troop letter: Afghanistan

September 21, 2011

The most dangerous time for coalition forces

I am writing to update you as to the overall well being of our unit here in Afghanistan. Overall, I would say that our unit is doing well. God has been good and has held His hand of protection on us. We got through the Muslim period of Ramadan that mirrors pretty close to our Solar calendar in August. Ramadan is a period wherein Muslims fast during the day, pray and read the Quaran. In a modern western reference, imagine an old fashioned Christian Revival service. Ramadan is a period of time where the Muslim re-evaluates his life and spiritual commitment to Allah. The most dangerous time for coalition forces in the muslim world is near the end of the month long celebration. The celebrants are physically exhausted from a month of fasting but recommitted with new spiritual zeal and fervor for their belief. The last night of Ramadan is called “Ein El Fidr” which means “The Night of Power” This was the night that Muhammad allegedly was swept up into heaven by Allah. A muslim that Martyrs himself in a Fatwa (holy decree) as a Jihadist (Muslim Warrior) is guaranteed a free pass to heaven with 72 virgins in tow. For many Muslims, Ramadan is simply a time of recommitment to their faith. But for the extremist it can be very dangerous for coalition forces. We are not fighting a country or an Army - but an idealism of extremism. That’s what makes it dangerous. Through Ramadan we have had five combat related injuries. Two of them were Soldiers who hit an IED with their vehicle and three of them were in a local village working on the community’s generator system when someone from the crowd threw a grenade at them. All five of these Soldiers injuries were superficial and they will all be returned to duty. We had some fellow Afghan National Police working alongside of us that weren’t so fortunate. One of their vehicles hit an IED and they were killed. As the unit chaplain I had to provide what is known as a “Critical Incident Debrief” for the American Soldiers that were there and lived through it. They were pretty shaken up.
Today my assistant and I are finishing up our work at one of the Joint Combat Outposts where some of our Infantry Soldiers reside. We offered a christian field service and pastoral counseling. My assistant, as always did a wonderful job leading the worship on his guitar and I performed the Sacraments at the conclusion. The guys really seem to enjoy having us come out. They tell us “we are always welcome” and they always want to know when we are returning. I really enjoy the mission of the chaplaincy “bringing God to Soldiers and Soldiers to God. Tonight we are headed to a check point where a Plattoon of our Soldiers are working. We will provide for them a service under the canopy of the hot desert sun. I have then been asked to returned to one of the Outposts where a command group will hold a meeting. They asked me as their chaplain to lead a devotional thought and open up with a prayer before the commanders began their buisness. One of the things that I like about being a chaplain is that I have the priveledge of interacting on a spiritual plane with all levels and ranks. Tomorrow we will head to another outpost and do the same all over again. We will stay with that group until Saturday then return on a large convoy back to our FOB before Sunday (where I will conduct a large service at our chapel). I ask for your prayers next week as I am to meet with some local Mullahs and Religious Clerics. Please pray that the meeting goes well and without incident.
At the beginning of our deployment we did experience the death of one of our Soldiers and the death of a Soldier of the unit that we were replacing. It was tough on everyone but the Soldiers were able to work through it and are now doing great things. Please remember to pray for us more than anything else. We value those prayers on our behalf and know that they really do make a difference.
If your organization is interested in sending our Soldiers care gifts (especially for the holidays) it would be deeply appreciated (especially during the holidays when folks are away from their families.Our unit has been very blessed in the last 3 months that we have been here. People all over the country have been contacting us and letting us know that we are in their thoughts and prayers and we are very thankful. I’ll go ahead and share with you the list that I have thus far:

For Christmas we are looking for:
A tree for our chapel and some of our Combat Outposts Christmas Ornaments for the Trees Large Religious Banners for the chapel (both for the holidays and throughout the year) A Candle Advent Stand for the communion Table Christmas Lights Christmas Stockings (perhaps filled with some of the suggested items below) Christmas cookies, fudge etc Specialty meats, cheeses and crackers

If anyone would like to send picture on the internet from home holding a sign or banner wishing Merry Christmas, Happy Hannukah or season’s greetings to the Troops please send it to me and I will put them all on a disk and continually show them on our large screen TV in the chapel with holiday music playing in the background. If you no of anyone in the 2BSTB TASKFORCE LONESTAR, and you would like to send that Soldier a personalized photo greeting it would mean a lot to them. I did this when I was deployed as a chaplain to Iraq with my unit in the 82nd and it went wonderful. If you should decide to do this please send the photo to my yahoo account so my army account doesn’t get bogged down. My yahoo account is

Toiletries:
Toothbrushes
Toothpaste
Floss Picks
Mouthwash
Shampoos, deodorants, lotions
Bar soap (large or small)
Shaving Cream
Disposable razors
Aftershave
Eye glass wipes

Personal Care items:
Corn protectors (stretchable/nonadhesive gel pads) Deep heating rub Sun block with aloe Throat lozenges/ cough drops Gum/ mints Eye drops Aspirin, Motrin, Tylenol Cough medicine Q-Tips Jock itch spray boot liners, insoles Lotrimin AF for athlete’s foot Foot powder Baby powder Pillows Blankets Bath towel Alarm clocks Weight lifting gloves IPods or MP3 players

School supplies for giving to Afghan children on Patrols:
Paper, pens, pencils, sharpeners, erasers, markers, crayons, glue sticks, small school scissors

Other needs:
Batteries, AA, AAA, D, C and 9 volt
Duct tape (Green, tan, black or brown)
Small flashlights
Bungee cords

Clothing
Socks - White athletic or green/black boot socks Underwear (boxers - all sizes) Tan army T shirts Tan shoe laces (long - for boots) Any white or embossed t shirts all sizes Flip flop shower shoes

Drink items:
Coffee / Tea
Hot cocoa mix
Pre sweetened drink mixed
Gatorade powder mixes
Candy / goodies/ sweets
Homemade cookies
Oatmeal
Peanut butter
Fudge
Brownies
Store bought cookies (Favorites are Oreos, peanut butter nutter butters, Mrs. Fields, Nabisco) Candy bars and M&M’s and reeces pieces Rice Crispy treats Puddings Nuts Trail mix, granola, cashews, breakfast bars, pop tarts, and chips Velveeta cheese (large bar) Canned/ jars dips and salsa Crackers Jams and jellies in plastic jars Cup soups Microwave soups with a pop lid Beef Jerky, slim Jims, summer sausage Canned ravioli, spaghetti Tuna, packaged sardines, oysters, shrimp, salmon Fruit cups

Reading items
Magazines
Books for chapel library - Devotional, inspirational, theological, philosophical, historical, scientific, semi-classics, classics

Fun items:
Music Cd’s
Movie DVD’s