Heading to the Field

This weekend we go on standby for the course’s culminating field training exercise (FTX). If you’re not familiar with an FTX, I’ll briefly explain what they are and how they work.

What’s an FTX?

The goal of an FTX is for soldiers (marine, airmen, etc.) to take what they’ve learned in a classroom-type training environment out to “the field” for practical application and deeper training. “The field” is normally a wooded environment set up to simulate a combat-deployed situation. They vary as to how “hard” they are (a “hard site” is an area that has been semi-permanently established, may have buildings, poured concrete, running water, etc.). If you don’t deploy to a hard site for an FTX, then you bring your own tents and build everything you’ll need for the duration of the training. I don’t know where we’re heading for this site, but I assume it’s somewhere between completely hard and “go chop down those trees.”

Meals are mostly MREs (Meals Ready-to-Eat). This is a complete meal (2K+ calories) in a fully enclosed bag with a long shelf life. The main courses are usually pretty good and can be heated with the provided “just add water” field cooker. The rest of the items are immediately traded on the MRE black market. Tootsie Rolls and the lemon pound cake (if you’re lucky enough to get one) have high trade value.

Showers are hit or miss. The harder the site, the better your chance of showering. If not, baby wipes are your best friend.

Once there, we’ll receive missions to accomplish and then go to work carrying them out “in a military manner.” Basically, it’s every little boy’s dream of playing army—only without the fun you always assumed would be part of it. I often joke that the military has a way of taking everything that used to be fun and sucking the fun out of it (camping, shooting, exercising, even eating). OK, that’s not true. Yes it is. No it’s not. Yes it is.

Getting Ready

We got an FTX packing list before we got here and were told to be packed and ready last night. This afternoon we’ll have a “bag drag.” This is where you bring your packed bag and have your supervisors go through it all to be sure you have everything. Everywhere you go in the military, “inspect what you expect” is the law of the land. It’s a good law. As a leader, the more you care, the more you inspect.

You can usually count on someone packing an oddball item just to catch the bag inspector off guard. Hot pink underwear packed in some guy’s bag is par for the course.

After the bag drag, the waiting begins. You’re told not to leave the area and to always be reachable “within 6 rings.” At some point, the phone rings, you grab your bags, go where you’re told, and get ready for the fun (“embrace the suck” is a common term than can often be inserted here as well).

Talk to you Later

That’s all I have for now. I’ll be waiting for the phone to ring (even though they told us when it’d probably come) and fill you in more when we get back.

Why I am a Chaplain (1 of 2)

 

I’ve been asked many times (1) why I continue wearing the uniform, and (2) why I drastically changed career fields with the decision to become a chaplain. I think the best way to answer that is to explain what chaplains do. So, this is part 1 of a 2-part series attempting to do just that.

One of the main job descriptions of military chaplains is to ensure people in uniform have equal access to their rights afforded by the 1^st Amendment. My time at the Basic Chaplain Course has made clear how little most people (believers and non-believers) understand about the legally enforceable ramifications of the 1^st Amendment.

I have no intentions of engaging in an online debate regarding the free exercise of religion, so please don’t go there. But, I do want to answer another common question I get: “Doesn’t the military make you act like a universal minister, serving all faiths?”

Short answer: yes, and no. And I’m thankful for both. From the Air Force Chaplain Corps website:

“As members of a multicultural community, chaplains provide ministry to persons of their own faith group, yet also act as guardians of the free exercise of religion for all Air Force members and their families.”

Chaplains: Ministers to all Faith Groups

The buzzword is “religious accommodation,” and it’s an awesome responsibility laid on the shoulders of military chaplains. We’re here not to respect the beliefs of all people, but to respect their right to believe what they believe.

· Professionally, it goes beyond tolerance.

· Practically, it means chaplains do all they can to facilitate a military member’s practicing of his/her religious beliefs.

· Personally, it means I do everything I can to keep the military from getting in the way of someone’s religious convictions.

It will never mean I am forced to conduct a Buddhist, Islamic, or Catholic service (they wouldn’t want me to anyway; more on that in part 2), but it does mean I will use my position and privileges to get them a room, religious materials, or—if possible—the services of a respective cleric. I am not their cleric, nor do I share all of their convictions, but I can cooperate without compromising.

The words of two men motivate me to serve as a chaplain.

Jefferson

From the 1^st Amendment to the Constitution:

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.

Contrary to the motivations of militant atheists, the Constitution does not mandate freedom from religion. It promises freedom of religion. That’s a monumental difference. The Constitution erects a wall ensuring the government will not impede a citizen’s right to pursue—or not pursue—God on their own terms. Chaplains wear uniforms to make certain that right carries over to military members.

If I limit my support to people who agree with me, I’m rejecting the 1^st Amendment and returning my country to the world it was in prior to the break with Great Britain—where believers had to believe what the state told them to believe. I don’t want that to be the world my boys inherit, so I do what I can to keep freedom alive.

Rev. Martin Niemoller says it well:

"In Germany they came first for the Communists, and I didn't speak up because I wasn't a Communist. Then they came for the Jews, and I didn't speak up because I wasn't a Jew. Then they came for the trade unionists, and I didn't speak up because I wasn't a trade unionist. Then they came for the Catholics, and I didn't speak up because I was a Protestant. Then they came for me, and by that time no one was left to speak up."

