My experience in special operations is much like many who are in combat now. You see the worse the world has to offer. When you see that, your faith is often challenged. You ask questions like, “Why did this happen? Why are all these children dead? Why are there suicide bombers?” All of us have those questions. With our mantra being to liberate the oppressed, you feel a sense of responsibility to make things better for people. We euphemistically call that doing the Lord’s work. We are there to do what’s right, just, moral and ethical.
Now that I was in an administration that set policy, my conflict was trying to align the role of liberator with the political challenges of being in a foreign country. Individually we are there for the right reason. When you’re older and have been around long enough to reflect, you understand at some level we are simply the extension of political policy for our nation. That is where faith comes into, “Would God put me here if it wasn’t right?”
“Freedom” is a word that conjures up a lot of images for us. For most of us it means freedom to worship, to go to school, to travel, to get an education. It means freedom to pursue life and to maximize your potential to benefit society. Those are things Iraqis have little knowledge of. Bringing freedom to others is a valiant struggle but it’s also quite complicated especially with the political struggles these countries face. From a soldier’s standpoint you feel a sense of righteousness, a moral and ethical drive that you’re there for the right reason. When you get to the politics, it makes it more convoluted.
Freedom is a desired goal for most people. It’s defined differently throughout the world. We need to fully understand the cultures that we’re embedding ourselves in. Our vision of freedom is not always shared by other cultures.
Prayer:
Dear God, thank you that you so love the world. You don’t desire any to perish. Instead, you want all to come to repentance. Please save men and women, youth and children from every continent, nation, and people group. We pray this for your eternal glory, honor, and praise.
“This is good, and pleases God our Savior, who wants all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth.” (1 Timothy 2:3–4)
October 23
FAMILIES AT HOME
Vice Admiral Rich Carmona, 17th Surgeon General of the United States
I’m involved in a number of projects with the Department of Defense focusing on veterans and their families. Military families have just as much stress as the combatants. They worry everyday about the health and safety of their loved ones. They worry about their children not having mentors, leaders, fathers or mothers in some cases. They worry about keeping the family running. The family is very important. Soldiers in theater are worried about the environment their families are in. Are they safe and secure? Are their physical and emotional needs being taken care of?
It’s a two-way street. When the family is cared for, the operator is able to stay more focused on the mission. Also, the family needs to feel that their loved one had the best training and is equipped with the best equipment to keep as safe as possible. This allows them to feel less apprehensive about their loved one being in combat.
My advice to families is to spend time before the deployment period and talk through all the issues. Talk about combat. How do we tell the children? How do we reassure them? How do we relate to one another over the next year? Who is going to watch over the family while I’m gone? How can I support you while I’m gone? These are very difficult discussions, but they must take place. Soldiers must be mindful that their families will worry about what can happen. Their minds are filled with what if scenarios, “what if you don’t come home?”
These issues cannot be ignored. The families that remain at home also must have a support network. They need to be connected to their community. The community easily recognizes a uniform, but it does not always recognize the family with a loved one deployed. It is important to share that burden with others. It is imperative if the soldier is to focus on the mission abroad.
Prayer:
Dear Lord, please give me opportunities to share your love with those who have a loved one deployed overseas. May I bless them as you have blessed me, and may you draw each one closer to yourself, God.
“Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity.” (Colossians 4:5)
October 24
ARMY VALUES: RESPECT
Maj. John Croushorn, MD (retired veteran)
Everywhere we stopped there were merchants trying to sell just about anything to Americans with U.S. dollars. They would strike a bargain and press continuously for an item that may only cost a dollar. Popular items were Iraqi bayonets, helmets, and uniforms from the old regime.
We had landed in Babylon to refuel. The crew shut the bird down and went to grab something to eat while it was being refueled. Several of us decided to go pay a visit to the merchants. There was a literal cardboard city set up near the perimeter of the base. There were rows of makeshift storefronts. Jewelry, games, knives, and medals at every stop. The merchants would literally follow you around offering various items, asking what we were interested in.
There was one merchant that sat with a smile on his face that didn’t act as aggressive. These were usually the merchants that we enjoyed dealing with the best. He had handmade scarves, prayer caps, and other items. I noticed that he wore a patch over his right eye and that he was missing his right hand. I greeted him in Arabic, and a young man with him translated for us. He told me that the man had garments for sale for one dollar each. I asked the young man if I could ask the older gentleman how he received his wounds. He told me that the old man had refused to be a Baathist and that Saddam’s officials had his right eye gouged out and then cut off his right hand. Before that he had been an official in the government.
