Of All the People

Tonight, after deciding to skip dinner, my tummy started growling and demanded that I run over to the chow hall before I missed my "free" opportunity at sustenance.  As I'm sitting there alone I notice an officer approaching to sit with me.  We start chatting and connecting stories as I realize he's got a cross above his name-tape signifying his duty as a chaplain.  A chaplain's duties shift toward morale and a less-specified religious preference--especially upon deployment.  So being essentially the king of morale, imagine my bewilderment when his confidence starts slipping as he talks about this trip being his first.  He furthers his self-doubt with stories of doctors being killed and talks of foreign-aide workers being harmed.  As we take turns eating and talking, his refusal to view the deployment as any sort of positive opportunity begins feeling like a weight upon my mission-ready mind.  Finally, using our scheduled formation as an excuse, I thank him for the chat and head for the door.  As good-bye I say, "Enjoy your deployment." but deep-down understand that his biggest challenge over the next little while exists not in any troop that may come asking for help.  For the sake of the troops that will need him the most, I hope he's able to come to grips with his situation.

Raining and Training

Indoor training provided respite from rain.  Body armor provided protection to class instructor while deployed.  He got shot in the back, knocked him down, nothing more.  Played with our weapons.  Took them apart and put them back together, nothing new there.