“Now this hallowed ground receives a new generation of heroes — men and women who gave their lives in places such as Kabul and Kandahar, Baghdad and Ramadi,” he said. “Like those who came before them, they did not want war, but they answered the call when it came. They believed in something larger than themselves. They fought for our country, and our country unites to mourn them as one.”

-- President George W. Bush
Arlington National Cemetery, Memorial Day 2007

Observance

One does not "celebrate" Memorial Day. Rather, one observes the day and keeps in heart and mind those who paid the ultimate price for the freedom that we enjoy in the United States. Memorial Day will always hold a more particular meaning for me given my experience of the last few years. I've carried the bodies of young men on their first steps back home. I have buried airmen lost in the current war here at Arlington. All veterans of our many wars to secure our freedom will tell you one thing, freedom does not come on the cheap -- there is always a price to pay to defend our nation against evil and tyranny. I was especially reminded of this as I have had the opportunity to see a couple of times at various events these past weeks, the family of one of those airmen I buried in the past few years. Their young children have grown, but they are still very much young children.

As I head for my next duty station, I will treasure the opportunity to have participated in "flags in" while here in the D.C. area. These past years I've served at Arlington, the chaplain team has gathered and placed the flags on chaplain's hill, a place reserved for military chaplains here at Arlington.

I watched the flag pass by one day.
It fluttered in the breeze.
A young Marine saluted it,
and then he stood at ease.
I looked at him in uniform
So young, so tall, so proud,
He'd stand out in any crowd.
I thought how many men like him
Had fallen through the years.
How many died on foreign soil?
How many mothers' tears?
How many pilots' planes shot down?
How many died at sea?
How many foxholes were soldiers' graves?
No, freedom isn't free.

I heard the sound of TAPS one night,
When everything was still
I listened to the bugler play
And felt a sudden chill.
I wondered just how many times
That TAPS had meant "Amen,"
When a flag had draped a coffin
Of a brother or a friend.
I thought of all the children,
Of the mothers and the wives,
Of fathers, sons and husbands
With interrupted lives.
I thought about a graveyard
At the bottom of the sea
Of unmarked graves in Arlington.
No, freedom isn't free.

- Kelly Strong

Laying a Hero to Rest

Yesterday I had the distinct privilege of escorting the Chief of Chaplain for the Air National Guard and participating in the funeral service for Major General David Baker.

As a Captain and pilot he was shot down during the war in Vietnam over Cambodia and was held with 7 fellow Americans as a POW. It was not an easy time for him. I had the honor to meet several of his fellow POW's in that camp, as they were here for the funeral. After his release, he would later become an F-15E driver and instructor and would participate in the bombing runs of the Iraqi forces as they attempted to regroup in Southern Iraq following their rout from Kuwain during Desert Storm.

You can read more about him in this news story about the funeral here.

I encourage you to view the photo album here of this incredible Air Force Airman and especially read the captions.

Arlington Ladies 60th Celebration

Tuesday saw the culmination of several days of hard work on the part of many, including my wife, to celebrate 60 years of service by a group of Air Force spouses known as the Arlington Ladies. These ladies are present for military honors funerals at Arlington to represent the USAF Chief of Staff.

The day itself included mini concerts by various groups of the USAF band including Max Impact, Airmen of Note, and the Strolling Strings. Then it was on to the USAF Honor Guard for demonstrations from the drill team, the firing party, and a chance to meet with the various elements that work together to conduct a funeral including the Bearer teams and Color Guard. I went along for the tours as I took over the coordination of the event in its last week to tie up the various loose ends and my main job that day was to make sure everything was coming off the way it was supposed to when it was supposed to.

The picture to the right shows the Air Force drill team formed up and about ready to kick off their spinning routines. I was talking to one of the Officers in the Honor Guard and asked him if it was as dangerous as it looks and he said yes, the make frequent trips to the ER to have lacerations sown up and that most of these young men carry scars on them from the bayonets. But this day, they didn't miss a lick.

Then it was back to the Chapel center for the luncheon festivities. My wife oversaw the orchestration of the meal for over 150 people with the Cinco De Mayo theme. I can tell you when we went shopping over the weekend we left the commissary with four carts of full of food - and she was just preparing the mains. We had incredible volunteers from Honor Guard, Band, and command element of the Operations Group that provided the sides and desserts. Debbie spent all day Monday cooking with some Honor Guard volunteers who together formed the kitchen crew. Their picture is to the right.