I bought a scarf and a prayer cap from him. I paid him, placed my right hand over my heart and thanked him for his time and then extended my right hand. He shook it and with a smile on his face replied in kind. I don’t know if his grin was over the sale or the respect I paid him. Respect was something that he had not received from his own country, but would receive from countless of Americans, Polish, and El Salvadoran soldiers that would pass by his booth.
Leaders honor the individual worth of every person with dignity and respect. When this is communicated in action and word it empowers individuals. Respect is core to the military. Whether between teammates, both commissioned and non-commissioned officers, and their men, or with the local population we are trying to serve and protect, it is a vital component and mission enabler.
Prayer:
Dear Lord, with the world at our doorstep, including many who have been oppressed, help us walk in love. Please give us opportunities to show love, concern, and respect to them. Fill us, Holy Spirit, with your comfort, solace, and love.
“And this is love: that we walk in obedience to his commands. As you have heard from the beginning, his command is that you walk in love.” (2 John 6)
October 25
ARMY VALUES: SELFLESS SERVICE
Maj. John Croushorn, MD (retired veteran)
One of the hardest parts of going to war is preparing to go. It is a private, introspective process that involves the finality of preparing as if you might not return. To share that part of the preparation with your loved ones would cause a great deal of heartache and more emotional burden for them. They have enough of that already. There is something liberating though in taking those steps. You must examine your motives for serving. If you are going reluctantly, in opposition to the overall mission, you do yourself and your team a disservice. You cannot fully commit to or focus on the individual mission if you resent the reasons you are there.
Of all the motivations that is core in the Army’s value system, selfless service is a connection to heritage that binds generations of soldiers. For me, the idea of serving was wrapped up in my family. I was serving for them. I wanted to protect them. This was difficult to communicate with Julie early on. R
ational thought would also argue that I would serve my family best by being with them instead of a thousand miles away in war.
Acts of service along with motivation that is not self-serving provide the basis for many good works. When the human heart is motivated to serve others, then teamwork, self-control and discipline are easier to achieve. Faith is central to this. Faith and a belief that God is sovereign allow us the freedom of putting the interests of others above our own, including that of our own personal safety.
Prayer:
Holy Lord, please give us the words or images to express our heart emotions to those we love, especially those serving in the armed forces. May we rest secure in your mighty name and everlasting love.
“Place me like a seal over your heart, like a seal on your arm; for love is as strong as death, its jealousy unyielding as the grave. It burns like blazing fire, like a mighty flame.” (Song of Solomon 8:6)
October 26
A MOTHER’S PRAYER
Linda Croushorn
As I [John] prepared to go to war my wife and children tried to continue normal life in a new city. There is nothing normal when a family is separated by deployments. There is no point at which things become easier. Few can understand the depth of the trial. As you reflect back on the stories from this week remember those at home who have the hard task of keeping the home together and dealing with all the daily struggles alone. The following was a journal entry from my mother as I left the mobilization site heading for Iraq.
Wednesday, July 28, 2004
“Older women are to… teach what is good, so that they may encourage the young women” (Titus 2:3–4)
Father God, this morning I pray for John and Julie. Julie is struggling so very hard with John’s decision to join the Army National Guard and all that has resulted from that decision. She is grieving his leaving for Iraq and dreading his being away from them for seven months. Please give her strength and hope, peace and grace. Help me be an encouragement to her. Father, I pray for contentment and joy to fill her life. Help us know best how to support her while John is away.
Bless John too, Father. I know his heart is heavy with concern for Julie and with missing her and Caleb and Katie. Thank you for the love they share for each other and for you. Please keep him safe, Father, as he leaves Ft. Bliss this weekend and flies to Kuwait and then on to Iraq. Bless him in every way, every day. Keep him surrounded with your angels who will “guard him in all his ways” (Psalm 91:11). Thank you for your Word that promises: “Because he loves me, says the Lord, ‘I will rescue him; I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name. He will call upon me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble, I will deliver him and honor him. With long life will I satisfy him and show him my salvation’” (Psalm 91:14–16).
Bless John right now, Lord. Lift his spirit. Lift Julie’s spirit. Restore their joy in their relationship. Bless Caleb and Katie. Protect and bless this little family, Lord I pray. Thank you for them. Thank you for being near us all during this time. Thank you for your love and grace and for getting us through difficult times. Thank you for your faithfulness, Father God. Be with all my loved ones this day, I pray.
Prayer:
May we draw ever closer to you, Lord, when separated from those we love. May we cling to your Word, may we walk in your ways, and may we seek your will each step along the way.
“They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.” (Acts 2:42)
October 27
LEADERSHIP
Col. Bradley Macnealy
Mississippi College gave me a chance to tryout as the team’s kicker, The coach allowed me but one kick for my tryout. Fortunately, my kick went eight yards deep in the end zone. It was a sixty-eight yard kick, the longest kick I made in my career. Football was one of my first experiences with teamwork and leadership.
