A busy Day

Thursday 28 September was quite a busy day here at our base. Our staff was working to pack up our equipment in our existing offices to move to new facilities in our new chapel building when the building shook to an explosion somewhere off base. This is a common enough occurence that I'm getting used to this. But in the afternoon there came another very large boom and concussion wave that struck and truly rattled our building. A very large VBIED (Vehicle Board Improvised Explosive Device)went off near the base not far from our from our location at the time. I and my fellow chaplain quickly made our way to our hospital. I was truly relieved that our Security Forces were ok, many of whom I've gotten to know over the past few weeks. Later that night our team went out to visit these security troops as they came off duty and also with the ones replacing them. Then early Friday morning before sunrise I was out again, this time accompaning the First Sergeant to call upon one of our Security Forces troops who had a family member pass away.

Friday we made substantial progress in getting our offices back up and running, though our lounge area is still down due our needing to get adapters for cable and power for our equipment and coffee bar. The morning was also spent in visitation of our Operations Support Squadron meeting the folks who manage our airfield operations and getting a tour of their workspaces in and around the flightline.

Solemn Ministry

Saturday was a solemn day for our office. The emergency recall for our medical personnel sounded in the afternoon. I rushed to the EMEDS facility where I was briefed regarding casualties the army had taken. Anytime casualties come into our EMEDS, our personnel areready to go to insure they received the best possible care, and we as chaplains are on hand to provide support to the medical team and to any of their fellow soldiers.

When those who have lost their lives in service to their country are carried about the aircraft for their final trip home, we have what is called a "ramp ceremony" where in solemn dignity fellow soldiers and servicemembers render honors in formation and pay their last respects.

This evening I have two services where I plan to have a moment of silence and prayer for the families of the deceased in Iraq this week as well as for the healing and recovery of our wounded.

Morning Visitations

0500 is very quiet around our base. I was up making my way over to an area where our CES troops were getting together for PFT. In the distance large orange glows could be seen from fires burning at a couple of local refineraries as they burn off excess gas and such. I visited with the CES folks for awhile bringing them up to speed on what the chapel is offering and then moved over to where our security folks were getting ready to mount up a new shift to visit with them for awhile. Then I was off to our EMEDS facility after breakfast, to visit any patients and staff. We have quite an excellent facility here and great staff, even a dentist. I had my chaplain assistant give a ride to an army troops who was in getting stitches out of his hand from a vehicle accident. Tough fellow. Very banged up hand but still working 12-16 hours a day doing radio work since he can't handle a weapon well. I have to admire the get it done attitude of these troops here.

Below is a story that is running on the news from Kuwait. Good news for our local area.
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Iraqi force arrests 18 suspects in Kirkuk, seizes large quantity of weapons

IRBIL, Sept 21 (KUNA) -- A joint Iraqi police and army force arrested Thursday 18 suspected terrorists near Kirkuk and seized large quantities of weapons and explosives.

An Iraqi police source told Kuwait News Agency (KUNA) that the Iraqi joint force, backed by Multinational Forces (MNF), carried out a number of raids in Daqouq area, South-West of Kirkuk, and was able to arrest 18 suspects, some of whom were wanted for insurgency cases.

The Iraqi force also confiscated warehouses where various kind of weapons and explosives, including a ton of TNT, were hidden, added the source.

He noted that Iraqi police also confiscated 80 rockets hidden near Al-Marai Village, west of Kirkuk.

This is from Fox News about today's events:

In Kirkuk, police said a suicide truck bomb exploded in the city center killing 18 and wounding 55. A few hours later, a suicide car bomb rammed into a joint U.S.-Iraqi army patrol in the south of the city, killing at least three bystanders and wounding eight others.

Two roadside bombs later targeted police patrols in separate parts of the city. One killed two civilians and wounded four, while the second wounded three civilians.

Shortly afterward, a parked car bomb exploded near the house of a Waasif al-Obeidi, a Sunni sheik, killing one of his bodyguards and wounding eight people � two guards and six bystanders. Al-Obeidi, the deputy head of the al-Obeidi tribe, was not in his house at the time.