I took a selection of pictures I had taken, that have been provided to me by friends, and some found off the internet and created a video tribute to a song "Arlington Ladies" that was provided to us through one of the ladies. I also had the privilege of narrating the day's events.

During the Commander's comments at the end of the luncheon he had her come out and she was coined for "excellence" by the Commander and presented with a card of appreciation and a flowering plant. This was a special day for us as my wife truly enjoys opportunities to be part of the team and the ladies we honored are truly a special bunch.

Springing Up

It has been a busy spring. I had a week of leave during which my family and I visited East Tennessee. Early in the week we hiked part of the Appalachian trail on Roan Mountain making our way through four foot snow drifts. The next day we were in almost 80 degree weather at Dollywood for the festival of nations.

I love going down to Dollywood. These is a centering aspect to the experience, visiting places were old fashioned home town values and religion are still central to people's experiences of life, unlike so many other place I frequent these days. I was blessed to be reminded too, that while where I am faith in Jesus is considered quaint and out of date, that for much of the world the Gospel is still very much alive. There was a group of vocalists from an african nation that in the midst of doing their traditional vocal chants suddenly broke out into very traditional gospel songs - common ground between the simple folk of Tennessee and the surrounding area visiting the park and these wonderful simple people of faith from a land far away. God is good - all the time!

Last week I had a church conference at Naval Air Station Jacksonville. The topic of the day concerned the intersection of Just War Theory and pastoral care as well as Constitutional Law and the military chaplaincy. I learned a great deal on both fronts and will say that following a straight forward and clear exposition from a strong legal standpoint on the latter topic that I am much reassured about the future outcome of legal efforts to oppose or even disband the chaplaincy. I even had the blessing of doing my PT run on the beach with the seagulls - had the beach pretty much to myself that afternoon.




Coming home spring has come full bore. All our flowers are in bloom, as well as my neighbors Tulips. I am quite blessed to have a neighbor with such a green thumb.

My funeral schedule is robust and I am starting to complete items for my upcoming move out of the country to my next duty station.

Yesterday our team made history for the Air Force at Arlington. We had our first full honors ceremony for an enlisted member of the Air Force. TSgt Phillip Meyers was killed in the line of duty in Afghanistan on the 4th of April. It was incredible to see the huge turn out from Congressmen, to flag officers of several services, to cabinet secretaries, all the works - it was heartening to see so many seek to bring what comfort can be brought to the grieving family. May God bless them today and always.

I've done three active duty services, all from Iraq. Each one was very special to me as I have tread some of the same sand. But each one is unique though the cost is the same - the ultimate price for our nation and for freedom. I go back to those graves from time to time to offer a small prayer that God keep their families in His keeping.


Now that warmer weather is here, (it was hot today) I've been getting up at 5 am and walking or running in our nearby park, what is becoming a time of great refreshment for me. The park is filled with wildlife including a nesting park of some kind of hawk, a nesting pair of Mallards, innumerable turtles, and bunches of wood peckers. For city living - it ain't bad.

Life Renews

It may seem strange for a cemetery, but as spring advances the entire grounds echo with life. The grounds are full of color, the flurry of wildlife, and beauty of deep rain cleared skies. Here are a few of several hundred photos I've taken in the past few weeks. I've decided to share some photos of the columbarium and our primary chapel as I haven't shown much of these here.

Fort Meyer has two chapels. We primarily use the older historic one for our chapel services, as it has a nice parking lot and is in close proximity to the back gate into the cemetery. It is very traditional inside with stained glass windows reflecting many aspects of honorable military service.




One day last week we had huge downpours in the morning that began to clear by early afternoon giving way to huge billowing clouds in a pristine blue sky.



On my way home out of the cemetery I happened by one of the army's caisson teams making their way from a late afternoon ceremony.


This black and white picture reminds me that sixty years ago, when burials of active duty casualties from WWII were conducted, the scene would not have looked that much different.

Here we make our way into one of the columbariums. I had several ceremonies here this week. For military members the ceremony starts under a covered portico where honors are rendered and concludes back in the niche area. For dependents, we do the entire ceremony back at the niche.

































Inside the admin building, where families gather prior to ceremonies, there are two large planters that flank the marble steps going downstairs. The contents change according the season of the year. Now they are filled with Easter Lillies, a silent bright reminder with their trumpet shaped blossoms that the trumpets that ring over the fields of Arlington are not the last trumpets of those we bury, but that a final trumpet will ring that belongs to our Lord Jesus Christ and in Him all will be summoned from the grave on that final last day.