People asked what made me an effective leader in Iraq. To be honest, I was scared to death on the inside, but just like the old saying goes I wasn’t going to let anyone see me sweat. Early on I was unsure that I would be able to actually do what everybody wanted me to do. I knew I needed to ask the Lord to help me do the right things to take care of my people. Throughout the experience I grew to trust my instincts that I believe were formed from my experiences and my faith in God to show me the way.
It was a difficult situation when I had to make a decision and my gut told me one thing and the people around me told me something else.
Another thing that defined my leadership was my staff. I have always felt that I must surround myself with the best people and then empower them. Effective leadership is a lot easier when the people around you do a great job.
We had six battalions working for us. Each one had its own commander and sergeant major. While most military organizations had higher-ranking officers in headquarters that wanted to run the battalions, we didn’t. We let the battalion commanders and the sergeant majors call the shots.
I don’t believe we needed to exert command authority, but rather we must give them the opportunity, show them the way, and empower them to do it. My management style is to not be a micromanager.
Prayer:
When we are weary, God, please renew us physically, emotionally, mentally, volitionally, and spiritually. When we feel exhausted, Holy Spirit, please fill us.
“For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline.” (2 Timothy 1:7)
October 28
WE DIDN’T LOSE A SINGLE SOLDIER
Col. Bradley Macnealy
Leading men and women in combat strengthened my faith. We topped out at around three thousand soldiers under my command. Before we left I had a meeting with all the families. I asked them what their biggest concern was. Their top concern was that their loved ones would come home alive. Secondly, they wanted to be able to communicate with their loved ones while we were there. They also wanted the leadership to keep them informed of what was happening.
It was confirmation that God was telling me our number one priority was to bring everybody home. We were not going to go over there to be heroes, we were going to do our job and not take extra risks that we didn’t need to. We did take calculated risks and we minimized and mitigated the risk every way we could. We had twenty-six soldiers earn Purple Hearts but not one of these soldiers died. How many brigades operated over there and didn’t lose a single person?
Once a week out I would send out emails and always remind families back home to continue to pray for us. I cannot emphasize enough how important that prayer was. When we got back to Jackson, Mississippi a news reporter asked me how, with three thousand soldiers, we operated for a year without losing anyone. I responded to him that it was divine intervention. It was a miracle that we actually brought everybody back to their families.
Prayer:
God of miracles, God of deliverance, God of salvation, thank you so much that you are the same yesterday, today, and forever. Please be our Rock, our Fortress, our Almighty King of Kings again today.
“When he came near the den, he called to Daniel in an anguished voice, ‘Daniel, servant of the living God, has your God, whom you serve continually, been able to rescue you from the lions?’” (Daniel 6:20)
October 29
THEY ARE JUST LIKE US
Col. Bradley Macnealy
I had the opportunity to meet with Iraqis at every level. The Iraqi people are really just like us. They want their kids to be raised in safety and to be successful. They do not want violence. They do not want terrorism. They want to build a peaceful life. Their biggest thing to overcome was to know whom to trust. They had a hard time trusting us because our folks would be in their village during the day and then go home at night. The terrorists would come in when we went home. And the people had a hard time trusting us because we wouldn’t protect them. To make the situation worse, some of the mayors and local leadership were corrupt. General Petraeus’s motto was:
“Don’t Commute to Work.” That was a change in doctrine. Our troops started living with the Iraqi military. They were living among the Iraqis, and it changed everything. Living and working with the Iraqi troops allowed the Iraqi people to have more confidence in our troops.
Many people talk about the “surge.” There were four parts to the surge. It was more than just increasing the numbers of boots on the ground. The Sunnis calling themselves the ‘Sons of Iraq’ started fighting the terrorists instead of the Shia. The Shia Muslims began fighting the terrorists instead of the Sunnis. The military began to move out of the bases and into the cities and living with the Iraqis. And there were increased numbers of troops in the problem areas. General Petraeus put our men and women out in the community, and the people were able to see who we really were. We were not oppressors. The terrorists were. They raped and stole from the people and destroyed the places they were at. We built up and healed. The contrast was too great.
The people of Iraq understand the cost of freedom. They want it for their children. They are just like us.
Prayer:
Dear God, I want to love you with all my heart, soul, strength, and mind, and I want to love my neighbor as myself. Please fill me and increase my love day by day.
“Do not seek revenge or bear a grudge against one of your people, but love your neighbor as yourself. I am the LORD.” (Leviticus 19:18)
October 30
TOP TEN QUOTES IN IRAQ (PART 1)
Stories of Faith and Courage from the War in Iraq and Afghanistan Page 41