Jesus

More importantly, the Bible tells me ministers are servants. I’ve read it quite a few times and never found a limit on who Jesus wants me to serve. He actually says Heaven will be filled with Christ-followers from every tongue, tribe, and nation because Christians on earth shared the love of Christ without reservation.

The military allows me to rub shoulders with ethnic and religious groups most people will never see. I pray Jesus uses my time in the uniform to add more tongues, tribes and nations to His Kingdom (more on that in pt 2 as well).

Chaplain School—Week 2

Week 2 seemed like a longer week than the one before. But it’s over, and I’m now a third of my way toward graduation and returning to my family and friends. The weather was a cool 214 degrees Fahrenheit (give or take), but I’m neither in Afghanistan nor getting shot at, so in complete respect for those who are, I won’t complain.

We got trained up and certified in two areas this week:

MarriageCare

Curriculum written and produced by the Air Force to be used by AF chaplaincy when offering marriage retreats. The Army has a great program (Strong Bonds), and I hear the Navy has a good one as well (CREDO), so—in true military fashion—the Air Force decided they needed their own organic program. Since DCC is currently putting together our own marriage-enhancement retreat, I came to this training pretty excited.

• Blah. That was my overall impression of MarriageCare. To be fair, my disappointment comes from my own personal convictions about what a marriage retreat should look like:

1. Guy-friendly (because we’re usually the ones in the relationship who don’t want to go)
2. Entertaining (because I believe it’s a sin take something as awesome as marriage or God’s Word and make it boring)
3. Immediately practical (in other words… “OK, So what?”)

• Later in the week, I was asked by one of the instructors what I thought of MarriageCare. I quickly realized he wasn’t looking for honest feedback (again: in direct keeping with military fashion). Regardless, I’m trained up and have one more tool in my chaplain/pastor toolbox thanks to the research and development of the US Government.

ASIST

A training and education program helping people assist in suicide intervention. ASIST (Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training) is a wonderful program. I can tell the people who put it together truly care about lowering the suicide rate.

• This two-day training ended on Friday. In an eerie twist of fate, I got a phone call late Saturday night from a member of the DCC Family telling me someone close to them had just committed suicide. Suicide is serious, but hurting people are not without help. If you or someone you know struggles with suicidal thoughts, please get help.
• After Tweeting about this training during the week, I received a couple requests to offer similar training to the DCC family back home. If you’d be interested, please let me know.

More important than any training or certification is the sad news that two members of the DCC Family lost loved ones this week. Mary Arps lost her dear mother, and Susie Locher lost her son. Both deaths were unexpected. Both families need prayer and support. We all need the church.

For the Kingdom,
-pb

Chaplain School–Week 1

As some of you may know, I am in sunny South Carolina attending the Air Force’s Chaplain Corps College.  A few years ago the Department of Defense (DOD) combined the services’ 3 different chaplain schools into one Chaplain College housed on the Army’s Ft. Jackson.  The move was an effort to save money and mirror the inter-service approach to war-fighting already common across most of the military.  I’m sure it saves quite a bit of money, but I’ve yet to see any inter-service cooperation or training.  But, it’s only week 1, so I don’t know what I don’t know at this point.

I’ll blog about the experience as often as I’m able.  I’ll try to give you an idea of (1) what I’m up to and (2) what a DOD chaplain does in today’s military.  I’ll also share my personal views on being a conservative evangelical pastor serving in a pluralistic religious environment.

So, here’s week 1 in a nutshell:

I arrived a bit behind the power curve and have been playing catch-up the past few days (hence the overdue blog entry).  I lost one of my bags on the way down here and had to replace everything inside.  Expensive mistake, but entirely my own fault.  I also showed up with some outdated information from my unit regarding insignia I have to have sown on my uniforms.  I was the only chaplain (out of 14) not already wearing his chaplain’s cross, so it’s been a scramble to get the proper Air Force uniform items on an Army post.

The weather’s been a ridiculous 257 degrees Fahrenheit (in the shade, uphill both ways…).  I’m not a big fan of the heat (sorry, Alicia!), and a broken AC unit in our schoolhouse only makes it that much…more realistic!  But, I’m not about to complain.  We have troops in scorching heat getting shot at everyday.  I am sure I can navigate the stresses of chaplain school.

That’s not so say I’m not thoroughly enjoying the training though.  We’re taught cutting-edge pastoral stuff that is applicable in both civilian and military ministry.  I’m thankful to my church for giving me the time to go and to the governor of the great state of Indiana for paying the way!

This week, we briefly studied leadership and basic chaplain duties.  It was stressed repeatedly that the chaplain is the only individual in the military who can offer 100% confidentiality regardless of the confession or the confessor.  Intimidating but honoring at the same time.

We spent some time getting educated on how to respond to mass casualty situations and were lead through some (very graphic!) pictures/scenarios.  The point was simple: chaplains provide a calming presence in the midst of chaos.  For that reason, he/she can never be the anxious one on the scene.  Again, intimidating but empowering as well.

The biggest block of instruction this week dealt with pastoral counseling.  These classes were a goldmine of information and practicum.  I’m continually amazed at the high level of professionalism and competency held by my peers.  I’ll leave you with a video demonstrating the most effective approach to most client problems.

 

For the Kingdom,
-bill