Finally, I would be remiss if I didn't share a close in shot of one of the beautiful cherry blossoms that fill the DC area.

Spring!

I've been watching ole' man willow for some weeks now. Last week he started putting on some green, the first sign of spring coming. Today the daffodils are up, the dogwoods and cherry blossoms are in full bloom, in general an all around beautiful spring day. By afternoon the sun was out and it was warming up. A wonderful day to be doing ceremonies in the cemetery.

I had two funerals today. My first was a full honors ceremony with a fly over by 1st Heli out of Andrews. I always enjoy hearing their birds come over as they practice their runs up and down the Potomac. Today was the first time I've had them do a flyover for a ceremony. This ceremony was also quite special not only because of the noble character of the individual we were honoring but because of the privilege of doing the ceremony with our Air Force Chief of Staff.

This afternoon was a much smaller ceremony but no less important, as a daughter and her children laid to rest a beloved mother and grandmother.

My time at Arlington has taught me and reminded me of many things: service, valor, honor, sacrifice, memory -- but not least among the things I've learned is that at the end of the day, when labor is done and recognition is past, ribbons and medals have faded, and time calls for us to journey onward -- that which is greatest the testimony of all is the love that shines in the eyes and remains in the hearts of our family and friends.

I will miss Arlington and the incredible privilege it is to serve these heroes and their families of our great nation when it comes time to move on.

I will be moving on. Soon. I am in my last months here. New challenges and new places of service await, but who I am will always be shaped in part by my last two years here.

Humble Ground

Thursday saw me driving through the beautiful hills of Pennsylvania toward Pittsburgh to attend a conference on utilizing Cognitive Behavioral Therapy to treat Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.

It was a rainy day off an on with fog winding its way through both valleys and tree tops along the Pennsylvania Turnpike. I took an intended detour toward Shanksville, where I visited the site of flight 93's crash that fateful day on 11 September. It is a quite rural place. The last leg of the journey travels an unassuming gravel road past a rather large eyesore of a salvage yard to crest a hill where one looks down upon a humble temporary memorial. From the hill top one can gaze 360 degrees around at the golden fields and surrounding tree lines.

There were two volunteers there, but no one else. I had the site to myself with the rain and the cold wind. The crash site itself is located in a field some three hundred yards distant, marked by a lone American flag.

Perhaps it was the cold or the wind driven rain, but nothing visible generated a sense of awe or wonderment. Nonetheless, awe was there. What is rather humble ground is wrapped in meaning -- the meaning of story, the meaning of memory. Here a plane crashed that was meant for somewhere in the capitol of our nation, a target located but a few miles from my home and from where I work. Ordinary Americans took back that plane and surrendered their lives to save others. Ordinary Americans achieved the first victory in the war on terror, a great cost, but it was a total victory. This particular band of terrorists was thwarted. It was worth a moment to stop, reflect, and pray - a prayer of thanksgiving for Americans such as these and a prayer for their families and friends. A time to remember why this war must be won for the cost of failure is far too high.

I made my way into Pittsburg which quickly became quite a contrast to the beauty and serenity of the Penn countryside and the charming small towns. I found my hotel even though my GPS kept telling me I was somewhere else. I suspect the overwhelming jungle of metal was interfering with its signal. It has been awhile since I've stayed in a convention focused hotel so should not have been surprised by $3.50 for a diet coke. That turned out to be good for me, as I drank more water than I normally do. The seminar itself was one of the best seminars I have attended. It accomplished its goal without being too much or too little. It was more than worth the time and effort.

My return trip was enjoyable as well. The rain had lifted and the sun was shining in a cloud filled with fluffy cumulus clouds. The views as the roadway rises and descends through these upper Apalachian mountains was soul refreshing. That and traffic was fairly light without a sign of an infernal political bumper sticker on every car in sight (of course that changed once I came within range of the DC beltway).

Honor

Today is Medal of Honor Day.

The Medal of Honor is our nation's highest military award. Arlington National Cemetery is home to over 300 of these award winners.

SPC McGinnis is found in the infamous section 60 of Arlington. A fellow Lutheran and brother in Christ, he gave his life for the lives of his brothers in arms.

I make it my habit if I am anywhere near his grave in section 60 for ceremonies or otherwise, to detour to his grave and render a salute.

