As the Iraqi war comes to an end I hope we are coming closer to a dream fulfilled and that is to walk through the streets of my previous deployed location safely with my Iraqi friends to enjoy some local food and cha.  It has been a while since I was in the desert and this has been a long conflict.  So much has been accomplished but the Iraqi people still have a long road ahead.  I have lots of feelings and opinions as I read the commentaries, the speeches, listen to the increasing chorus of criticism directed toward the military in some circles concerning the tactical engagement of the war.  But number one in my thoughts and concerns are my Iraqi friends.  I pray for them that they keep growing and know peace, prosperity, and justice.  My Iraqi friends were somewhat different from me in culture and some beliefs.  But they were also very similar.  They loved their country.  They loved their families.  They, like the rest of us, wanted to live life at peace and to have good things for the ones they love.  They had put on the uniform of military service to help secure that.  I haven't had any contact with them over the years since I left Iraq, but they are still in my prayers.  I may never go back to Iraq, but for a period of time I lived there, made friendships there, and like hundreds of thousands of others, contributed a bit to the future of a people and a nation.  I may never go back, but Iraq will remain part of who I am and I will remember and pray for my friends.

Remembering.

An entire generation moved to commitment, valor, sacrifice, triumph, and victory.  Our nation was changed.  Our world was changed.

December 7, 1941.  Pearl Harbor day.  A day worthy of remembrance.  

A generation worthy of emulating.

Sept 11, 2001.

A day of of hatred.  A day of tragedy.  A day evil struck.

A day worthy of remembrance.  Again our nation was changed.  Again our world has changed.

Will we be a generation worth remembering, worthy of emulation?  

Are we committed to valor, sacrifice, triumph, and victory?

Will we remember and be moved? 

Change: Re-formation

There is always change.  My recent trip to the European mainland to Wittenberg Germany on the anniversary of the Reformation was quite remarkable and moving.  Perhaps this trip combined with other recent events such as my mother passing away, had me thinking about the power of change and resilience which is the ability to bounce back and keeping moving onward in the midst of challenge.

One of the many things I admire about the Reformer Martin Luther was his resilience.  Early in the Reformation he didn't have much to hang his hat on for the sake of his personal security.  Indeed, his own core beliefs were changing so fast that I suspect one reason he was such a prolific writer was it helped him to make sense of them and keep them centered on the truth of Scripture.  He had powerful enemies in the Pope and other leaders of the Roman Catholic church whose main approach to dealing with his challenge being to call for his life.  Marriage brought a great many other changes to Luther and when his daughter died it broke his heart.  But he remained unwavering through his life to what was right and good and to living.


There is always change.  The ancient pre-Socratic philosophy Heraclitus in discussing the relationship of permanence (which we all crave) and change suggested we "cannot step in the same river twice".  Time flows.  The world changes.  We change.  


As we grow older there is much change we cannot control but there is also much that we can influence.  For example as our bodies grow older what that means can be heavily influenced by choices in diet and exercise.  Our minds as well.  We can sit and just let how we approach life be largely out of years of habit.  Or we can from time to time engage why we are doing what we are doing and what we hold dear and reassess our values, beliefs, and goals to see if perhaps they are in need of a re-formation.

Some of us resist changing our beliefs because it sounds too much like the radical liberal clarion call that traditional values are enslaving and change that abandons the past is necessarily liberating and progress.  But as Luther showed us, sometimes reaching back to the foundation can help us get our life (and sometimes our society) back on a better course.


There are some changes that change us.  They come unexpectedly. We fall in love.  We loose a loved one.  We are diagnosed with an illness.  We are attacked by an enemy.  Our situation alters in a substantial way.  

Such change, when associated with loss or threat, can illicit some powerful negative emotions.  It is telling that of the four major emotions (mad, sad, scared, glad) three of them are negative.  Change can make us fearful, sad and depressed, and even angry.  Emotions can be powerful motivators in our lives for actions which bring on further change, not all of them good.  I believe it wise when we become conscious of a major change in our lives that find us with these powerful emotions, that such is a time at the beginning of our response to not just put our feelings into it, but to think about our feelings, to think about our new situation, and to think about where we want the situation to go.


I find in these situations reaching back to my core - to my foundational beliefs - helps me to sustain what is important and vital in the midst of changes. 


It can be easy to drift from our core beliefs and identity as strange as that might sound.  By Ortega Gassett tells us, "I am myself and my circumstances."  Circumstances go a long way in making up the stuff of our lives and when we have lived in a set of circumstances long enough, perhaps some aspects of who we are have not been utilized or were set aside for a time and now out of habit they have grown rather dusty.  


