The Distant War

Bearing the Load
Stepping off the plane from Afghanistan into Kuwait, even though I still wore the uniform, still bore the weight of the IOTV (protective vest) and helmet, I felt weight come off of my shoulders. I remember this feeling from leaving Iraq, too. The compounding weight of each day in theater – the internal recognition that you’re a target, that there are people nearby that want to kill you, that you’re away from home and family, that you have responsibities that truly are life-and-death – slips from off of your chest. It was a great feeling.There were still military inconveniences, such as the cattle-call style process of turning in equipment that you can’t take home, tran

Radical Love, Radical Islam and Radical Security
Okay, let's get this out front: I counsel soldiers daily who are undergoing various levels of stress related to their service here in Afghanistan. I have done so now for almost as long as our current wars have been going on. NEVER HAVE I ONCE FELT THE NEED TO EXPRESS MY OWN STRESS BY KILLING U.S. SOLDIERS!(Oh, and btw, I have actually been IN Iraq and Afghanistan to the tune of almost two years.)The murderous bastard Hasan, an Islamic Terrorist, has NEVER been overseas.PRESIDENT OBAMA: What evidence are you waiting for? We shouldn't "be too quick to judge?" WTF? Let me clue you in - a radical Muslim psychiatrist who gets counseled for arguing about the wa

Disconnects, Dithering and Decisions
It's difficult being here and hearing the news about here. This was no less true in 2004-2005, when I was in Iraq. I saw clearly how the war was being won, yet all of the media nay-sayers predicted doom and gloom. "Quagmire" was the catch-word back then and, despite how surface-level the analogies were, Viet Nam was uttered repeatedly as a comparison base-line. Now I hear only "Deadliest Day in Afghanistan" repeated over and over, with more predictions of doom and gloom. Of course, the comparisons with Iraq are often no better than those made with Viet Nam previously, but the possibilities are very similar. What ended up working in Iraq, namely a troop surge, could work here, as well.

More Heroism - Posthumously
Once again I write to give news of the loss of warriors and heroes.October 3rd was a bad day. In the later morning, as I was sitting in our TOC (Tactical Operations Center), news came in of an intense TIC going on in the Konar/Nuristan provinces, at COP Keating. In fact, we were learning that the COP had been "overrun." A second COP was under the same threat and simultaneous IDF (indirect fire) attacks were happening at several larger FOBs. It would be COP Keating that would gather the most attention, however. You may have read about it in the news. Eight Young soldiers lost their lives in a firefight that lasted over 12 hours and hilighted the tactical and strategic ignorance o

Much Going On in Afghanistan
Hello, all!Well, it’s been quite awhile since I’ve posted to my blog or sent an email out to everyone, so I thought I’d kill two birds with one stone. Quite frankly, I just haven’t felt like blogging lately (I know, that sounds counter-intuitive), even though there has been much to tell. In short, things are going quite well here in Afghanistan and I can’t complain. God has given me much favor with my command and with the soldiers, sailors, airmen, marines and civilians to whom I minister (yes, it is a very different battlefield these days).First off, I was asked by the CJTF (Combined Joint Task Force) 82 (82nd Airborne Division) Chaplain to head up the Sun