Likewise, if I am near to SFC Smith's grave, I will stop and render a salute. These two gravesites and the gravesites of those active duty casualties in the war on terror are the most special of ground to me personally at Arlington. I have buried veterans from WWII, Korea, Vietnam and some serving in more than one of these wars. I guess when my time comes, my war will have been the War on Terror. I pray that once it is finally won, it will be my last one.

there is...
a time to love and a time to hate,
a time for war and a time for peace.

NIV Ecclesiastes 3:8

_________________________________________

Private First Class Ross McGinnis

a member of St. Paul’s Lutheran Church of Knox Pennsylvania

Our Bible tells us that God gave up his only son to die for us so that we may live. But Romayne and I are not gods. We can't see the future, and we didn't give our son to die, knowing that he will live again. We gave him to fight and win and come home to us and marry and grow old and have children and grandchildren. But die he did, and his mother, dad and sisters must face that fact and go on without him, believing that someday we will meet again. Heaven is beyond our imagination and so we must wait to see what it's like. -- his parents
(from Arlington Cemetery.net)

MACRO & MICRO

between emptiness and meaning
between despair and hope
between surrender and faith
____________________________

This was a week of contrasts. One starts a week orientated toward expectations, as one readies for a storm observed flowing in from the west. Monday was a beautiful day which saw me doing a long run early in the morning in the pre-spring coolness. I was looking forward to a number of morning and evening runs in what was shaping up to be a spring like week, but was not to be as a particular "nasty critter" (my doc's words, not mine) decided to a make a home in my innards.

This week I had the opportunity, indeed a most rare privilege for a chaplain of my position, of sitting in and providing logistical assistance for the COCOM Chaplain's conference this week. COCOM is military jargon for combatant commanders. Their senior chaplains conclaved this week. I had the opportunity to hear their discussions and the briefings from the various flag officers and our Chief of Chaplains to them concerning today and the expected future.

I have spent many weeks, months even, in formal military education since coming on active duty. I believe the last few days was the most horizon expanding learning I have received of them all. Of course having all that previous education, and SOS just recently which explores all the various interchanges of military organization, prepared me to make sense of all that was put forward. But wow. Comprehension blooming to some degree of the macro scale of military chaplaincy throughout the world, today and tomorrow.

Leaving the Pentagon in the afternoon of the final day, it was nice, warm and sunny. Walking tends to relieve the symptoms of my particular nasty uninvited guest to whom I am playing host, so I walked back to my vehicle parked at my designated spot at Arlington. With thoughts of grand strategy still echoing through my head regarding chaplaincy in the face of grand national strategy, I happened upon one particular grave in the infamous section 60 of Arlington National Cemetery. Perhaps it was the bright contrast of reds and yellows against the pure white marble, that drew my eye, but looking downward my attention was captured by a short line of script on a weathered card attached to still bright flowers.

"Happy Birthday honey. We miss you."

Encasing my new macro orientation was this reminder: this is what a chaplain's ministry is about.

As the soldier stands in the breech between murder and peace; mayhem and security, so a chaplain stands in the gap between emptiness and meaning; between despair and hope; between surrender and faith.

Questions

I was asked several profound questions today. First, I spent some time working with some JROTC cadets at a local school as I had a bit of open time this morning. One very bright young lady approached and after asking how dangerous serving in the military truly was, asked this question, "why is there a big war any way?"

Wow. She is probably about 13 or 14 which means she was probably five or six when Sept 11th happened. I started talking to her and the kids with her. They were for the most part not aware in any way of the cultural differences between the western world or the middle east, did not comprehend the nature and size of the threat presented by Al Qaeda and other terrorist organizations nor did they really seem to have given much thought to the fact that the United States is only part of a much larger wider world. But... they were starting to be aware of greater realities, and perhaps of the great challenges facing their generation as the world continues to shrink due to globalization and other factors.

A bit later, as I was working through various medical channels to begin to clear my path for my change of duty station that is coming later this summer, I had the opportunity to speak with an airman as I was an hour or so early for an appointment. He asked me a poignant question during the context of my encouraging him to pursue his college degree and dream to be a doctor. He asked, "how can I made sense of medicine which is supposed to be about saving lives, but I may be ordered to take the life of an unborn child or use a treatment created from an unborn child --I just can't see an embryo as so many body parts?" Wow. More deep thinking by a young man in a generation that is wrestling with huge questions brought about by capabilities from our increasing technological prowess. Then he asked me a profound question, "Chaplain, if you or someone you loved were sick, would you use a treatment that required me to harvest an unborn child from someone?"