I will confess that in Wittenberg I began to think of how my Lutheran core beliefs had grown just a bit dusty in my almost 7 years as a military chaplain.  While it is a good thing that I've added many new tools to my "toolbox" to care for folks and I work in a wonderful diverse environment, it was good to be reminded of the hope that is found at the heart of the Reformation and that this hope is central to my life:  Salvation by faith alone, as declared in Scripture alone, received as a free gift of grace alone, because of what Christ alone has done in his death and resurrection.  I had began to think of myself as an "Air Force Chaplain" which I am and hopefully will remain for I love this job.  But I am reminded that I am also a Lutheran pastor and my job is not just a job - it is a calling.  When you are not all that special and you are surrounded by some very talented and dedicated folks it is easy to forget that one is called to a special task, not because of being better or superior.  But God gives us all a vocation because He creates us all with unique gifts and talents and calls us to place those in service to one another and just to ourselves.  



These past few weeks have been time of reflection, re-formation.  Touching my roots.  Thinking of my present.  Preparing for my future.  Taking stock.  Being thankful for what remains and aware that all things change and some of them should be relished while they are present.

A Rose is Fallen

The Reedy's and the Lester's have inhabited the Appalachian Mountains for hundreds of years.  Near the town of Richlands Virginia, where my father was raised and where my mother met my father, rises a small creek that meanders its way through Southwest Virginia into Tennessee and past the Kmart where my mother worked and retired.  It is along this creek, Reedy Creek, that my favorite place to run is found, the Kingsport Greenbelt.  It was here that I gave my mother her last rose.  I had collected one perfect blossom from her graveside as we laid her to rest at the foot of "her mountain" in Tazewell Virginia, where she was born and raised.  I committed that rose to the waters of Reedy Creek as the day before we had committed her body to rest in the ground at the foot of those enduring mountains to await the promised resurrection of our Lord.

My mother passed away on Sept 13th.  She went quietly and gently and I am thankful for that.  

There is a tradition in my family that started with my mother.  She didn't get her first full dozen roses from my father until she had a baby.  And when I was born he gave her another dozen.  In keeping with that tradition I never gave a woman a dozen roses until my own wife had our first child.  

I was home in July to visit with her.  Somehow I knew in her voice could be shorter than it appeared.  I trimmed her bushes back and in so doing found a Rose bush Dad had planted many years ago.  It had a beautiful pink blossom on it.  I cut this and took it inside for her. 

My mother was a simple woman with a simple and solid faith and lots of determination.  I have told my daughters it is not wrong to be stubborn, as long as you are stubborn about the right things.  My mother was a person who was about right things.  She spent her life caring and providing for her family.  

A rose if fallen.  Perhaps in the metaphor of a cut rose there is a truth to behold.  For the roses we give are cut from the vine and we know their beauty lasts only a brief moment.  But we hold them and appreciate them while they are here and treasure the memories when they are gone.  But back to that pink rose I gave Mom from Dad's rose bush.  The rest of the story is that he tried several times to eliminate that bush as it was a wild rose bush.  But it kept coming back.  

There is a great truth.  Death does not get the final word.  God does not permit it.  His Son defeated death and His resurrection is his sign and seal of a promise.  Eternal life.  Redeemed life.  New creation.  I look forward to it.

The words of her favorite hymn capture her hope and faith.    I remember her and Dad singing this on road trips and in church.  

There is coming a day,
When no heart aches shall come,
No more clouds in the sky,
No more tears to dim the eye,
All is peace forever more,
On that happy golden shore,
What a day, glorious day that will be.

What a day that will be,
When my Jesus I shall see,
And I look upon His face,
The One who saved me by His grace;
When He takes me by the hand,
And leads me through the Promised Land,
What a day, glorious day that will be.

There'll be no sorrow there,
No more burdens to bear,
No more sickness, no pain,
No more parting over there;
And forever I will be,
With the One who died for me,
What a day, glorious day that will be.

What a day that will be,
When my Jesus I shall see,
And I look upon His face,
The One who saved me by His grace;
When He takes me by the hand,
And leads me through the Promised Land,
What a day, glorious day that will be

Eleven Bells Nine Petitions, A Prayer for September 11

      THE FIRST BELL

The First Bell is a call for silence and remembrance.

