate. It is the Special Forces motto, de oppresso liber. The English translation of this Latin phrase is “to liberate the oppressed”.
We had gone out to visit a forward operating base for one of the ODAs. A family had brought in a young child, approximately two months old. He had probably been sick for a while. The medic for the team had kept the kid alive until we arrived. He had done everything a pediatrician would have done without the benefit of labs. The medic had started an IV line and gave the child fluid and antibiotics.
We decided that nothing else could be done there, so we loaded the child on the Chinook and flew to the combat support hospital. I held the child on the way.
That was what we did. We were not just there to kill and destroy. The people are tough as nails, but they responded to the humanitarian side of what we did. Death and oppression are the enemies. Humanity is more than the ultimate end; it is also a great deal of the means by which we reach the end.
Prayer:
God of mercy, may we show your grace and mercy to those who are in need. Creator of all, may we show your love and compassion to everyone we meet.
“I pursued my enemies and overtook them. I did not turn back until they were destroyed.” (Psalm 18:37)
October 8
INTESTINAL FORTITUDE REQUIRED
Col. Jim Phillips, Physician
One night in the Combat Support Hospital there was a stryker team that was brought in. Their vehicle had burned after being shot up while on patrol. There were a couple of guys with modest injuries. What made it worse was that it was a friendly fire incident. Two strykers out on patrol came close to each other. One didn’t recognize the other and fired. It was just a bad circumstance all the way around. Thankfully, no one died.
They were sitting around the treatment area trying to sort it all out. There was a moment of silence and then they just all started laughing. It’s hard to describe the camaraderie, the ability to take life and death encounters in stride. Most people would not be able to understand how these guys could laugh together and not be devastated by what almost happened to them.
In my experience, I wasn’t impressed with any one individual more than the general rank and file’s willingness to be there, suck it up, and complete the mission. It’s a testament to our country’s true strength that these men do their jobs, survive multiple brushes with death, and to ultimately find meaning in something of which a large part of our country fails to see value. Most Americans do not understand the quality of people that our country can put on the ground in foreign lands.
Most Americans also do not understand the intestinal fortitude required to go through life threatening events and laugh out loud. Soldiers face hardships and shoulder burdens that the average American cannot fathom. Yet, under the hardship a lot of true character is revealed. That night in the CSH, it was revealed in laughter.
Prayer:
Whatever happens in our lives, dear Lord, restore to us your joy, your love, your hope, your peace. Strengthen our faith when it’s tested and tried. May we always stay true to you until the very end.
“Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will be joyful in God my Savior.” (Habakkuk 3:17–18)
October 9
CALLING HOME
Maj. John Croushorn, MD (retired veteran)
Our unit had set up morale, welfare, and recreation (MWR) tents around our area. Guys could call home for four cents a minute. You could get online, and some would even videoconference with loved ones at home. You would think that a place where folks phoned home would be a happy place, but that wasn’t usually the case.
The nearest MWR tent was less than twenty yards from where I slept, just behind a wall of concrete barriers. It was open twenty-four hours a day. I would drop in to make a phone call before I went to work or left for a mission (if it was a reasonable time back home). Julie and I talked several times a week. Most of the guys would have their heads lowered to preserve as much privacy as possible while calling home. It was impossible to hide the struggles of keeping a family going from a thousand miles away.
What can you say, other than you love them and pray for them? You want to hear everyday details that help you feel as if things are all right at home. Your spouse doesn’t generally have the time or energy to give a lot of those details. They are burdening the stresses of raising children and running homes by themselves. Julie blessed me by hiding her frustration most of the time.
Connections with life at home were so important to all of us. Care packages would come and go, but for someone to collect and send the local paper meant the world. Highly valued items were personal notes from children, pictures of my own children, or the most treasured item: a tape recording of their voices. Feeling connected meant that I could focus on the mission. It was very empowering.
Prayer:
Dear Lord, when we are separated from loved ones, may we sense your presence in our lives. May we feel more connected than ever to our loved ones back home. May we sense your deep, abiding love. May we gain new strength, courage, and purpose.
“But those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.” (Isaiah 40:31)
Author, Maj. Croushorn with Maj. Conroy, one of the Task Force 185 battalion surgeons
October 10
MY FIRST TRIP TO IRAQ WAS AS A MARINE
SPC James Maloney
I will never forget the morning of November 22nd, 2005. I was a Marine Lance Corporal and my boots had just hit the ground in Rahmadi. I had been in the Marines for two and a half years by this point. I had undergone every training situation and course that the Marine Corps could offer me. This was my first deployment. Before that morning I always considered my self a man of faith. Up until that time I had only gone to church occasionally. I still said my prayers and went about my life.