If he doesn't make a doctor, he'd make a great philosopher -- or minister. The beginning of wisdom is the asking of questions, for beliefs come easy, but truth -- that is most difficult of all - but also the most easy, for truth is what is.

All this in light of a question I've been pondering for the last week after learning that only 4% or so of the current generation sees value in going to church and reading story after story following a a study that the number of folks who find value in religion is shrinking. That question is how can I as a person of faith and how can the Christian community share the value of religious insight in a way that is respectful and will gain a hearing, that can help people not only value our Creator and Redeemer but also find value in each and every other person.

I feel like Gandalf in the Lord of the Rings as he stands in the cozy abode of his friend Bilbo's home looking off into the distance, but in truth looking into the accumulated wisdom of his life and mumbles to himself, "riddles in the dark".

In some ways I believe our nation is like these young people, one a bit younger than the other. Waking up to the greater possibilities and challenges to life in this world. And as the young airman, wrestling with question of what kind of person (or in the case of a nation: people) shall I/we be. These are all questions about belief. Even the decision to not believe in God for instance is a decision about belief. Belief systems. Whether I listen to commentary on NPR, Fox News, MSNBC (which I avoid because being a philosophy major the plethora of logical fallacies gives me heartburn in most cases depending on the commentator), CNN, or read the major news papers or even just scan comments posted by people on controversial topics, one thing jumps out at me. Competing belief systems. Name calling, labeling, all the tricks and trade of amateur and professional rhetoricians come into play in a great battle of competing belief systems. But common to most of the arguments I read, even the ones that most fit my own belief system, is a lack of humility, a lack of openess to being wrong, and even a lack of willingness to take a stand at personal cost when one is right.

It is not going to be an easy world for our young people to live in. They have substantial questions to answer, substantial challenges, probably many yet anticipated, to face and resolve. And perhaps the greatest question of all in the face of merging cultures, ideas, and increasing technological power over our environment and our own physical bodies - what sort of people shall we be. What will it mean to be "human"? Will we surrender the view that we are special, created in God's image, with each individual having value and potential upon which our nation was built for some Darwinesk battle for survival of the fittest with the weak and defenseless utilized as a resource for those who are stronger?

Our race does not have the best of track records when it comes to respecting and fostering human values consistently over the long hall. Our history if full of war and conquest, rape, and slavery.

In many ways the questions that face human beings today because of the possibilties brought about by technology in the areas of global engineering and even human bioengineering are similar to the questions our nation faced 100 years ago - and even continued to face in the struggle for civil rights - do we believe "all people are created equal" or are some to be considered as tools, raw material, resources for use by the strong.

Will we follow the way of Jesus or Nietsche or some course leaning one way or the other?

But no matter the course, in the end, for every individual person our destination is the same. As seen in the shrouded markers of Arlington above, we came from dust and to dust we shall return. Humility and perhaps gratefulness mixed with grace and kindness is the order for the day.

Smoke, Fire, Freedom, Memory

Boom. The dread smell of gunpowder filled the air just west of Washington DC this past Sunday afternoon as men and boys lined up and took fire at one another.

Authentic re-enactors fought a mock battle at a Civil War fort here, but simulated a battle from the Revolutionary War to mark the birthdays of President Washington and President Lincoln. With some imagination one could feel as if he were observing a small skirmish in this long war from long ago that established our nation and in many ways changed the course of the world.

As I took this last photo, I thought to myself how opponents of liberty have always been willing to kill in the name of tyranny and how patriots have always been willing to fight and even die if necessary for freedom.

p.s. Don't let the "redcoat" fool you. This young man was a drummer for the American side.

Escort Duty

I had the distinct pleasure of providing support for this year's Senior Statesman Symposium once again. Held at Bolling Air Force base, this symposium gathers the retired 4-star officers of the Air Force together. As I looked across the conference room, I could not help but reflect upon the magnitude of the gathered wisdom and heritage therein. These were the men who shaped the Air Force as we have it today. Most of them are still quite active in service and leadership to our nation and a plethora of roles. I was asked why it was that I volunteered to serve once again and the answer was easy. It is a rare opportunity to have an opportunity to interact with these leaders, not one to be passed up.

Bolling sits on the Potomac River. Looking north, one can see into our capitol itself, and across the river is Reagan National Airport. I took the picture to the right last fall standing on the bank of the Potomac.