      THE SECOND BELL

Lord, with this second bell we call upon You to remember the families of those who lost their lives at the Twin Towers in New York City.  We give thanks for the heroic sacrifice of fire fighters, police and other first responders who thought more of saving the lives of others than of their own.  We ask you mercy on those who grieve this day family and friends killed ten years ago today in New York.

THE THIRD BELL

Lord, with this third bell we call upon You to comfort the families to those killed while on duty in the Pentagon.  They died at their post defending the security of the nation they loved.  So we call upon you to pour out your love upon those who mourne their passing this day.

THE FOURTH BELL

Lord, with this fourth bell we give you thanks for the heroes who sacrificed their lives to save others in taking back their plane.  Later today the remains of those who died in a field near Shanksville PN will be laid to rest.  Bless this hallowed ground and comfort all who mourn.

THE FIFTH BELL

Lord, with this fifth bell we ask your mercy for the thousands of men and women who went forth to defend freedom but who would not return see their families and friends again.  This day as we recall the price for liberty we ask your mercy be upon grieving wives and husbands, daughters and sons, mothers and fathers and all those who mourn the loss of our  fellow warriors. 

THE SIXTH BELL

Lord, with this sixth bell we lift up all those who at this moment are in harm’s way, separated from family, enduring hardships, standing the line between evil and freedom.  Protect our fellow soldiers, airmen, sailors, marines, and all who have gone forth for our nation’s defense. 

THE SEVENTH BELL

Lord, with this seventh bell we ask your blessing upon our friends, our allies in these past ten years of war.  Be with the families of these noble warriors who have fallen in battle.  Prosper these peoples that may ever know justice and liberty.

THE EIGHTH BELL

Lord, with this eighth bell we pray for our leaders in these difficult and troubled times.  Grant them wisdom and knowledge to know the right course.  Grant courage and resolve to pursue and lead us to accomplish it.

THE NINTH BELL

Lord, with this ninth bell, we pray for nation the United States.  In this time of war and struggle we pray for our survival and our prosperity.  We pray that through Your divine providence we might remain a land were freedom and justice reigns supreme.

THE TENTH BELL

Lord, with this tenth bell, we bow and pray as you command, and we ask your blessing upon our enemies.  We pray that hardened hearts and minds might be softened by love and moved to mutual respect and understanding that the day might come when we might know peace.

THE ELEVENTH BELL

With this eleventh bell we pray in silence...and remember.       (bell fades – AMEN)

Invocation

O Almighty and gracious God,

Move our spirits and minds today to profound remembrance on this tenth anniversary of 11 September 2001.  We remember the tragic and dreadful images of that day:  people jumping to avoid fire, crumbling towers, a burning   pentagon, and a smoking crater in what should have been a quiet field in Pennsylvania.  We are humbled by the reality of what is possible in this world and so we ask for your grace, your guidance and your blessing.

Bless the families of the 2,977 people killed ten years ago today.  Comfort all for whom this day is a day of deep sorrow and loss. 

We remember the selfless sacrifice of  New York Fire fighters who ascended buckling staircases  into the flames to rescue who they could.  We remember New York police officers and Port Authority Officers who lives were sacrificed.  We remember those killed on duty at the Pentagon.  And we remember the innocent victims, including 8 children,  whose aircraft were turned into instruments of death.  We beseech your blessing for their families as they too remember.

And Lord we are especially humbled by the  heroes of flight 93 who took back their plane and sacrificed their lives in a field in Pennyslvania that no one else should die. 

For no greater love has anyone than to lay down his life for his friends.

Humble us.  Instill in us such a spirit of courage and resolve as we not only look  back, but forward.  For …

We remember not just the first day but each  day of these past ten years in the long war on terror.  We pray for the families who have received into their hands a folded flag following a bugle’s hallowed call signaling a nation’s tribute  and sadness at a warrior’s death.  We pray for the wounded in body and the broken in spirit.  We bow our heads and remember the cost to defend liberty.  Bless all for whom this day is day of deep grieving. 

Shelter all who are in harms way.  Uphold all who have stepped forward and given oath to defend freedom. Grant us resolve and endurance. 

Most of all we pray for the transformation of hearts and minds from hatred and fear to love and understanding.  we pray for peace. 

Send us forth to serve. Watch over our forces in battle, watch over our families in our absence, and bless America and her allies that we remain faithful and true to all that is good and just.