In the afternoon, a parked car bomb exploded as a joint Iraqi police and army patrol passed by in southern Kirkuk, injuring six people � two policemen and four soldiers.

In the truck suicide bombing, a gunman in the truck opened fire on civilians before the vehicle exploded near the city's criminal court and the headquarters of two main Kurdish political parties, the Kurdistan Democratic Party and the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan, police said.

Shortly after I finished morning services, I began to hear a series of booms, felt my building shake, and later outside saw dark plumes of smoke rising from the city. Soon an assembly of important personnel was under way. I reported to our EMEDS to minister to any wounded that would come in. Sundays are often big days for insurgent activity as the suicide bombers prepare themselves over the Muslim holiday on Friday and Saturday then reaching out to stike on Sunday. It was an eye opening day to how serious this conflict is and how much difference it makes to the lives of so many people. Our medical folks were ready and able to handle all comers. So today, I ministered to wounded and their fellow soldiers here for the first time. It was a very touching and heartening experience to see the brotherhood, dedication, and courage of these soldiers. I found that my experiences as a hospital chaplain in a trauma center in Cincinnai provided valuable experience in addition to the training I've received as an Air Force chaplain to facilitate my provision of care for these folks.

This from Reuters describes the events of the day here.
http://today.reuters.com/news/articlenews.aspx?type=worldNews&storyID=2006-09-17T161408Z_01_GEO743062_RTRUKOC_0_US-IRAQ.xml&WTmodLoc=NewsHome-C3-worldNews-2

By Sherko Raouf

KIRKUK, Iraq (Reuters) - Insurgents killed at least 23 people with a wave of vehicle bombs across Iraq's ethnically mixed city of Kirkuk on Sunday, one day after Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki urged Iraqis to embrace reconciliation.

At least 73 other people were wounded in the coordinated blasts caused by a huge suicide truck bomb and four car bombs which rocked oil-rich Kirkuk, a flashpoint city north of Baghdad disputed by Sunni Arabs, ethnic Kurds and Turkmen.

In the deadliest explosion, a suicide attacker driving a truck rigged with explosives blew himself up outside a police center and the offices of two top Kurdish parties, killing 17 people, mostly civilians, police said. The toll included 10 women and two children visiting relatives held by police.

Within an hour, a car bomb targeting a U.S. military patrol killed three civilians and wounded six other people. Minutes later, another suicide car bomber rammed into an Iraqi army checkpoint, wounding two soldiers. Two other car bombs struck the city.

The closed-off area where the truck bomb exploded also houses the headquarters of Iraq's President Jalal Talabani and Kurdish regional president Massoud Barzani.

Firefighters battled flames at collapsed buildings and charred corpses lay in streets littered with twisted car parts.

U.S. officials fear bloodshed may worsen with the holy month of Ramadan next week and have said car bombs could be a preferred tactic by al Qaeda and other Sunni insurgent groups.

Out on the Perimeter

Yesterday saw me out doing a ride along while our Security Forces folks took their positions during a "Guard Mount". Climbing the towers for visitation, I was able to see the city of Kirkuk up close and personal. We toured the main gates and were present when some locals processed through the gates, quite a careful process to say the least. Then we carried meals out to those who are manning various posts in one of the sectors. I know that thanks to the dedication and attention to detail of these airmen, that are perimeter is secured and we can sleep well at night.

Later in the day we received a call from our EMEDs (Emergency Medical Facility) that casualties were inbound. My fellow chaplain and myself arrived ready to assist in any way we could. The good news was that this was only a very realistic exercise.

There are abundant opportunities for minstry. I've assumed the Thursday evening Bible study group, quite a robust bunch of folks, including some Christians who are from the region who live on base here as contractors. Next Sunday I will be starting a Liturgical service as I've discovered there are a number of Lutherans here. Our protestant program is quite robust with two contemporary services, a Gospel service, and our soon to start Liturgical service. Army chaplains are providing assistance in the rotation with these services. The army offers a traditional service in their chapel. In addition there are a number of Bible classes and fellowship groups that are meeting.

