Publication:Chattanooga Times Free Press
Date:Sunday, April 24, 2005
Section:Front Page; Page:1

DISPATCH Iraq

By Edward Lee Pitts Military Affairs

CAMP CALDWELL, Iraq — Sundays in Iraq are not like Sundays in America, both for the soldiers wearing a cross on their uniform as chaplains and for those who come to worship each week carrying a gun. But the 278 th Regimental Combat Team’s six chaplains say they try hard to make services normal here — despite the uncertainties of a war zone.

A choir sings each Sunday backed by a band. The performers fluctuate depending on which units are on missions.

Baptisms have been held several times. The soldier renewing his or her faith must be dunked inside a wooden U.S. Army crate used to ship items here.

These unarmed chaplains say they are not here solely to oversee worship or teach a weekly Bible study. They wield the weapon of faith also to fight the lengthy list of personal and professional stresses that often threaten to undermine a soldier’s strength and, in turn, weaken the regiment.

"(Regimental commander) Col. Dennis Adams’ directive to us is to take care of the troops," said Maj. Randy Cruze, a 278th chaplain who works as a chaplain coordinator with the Blount County Sheriff ’s Department when not with the regiment.

To help fill the void soldiers may be feeling because the normality of their lives is gone, the chaplains look after the soldiers’ mental and spiritual well-being, according to Lt. Aaron Jones, 37, a chaplain from Fort Washington, Md. He said this is an "all day, every day" job where counseling sessions occur anywhere from his office to the mess hall. PROVIDING COUNSEL

Maj. Cruze said the cross chaplains wear on their left collar acts as a magnet, drawing in soldiers needing to unload. Many of the problems are made worse because the soldiers feel trapped here and usually cannot go home to fix whatever is broken or to comfort the loved one in need, Maj. Cruze said.

Most of the problems revolve around family and crumbling marriages, and some soldiers here are driven to suicidal thoughts, the chaplains said.

Ministers and counselors say they have seen devastated soldiers whose wives have allowed another man to move into the house or have emptied the bank account to purchase luxury items. Some men say their wives have been seen in public with other men. Others worry about their wives having difficulty disciplining the children alone.

"There are tremendous emotional pressures with being away from home and facing the unknown here," said Maj. Sam Wood, 55, a 278th chaplain who has a master’s degree in counseling. "A lot of problems you can’t solve. How do you solve a wife that has had an affair and has a baby now? You can only forgive." The chaplains also work to provide soldiers with emergency leave approval when a family member is ill or dying. Maj. Wood said chaplains also spend a good deal of time talking with soldiers who are desperate for a hardship discharge from the regiment.

"They just want to go home," said Maj. Wood, who left behind a congregation of about 100 at Pleasant View Church of the Nazarene in Jamestown, Tenn., to oversee his new congregation of more than 3,000 soldiers as the regimental chaplain.

Maj. Wood said he has consoled soldiers coping with fear after surviving a roadside bomb explosion. He said he conducted multiple group sessions for the 278th soldiers who witnessed the suicide bombing in Khanaqin the day before Iraq’s Jan. 30 elections. The blast left eight Iraqis dead.

According to the Army, a chaplain’s charge is not only to nurture the living but also to care for the dying and honor the dead. "This is the most real ministry you’ll have because you are dealing with life and death," Maj. Cruze said.

Lt. Jones, an associate pastor for the National Church of God, said he saw the most raw emotion he has ever had to comfort in the aftermath of Sgt. 1st Class Steve Kennedy’s recent death. He called being there as the soldiers learned of the loss "the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do in my life."

"Those men still had to fight and still had to go out on missions," he said of the 1st Squadron unit. "He died, and they were going back out the next

morning." RIGHT PLACE, RIGHT TIME

For the chaplains, helping the soldiers stay connected to home involves helping them stay in touch with their faith while they are away from their home church. They call their work here simply a "ministry of presence."

To help understand what their congregation is going through, the chaplains go out on missions with 278 th units. They also counsel the regiment’s commanders concerning ethical issues surrounding certain decisions.

Sgt. Edward Washington, 32, of Cleveland, Tenn., said he would not be doing well emotionally on this deployment without chapel and the chaplains.

"Coming to chapel lifts my spirits up," Sgt. Washington said. "Having church gives us a small sense of normality."

When the chapel’s doors are opened, the chaplains’ mandate is to cater to all worship styles and denominations. So on a typical Sunday one soldier may stand in the middle of the service to shout praises with raised arms while another nearby chooses to remain seated with eyes closed in silent prayer.

But Capt. Jeff Ryan, 37, a chaplain from Knoxville, said the Tennessee-based National Guard unit has a different religious makeup than the active Army where units are composed of soldiers from all over the country. "We have people mostly from one area," Ryan said. "And you have to minister to people based on their background."

Maj. Cruze said one look at how many people pray before they eat here makes clear this unit is from the Bible Belt.

Most soldiers of faith here are Southern Baptists, Maj. Wood said. About 600 Catholics also are in the regiment. Other denominations represented include Methodist, Church of God, Church of Christ, Presbyterian, Lutheran, Pentecostal, Greek Orthodox and Latter Day Saints.

The regiment also has a small number of soldiers of the Jewish faith and one Muslim.

This worship buffet has exposed the chaplains and the other soldiers to new approaches to displaying religious devotion. It is something they may never experience again, Capt. Ryan said. Occasionally, Iraqi workers wander in to listen."You won’t find a church in America that has this kind of melting pot and mix," said Capt. Ryan, a full-time hospital chaplain at Fort Sanders Regional Medical Center. "I’ve learned it is OK to try things that are outside of your comfort zone. It is a beautiful thing that has widened my view of faith."

Not every soldier shares that tolerant view, and some have said they prefer the traditional services they knew back home. "You can’t please everybody," Capt. Ryan said. "But it is important to do our best to make sure there is a sense of balance. How can you be out of line when you are praising the Lord?"

Those attending services get a taste of various sermon techniques as chaplains take turns speaking. About 200 soldiers attend one of Camp Caldwell’s four Sunday services.

Capt. Ryan said being in a battle zone provides limitless pulpit material as godly life often is pictured in the Bible in war imagery. He said serving in Iraq also places soldiers near the setting for much of the Old Testament.

"We are in the center of Biblical history right where we stand," Capt. Ryan said.

Maj. Cruze said seeing the area’s mud huts and the shepherds guiding flocks of sheep along the stretches of desert flanking the roads here leads him to believe very little has changed in thousands of years.

Maj. Wood said he takes pleasure in helping soldiers come to grips with their problems in a role he likens to a father figure.

"A lot of times they are crying when I finish praying for them," said Maj. Wood, who has prayed with hundreds of soldiers since the regiment went on active duty last June. "I give them a hug and tell them to come see me whenever they need to talk. Usually they walk away feeling much better."

E-mail Lee Pitts at lpitts@timesfreepress.com

U.S. Army Photo by Capt. Alan Mingledorff - Capt. Jebb Ryan, 278 th Regimental Combat Team chaplain, baptizes a worshipper in Iraq.

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