In the name of the One True God we pray… Amen

Invocation

Sept 11 Ten Anniversary Remembrance Ceremony

RAF Alconbury, United Kingdom

501st Combat Support Wing
September 11, 2011

Benediction

O Almighty and gracious God, today as we close our remembrance of this dreadful day on which many things changed, our thoughts and our prayers go out to each and every family member or friend who has lost a loved one in this long war on terror. We recall those who stepped forward and became heroes as they ascended stricken towers to assist the wounded and fearful, many of whom never came home. We remember those struck down where they worked in the pentagon. We recall those heroes who sacrificed their lives in a field in Pennsylvania as they took back their plane. Lord we pray for the families of all those who grieve.

And our thoughts turn not just to that day but to these past ten years. We give thanks for our nations’ heroes who have raised their hand to defend our constitution and our nation. We give thanks for our allies who with us have made great sacrifices in this noble struggle for liberty. And we remember the fallen and their wives and husbands, their children, their mother’s and fathers. We remember the folded flags presented into the hands of loved ones who would rather have back their warrior but never will. Be with these families as they grieve. We remember those who are right now in harm’s way still fighting for liberty against our enemies. We pray for their safety. We pray for success and victory in their mission. And most of all we pray for peace and for the transformation of human hearts and minds from hatred to love and mutual appreciation. But until that day fill us with resolve and endurance to remain steadfast and faithful in this noble struggle until that day of peace comes.

Send us forth to serve. Watch over our forces in battle, watch over our families in our absence, bless those who mourn and bless our great lands.

In the name of the One True God we pray… Amen

Benediction
Sept 11 Remembrance Ceremony, RAF Molesworth
9 SEP 2011

Ghosts

July 25th I found myself in lovely Charlotte North Carolina waiting for my return flight to London and back to work. I've been home in the mountains of East Tennessee for a week and a day (thanks to a broken plane that extended my leave by a day).

In some ways it was a week of communing with ghosts. I spent an afternoon visiting my father's grave in Tazewell Virginia and my great grandfather's grave in Richlands. It was haunting to walk the grounds and streets where so many of my relatives lived and where I as a child had visited often -only now all that remains are the hallowed grounds of family graves.

Perhaps that is why as I drove around my old haunts amongst the rolling hills of East Tennessee with memories flowing through my mind, I felt as a ghost visting old familiar places but where life has moved on and is only now a shadow of what once was. I saw only one person that I knew from my past other than my family, an assistant manager at Kmart who helped me find a job once many years ago.

But life does move on and we have new additions to our family including a most beautiful great niece who brought a lot of light to our family gathering. It may the last time that my brother and I are together with our mother as her health is failing. I bid farewell to her this morning with focus as it may very well be the last time I see her in this world. But she has surprised me before fighting back from great weakness. While her body is frail, she has always had a depth of stubborn resistence to the realities of life and a strong spirit.

I have made it a resolution that I shall do all I legally can do to hinder the cigarette industry that directly contributed to the death of my father and has now robbed the vitality from my mother to the point that she and her life is only a shell of what once was.

Even the community has changed and in some ways is only a shadow of what once was. The city of Kingsport has gobbled up the surrounding county neighborhoods filling their coffers with new taxes and their schools with new bodies. Band camp was starting this morning at my old high school so I stopped for a minute to watch. Twenty-five years ago we fielded 350 people in our band. Today I counted 25. And they looked so young.

In the midst of so much change I am amazed at home much the community has remained the same. Homes look much the same. The Reedy Creek park has changed little and a run or walk there continues to be therapy for the soul. (Though I did see a wild black ferrit for the first time). I logged 35 miles on that trail this week and made lots of friends from the community of ducks that reside there thanks to some old bread. The ridge lines remain the same though there seemed to be more timber in the fields than in the past. Mom's neighbors remain the same - though bit more gray around the ages - so I fit right in.

A Significant Death

Today is a remarkable day. I woke to a beautiful sunrise in England and to the profound news that Osama Bin Laden was killed by U.S. Navy Seals this morning. It has been more than ten years since he declared war on the United States. There is rejoicing in many parts of the world, but I find myself sober and reflective.

I remember where I was and what I was doing that fateful Tuesday morning Sept 11, 2001. I remember the memorial service we held that night at Trinity Lutheran Church in Cincinnati. I soon started to research coming into the Air Force as a chaplain but the course of my ministry would postpone that decision until 2005. But this "long war", this "global war on terror" was on my mind and in the end moved me to join - to become part of the line to defend our nation from Osama and his ilk, indeed to defend justice and freedom.