We are preparing to move into our new facilty. The current facility has a common day room with television and capuccino machine flanked by 4 offices. Our new facility is a combined office, day room, worship facility. The worship facility is fairly large and the day room area is easily 3x what we now have. We have new furniture and more televisions. IN addition we are looking to install a game room, and classroom/multi-purpose room. This should help increase morale and also provide even more traffic through for us to interact with folks.

Of course we are getting out to where people work getting to know the lay of the land. Already I've had several counselings ranging from spiritual questions to people having some trouble adjusting to their new work environment. It looks to be a busy rotation.

Soon the weather will be cooling down and the rainy season coming on. In addition the Muslim holy season of Ramadan will be starting soon, which may have an impact on what we experience during our rotation.

First Report from Downrange

(<---my living quarters)

I have made it to my deployment location without major incident, though my travel was delayed by one day due to the contractor having some sort of conflict with having an aircraft available for the first leg of our journey. After 22 hours of travel I've arrived. I've been here long enough that my sleep schedule is starting to adjust to local time.

I was deeply touched at a stop in Bangor Maine by the numerous veterans and other people who were there waiting for our plane to say welcome to Maine and to thank us for our service. My stop in Germany was entertaining. We were not there long, and I went up to a small snack bar and ordered Ein Tasse Kaffee (a cup of coffee) only to have the lady tell me "I don't speak German". Arriving in the Middle East during transit I was pleasantly surprised. I had expected a blast of heat as if stepping into an oven, but it was actually quite mild -- an atypical experience I've been told.

Weather at my current location is not bad at all. Hot yes, but dry enough that it doesn't seem that hot. As September passes into fall we can expect it to begin to cool down. The heat has not been a great hindrance though. Staying hydrated has not been too bad as there is bottled water everywhere you turn around.

Today, September 11, I performed my first offical duties as I participated in the Change of Command of our Communication and Civil Engineering Squadrons. Five years to the day after the attack on our nation that began the Global War on terror, its seems fitting that I find myself doing my first official duties in the AOR. (Area of Responsiblity). These are some motivated folks ready, willing, and able to serve their nation in this time of great importance.

I've already began to work closely with my army counterparts here. I've consulted with my army protestant chaplain liason so that we are not duplicating our efforts, but providing the best possible spiritual servies to all our people here. Our chapel team has taken possession of a new chapel facility with a great deal more space which is a fairly hardened facility as compared to the tent we had. We've got a lot of work to do on it yet, but there is a great deal of potential here. As the only Air Force Protestant chaplain here, I find myself responsible for oversight of all the Protestant services in our chapel and there are quite a few. 2 Contemporary, a Gospel service, several Bible studies and I plan to begin a Liturgical Service. On the Army side I was pleased to discover that there is an LCMS chaplain assistant who is planning to go to the seminary. I hope to be able to work with him on some aspects of our ministry here.

So what does a deployed chaplain do? First and foremost arrange for worship services and Bible studies. Then also visitation, counseling, and just about anything to support our folks spiritually and equip them for the missions God has called them to. I'm on duty 24/7 and it is great to have so many opportunties for ministry and service.

What else can I tell you. Our base has some nice ammenities including quite an impressive food court and the dining facility offers a spread that reminds me like a scaled down Golden Corral. There is a small shopping facility and once a month the locals have a bazaar selling their wares. My living quarters are small but private where I share a bath with my fellow Catholic chaplain. The base itself is mostly basic buildings, tents, mods and pods, and a flight line. It's pretty basic, but laid out quiet efficiently. The gym is very well equipped. I'm able to call home to my family twice a week.

And yes for those of you who ask, sometimes things go boom boom. There is a hold in the ground about 30 feet from where I am sitting right now, but that was a rarity. Thanks to the fine efforts of our security folks and others my location is fairly secure. The only boom I've heard/felt was in the city where I am near and not targeted at us. But even if we are targeted, I feel fairly safe due to the many precautions that have been taken to keep us safe.

One last note, I have started to coordinate with my home location at Andrews to feed our major chapel project here: Operation School Supplies. This is where we collect various items which our troops carry out to local peoples to assist their children's education and to demonstrate what Americans value.