I stepped out of my bunk area. The sun was bright, brighter than I could remember any other morning. It was about 0800 hrs. I proceeded to walk down the road toward my HQ to report for duty. I was alone with my thoughts and the surreal feeling of being in a combat zone when all of a sudden, BOOM, an RPG slammed into the wall about one hundred feet behind me. I stumbled for a moment and pulled up my weapon. The guard towers began to engage immediately, but all I could think was “this was it” my body was shaking and heart was pounding harder and harder as I took a knee behind a wall and regained my composure.
The quick reaction force (QRF) rushed past by me in a hummer, and once I saw the situation was under control, I picked myself up and ran back to my HQ with my gear. I told my staff sergeant the story, and he thought it was a good idea that since I was there to send me and two other Marines to go and brick up the wall. We did, but I will never forget my instant reaction when the RPG impacted that wall. I remember saying the prayer and being calmed by it. I am Roman Catholic, but I think a man of any faith could appreciate the sense of calm that prayer brings. I was scared but still ready to do my duty.
I am currently an army reservist serving with a transition team in Iraq. I still have the same dog tags with the same medals only now I wear a gold cross around my ne
ck and read from religious and inspirational books.
I look back at my first trip here, and I can see so much progress. I can say I lived to see change in the people and the country. I chose to put my self here in service to my country and remind myself every day that God is with me and watches over our families and us. I know with certainty that no matter what happens I am safe. The U.S. military provides a blanket of security for the nation as God provides security for us.
Prayer:
Dear Lord, please replace our fears with faith, our anxiety with peace, our dread with joy, and our questions with courage.
“You will keep in perfect peace him whose mind is steadfast, because he trusts in you.” (Isaiah 26:3)
October 11
SOLDIER’S CREED
Maj. John Croushorn, MD (retired veteran)
I was, “the ol’ man” at airborne school. Thirty-four years old was almost twice the age of the average student. Ft. Benning in October was not bad at all, but the mornings could be a little cold. We gathered in formation before 5 AM. Shorts and short sleeves were the standard uniform for morning Physical Training. We stood there shivering as the Black Hats drank their coffee inside. Then, slowly at first, they came outside and checked each line to account for all the students.
The formation was brought to attention. The accountability reports were called off and then one of the black hats began to yell out the Soldier’s Creed. Everyone joined in by the third word…
I am an American Soldier. I am a Warrior and a member of a team. I serve the people of the United States and live the Army Values.
I will always place the mission first.
I will never accept defeat.
I will never quit.
I will never leave a fallen comrade.
I am disciplined, physically and mentally tough, trained and proficient in my warrior tasks and drills. I always maintain my arms, my equipment, and myself.
I am an expert, and I am a professional.
I stand ready to deploy, engage, and destroy the enemies of the United States of America in close combat.
I am a guardian of freedom and the American way of life.
I am an American Soldier.
To hear three hundred men yell this out in unison was awesome to behold. Everyone there had different backgrounds; some had different political beliefs and religious convictions, but they were drawn together in that creed. This is a clear representation of the American soldier. These principles, defined in blood by generations past, enable soldiers to do incredible things during times of exceptional trials and stress. It is a source of strength.
This is repeated every morning across our nation as young men and women prepare for their day. The author of strength has been faithful to provide all we need when facing our adversaries.
Prayer:
Father, arm me with your strength. Allow me to remain true to you and to those that rely on me.
“You armed me with strength for battle; you made my adversaries bow at my feet.” (Psalm 18:39)
October 12
THE WARRIOR ETHOS
Maj. John Croushorn, MD (retired veteran)
In the middle of the Soldier’s Creed are four lines that are referred to as the warrior ethos. It is central to the character of a soldier. It elevates cause above person. Selflessness and service are its underpinning. It further motives the soldier to do what must be done even if all appears to be lost.
I will always place the mission first.
I will never accept defeat.
I will never quit.
I will never leave a fallen comrade.
The Bible states that we are made in the image of God (Genesis 9:6). Images of angelic paintings with flowing white garments are hard for a soldier to relate to. At times we don’t feel angelic, and I have yet to see a clean uniform outside the wire.
The Lord delivered the Israelites from Egypt in one of the most dramatic ways that could have been imagined. Moses stretched out his hand, and the sea parted. All the Israelites passed on dry ground, and then God looked down on the Egyptians from the pillar of fire and “threw them into confusion” (see Exodus 14). In the Egyptian’s words, “The Lord is fighting for them against Egypt.” The Egyptians tried to flee but when Moses stretched his arms out again the sea engulfed them. The escape from and defeat of the Egyptians were complete.