Part of me wonders why it took so long to bring justice to Osama. Part of me wonders if it might have been wiser to capture him and bring him to justice in a public court of law. I read a comment by someone that now we can say "mission accomplished". But this long war is far more complex than just the life or death of this one man. He was this war's catalyst but it has grown much bigger than him, and in my opinion, had already grown much larger and beyond him.

I think it may not have been wise to kill him to early. Like a hydra, to make a martyr of him in the early days could have created many more impassioned leaders and a much bigger monster to slay. President Bush and our military went for the body, not the head. For myself the mission was accomplished every single day there was not a terror attack on the United States. Every single threat which was discovered and stopped was mission accomplished.

Yes the battle in Afghanistan rages, but think of it -- those who used Afghanistan as a harbor were so quickly devestated and unable to strike our nation again. What harm was Osama able to do after we moved to action in the fall of 2001? It has been a long road. One where pundits debate wisdom and morality. But what do we see. Iraq on its way to being a free nation - still has its problems -but no longer a threat to her neighbors nor under the thumb of a dictator. We see mass popular movements toward freedom and justice coming to birth.

Yes it is messy and the war rages on for it is more than just seeking the head of one man or stopping the heart of one man. This war is more about winning the hearts and heads of our entire human race. Liberty for all. Justice for all. Peace for all. A tall order. For there are still those out there moved by hatred. A shooting killing Air Force personnel in Germany. Another in Afghanistan. Families grieve.

I find it hard to celebrate a death - for I grieve at the necessity that exists within humanity that it is necessary to inflict death to preserve life. But in this case it was just.

I find it hard to celebrate this death for I doubt it will go far in changing hearts and minds. We isolated his influence and ability to strike our nation years ago. Osama had been isolated and locked down in his little compound limited to issuing a few statements now and then - the real battle leaders of terror had moved on. So I doubt this will change the reality of this war very much - for it has already moved far beyond Osama bin Laden.

I do fear that if we think the war is over because the life of Osama bin Laden is over and we quit - he may have given the final thing he could to advance his cause - turning himself into a martyr.

But perhaps the time has come to remove this symbol of where it started - now that new things are in the works and people in the Middle East are themselves calling for justice and freedom.

Time will tell.

I've seen this war up close and personal. I've been fired upon in Iraq as rockets pounded our base. I've held the hands of wounded and carried the dead. I've buried our dead in the hallowed sanctuary that is Arlington when they were killed by terrorists. I've walked the sacred ground where victims from the Pentagon rest. I've walked the sacred ground in Pennsylvania where the first American heroes gave their lives to prevent what might have been an attack on the White House or the Capitol Building. I've counseled those who had to deal with the loss of friends and comrades. I've counseled couples whose marriages were strained by repeated deployments. I've blessed those going out of the wire into harms way and given thanks when they safely returned. These young men and women are the truest of heroes, the truest of servants, for in the end it is their blood that pays the price for liberty and by their wounds of body and soul is justice preserved.

It is a long war. It suspect it is far from done. Every day justice stands and freedom endures is "mission accomplished".

Serenity

God grant me the courage to change the things I can change,
The Serenity to Accept what cannot be changed
And the wisdom to know the difference.
--R. Niebuhr

I often use this well known quotation for my counselees -- but over the course of these years of serving as a military chaplain I've modified it a bit. I will tell them courage should be for that which not only "can" be changed but "should be changed".

Now after living in Enland through fall, winter, and coming into a gorgeous spring I find myself thinking the second line could be expanded as well to include: the spirit to revel in what is good and not be tarnished by what is bad.

There is a beautiful serenity about the English countryside that is reflected in the lives of most of the Britons I have met thus far. Here one finds a modern country that has all that our advanced modern technologically enhanced society offers but still yet has managed to preserve its historic culture without trampling all over nature.

In my neighborhood there are a cluster of small efficient newer homes, of which I occupy one. The focus is on quality not square footage. We have a small garden and solarium and time spent there is good for the soul. Nearby are homes from more ancient days with thatched roofs and low ceilings. There is one rinky dink McDonald's in town. We've been there twice. Wasn't all that nourishing in any capacity to be truthful. But there are dozens of quaint pubs each with its own special personality. The best food I've had in the past year has been in these establishments.

This is a land where flowers, animals, and people bloom and grow together. Rare is it that I see litter on the streets or in the fields. Neighbors talk to neighbors. A moment of refreshment is just a short walk away to the nearest park or preserve. God's creation is on display for one to relish and even signs of human habitation compliment rather than overcome the landscape.

History

It is Good Friday. Today, we commemorate the start of the most important days in history - the days God most fully revealed His heart and our destiny. Today we remember the death of Jesus, who was the Creator God Himself come in living flesh to seek out a people who had traveled far from Him. And though they put Him to death, He forgave them. Sunday we shall remember and celebrate His resurrection - the triumph of life over death, mercy over judgment, creation over destruction, goodness over evil.

Blessed Holy Day to you.

RIF

RIF Reduction in force. Dreaded words for officers in the United States Air Force. Yesterday I learned that yes indeed chaplain may be faced with being asked to leave the Air Force because we are over strength. A 10% draw down of the office corp is coming. So this year it looks like I'll face my first RIF board and learn if I continue to have the privilege of serving as a chaplain in the world's finest Air Force.

As I read the words that chaplains were to be considered it hit home as to why this is so important to me and why it doesn't surprise me. See the reason we are over strength is that officers are staying in the Air Force beyond what one would think. Some say that is because the economy is bad and perhaps that is part of it. But I truly believe a great deal more is at play than just people wanting a job. The people I work with, officer and enlisted, don't just want a job... they want their job -- this job. I can't speak for them but I know why I love my job.

First it is plain and simple the people I work with. I have never worked with a finer group of men and women in my life than I find at every single duty station where I have served.

I was recently asked to take charge of our unit's physical training program given I have some history and success with physical training. The Air Force recently instituted changes that have made our physical training test more demanding and our folks have stepped up. Every week this winter they have inspired me as at O'dark thirty they have gotten up and while most people are still in bed and joined to run and workout. Because of the nature of this particular group, most are over the age of 40 and yet they can run circles around the typical young adult. How many folks are out running 2-4 miles on a regular basis before dawn? Every single one of my airmen. Then they go to work and turn in at full pace worked packed 8-14 hour days (depending on the day and the demands of the job). Many of these guys are at their stations getting the job done 7 days a week. Dedication. Hard work. Production. They are amazing.

But beyond this they serve as an inspiration -- not just the one's in uniform but our extended Air Force family -- our civilian employees and our families. When one of my chapel ladies came down with cancer the biggest challenge that presented itself was finding a way to plug in all the folks who stepped forward to enfold this family in their arms and to help. From food, to child care, to transportation, to singing Christmas carols on the doorstep... there was no doubt this family would have anything they needed so they could concentrate on getting Mom well. With my airmen this is not the exception... this is the standard.

I love my job because I love these people.

This week sometime we will remember one of our fallen airmen... a young 20 year old man, Christoffer Johnson, who when the time for deployment into harm's way came, stepped forward and volunteered to stand the line between evil and liberty. He was killed while on patrol in the desert in a vehicle accident. A true loss of a noble heart.

I love my job because I get to serve with these people and I get to serve these people. I've been invited into the lives of those grieving the loss of loved ones, and those struggling to hold their marriages together through financial difficulty and long separations. I've celebrated with families when blessed with the news of coming little ones and I've joined folks together in marriage. I've laid to rest thousands of veterans with honor and I've had the honor of praying for a multitude of retirements, promotion ceremonies, WWII squadron reunions, laid wreaths at the graves of fallen soldiers in Arlington, and prayed to remember the fallen at Kohbar Towers. I've preached all over the US, in South Korea, in the United Kingdom and in Iraq. I've prayed for soldiers as they geared up to patrol the streets of Kirkuk and airmen as they moved out to take their post on the perimeter in the midst of the desert. I've prayed with EOD troops who lost a comrad and held the hands and prayed for those who came to our hospital as their first step home after being wounded. I've carried my brothers on their first steps home when they have fallen and stood with my fellow warriors rendering salute as the plane made its taxi to take our fallen home. I've done marriage enhancement seminars, played with military youth, talked about the difficulties of parents who go to war with these kids. I've conducted suicide prevention briefs and divorce recovery groups. I have stood in the presence of giants like Col (ret.) Norm McDaniel who came and spoke for me last year at our National Prayer Breakfast in Korea.

I remember when I was a young man and not certain where I was going praying to God that I didn't ask for an easy path just a possible path and one that would make a difference. I love my job because every days I am invited into the lives of my fellow service members to make a difference and with them -- we do make a difference.

I would miss my job if asked to leave. I would miss these people. It would be especially hard to leave in the midst of a war when it is not yet finished. Too much is at stake. But if I am asked to separate I will be thankful that I've had six years, the best six years thus far of my life, to serve with the finest folks doing the most important thing that can be done in the world right now.