Exodus 15 records a new song that Moses and the Israelites sang to the Lord immediately following their deliverance. It provides a different image of God, one which warriors today can take strength in. We are after all made in His image.
Prayer:
God give me the strength to be a warrior. I know I am made in your image. By your example and by your name I have strength to fight. Give me, Father, the strength to show your mercy and grace when called for and the intestinal fortitude to complete my mission.
“The LORD is a warrior; the LORD is his name.” (Exodus 15:3)
October 13
THE DESIRES OF THE IRAQI PEOPLE
Captain Skip Mahaffee, Law Enforcement Trainer for the Iraqi Government (2005)
I spent a lifetime in law enforcement. I retired from the Fairfax County Police Department, just outside Washington D.C., with twenty-six years of service. During my tenure I was the commander of our police academy. Training was a large part of my background. The U. S. Department of Justice needed trained peace officers to train Iraqis in law enforcement after the military took control of the government in Iraq. Saddam had plenty of henchmen but few law enforcement officers. We needed to train a generation of law enforcement officers to protect the newly found freedom of the Iraqi people.
I was there in January when the first interim elections were held. What an amazing experience to see the Iraqis going to the polls! The candidates were running for positions using the same system that we use handing out flyers and putting up posters. For once, it wasn’t a fixed election. Excited voters would come back to the training academy and say, “Mr. Skip, Mr. Skip, I voted! I voted!” Their enthusiasm was truly inspiring.
We had a number of Iraqi policemen who had graduated from the program and had been asked to stay on to become trainers. They had to have completed the trainer program where we trained them to be instructors in western concepts of law enforcement. Sadly, one of my best Iraqi trainees was murdered right in his doorway. He was killed because he was working with Americans. This man was really loved by his fellow staff members and the students that he trained. Everyone pitched in to buy a huge black banner to honor him and placed it at the Academy. He was an amazing man who sacrificed everything for peace in his community.
The Iraqi people desire peace for the families just as we do. They long for democracy and liberty. They want to live life in a safe environment. What we are doing there is a worthy cause. It is something both my son and I believe in.
Prayer:
Our Father in heaven, comfort those who mourn. Our Savior who died, renew us by your resurrection life. Holy Spirit who indwells us, guide and lead us throughout our sometimes difficult journey here on earth.
Skip Mahaffee served as a law enforcement trainer for the Iraqi government in 2005. His mission was to train the Iraqi police in western law enforcement techniques. In 2006, his son Shane, an attorney/reservist, went to Iraq with a civil affairs unit. Unfortunately, Shane was seriously wounded in an IED attack and died about two weeks later. Skip has both served the cause of freedom in Iraq and experienced the ultimate cost of freedom in the loss of his son. His perspective reflects a painful truth that freedom is not free of sacrifice.
“Look, there on the mountains, the feet of one who brings good news, who proclaims peace! Celebrate your festivals, O Judah, and fulfill your vows. No more will the wicked invade you; they will be completely destroyed.” (Nahum 1:15)
October 14
SAFETY AND SECURITY FOR MY FAMILY
Captain Skip Mahaffee, Law Enforcement Trainer for the Iraqi Government (2005)
We would bring in a thousan
d Iraqi students every ten weeks. They received basic law enforcement training for eight weeks and then two weeks of officer survival training. We break them up into groups of thirty. I would be in a classroom with thirty to thirty-two police cadets, from ages eighteen to thirty-five. Saddam had terrorized Iraq for thirty-five years, so even the oldest ones in the course had known nothing but tyranny. No one remembered freedom.
I got to know them pretty well over the ten weeks. The last week right before they were to graduate you could sense how thrilled they were about their accomplishment. We did not graduate everybody. Many had trouble finishing their commitment. But for others, the sense of accomplishment was genuine.
Just before graduation I would go around the classroom and call them by name, and I would tell them that they may not be policemen their whole life. I would ask them what they wanted to get out of life. They would answer, “Mr. Skip all I want is safety and security for my family.” They weren’t looking to get rich. They weren’t looking for retirement. They just wanted to be able to live their lives with security. I would tell them that in a democracy anything was possible. They may start a business or go to school. They had truly accomplished something, and now they were going to give back to their community.
The people over there have the same interest that we do with democracy and liberty. They want to live their lives in a safe environment. What we are doing over there is a worthy cause. We’re helping them help themselves. The naysayers that say we need to leave have no idea of what we’re doing over there.
Stories of Faith and Courage from the War in Iraq and Afghanistan Page 39