These letters, in chronological order, were sent by Fr. Jim Krische during his first posting to Iraq.
First Deployment, March 2003-March 2005
Saturday March 22 – 1700 hours
Greetings from the rear not the front.
I say that because presently I am still at Fort Dix, NJ with my unit not in the Middle East. What we thought was going to be a 17 day experience of refresher training and shipping out has turned into a 9 week ordeal of hurry up and wait. It seems that my unit was assigned to go to Turkey and be part of the northern offensive. Then Turkey decided to not allow any troops on their soil so we have been held here at Fort Dix as other units have been held at other forts.
With the war now having started, there is still a possibility that my unit may be going somewhere in that region to do our prisoner-of-war camp mission.
I have become more accustomed to Army life full time and the routine here – mess hall food, uniforms, formations, bunk beds, group bathrooms and such. My ministry here continues to be challenging and rewarding as I provide religious services (Ash Wednesday was inspiring.), do some counseling, advise the commander and his staff on various issues and address morale needs of the soldier. As the only Catholic chaplain on the fort, I also get called upon by other units too. It is an amazing ministry and I thank you for your prayers and understanding that sustain me.
The unit has just gone through a particularly rough week after one of my soldiers, SGT Hawkins, died in a car accident when he went home temporarily to Long Island. Between helping the soldiers deal with their grief, reaching out to the family and assisting where I could, working on the military funeral arrangements and doing regular Army business, I certainly appreciated God’s help. The unit was able to attend the burial at Calverton National Cemetery in Suffolk County.
I do not know how things will progress with the war over the next couple of days but we can pray and hope for the best. It is encouraging to hear that our government is trying to keep the loss of human life at a minimum and that some Iraqi people are choosing to surrender and get on with their new life and freedom.
If I do go to the Middle East in the coming weeks, I may not have access to AOL for security reasons. For the time being, you can e-mail me through my military e-mail address which is: james.krische@us.army.mil
As a result of this experience, I have acquired a much greater respect for military reservists who are willing to leave their loved ones, home and job when their nation needs them. Please remember them, SGT Hawkins and his family and my ministry in a prayer.
Let us continue to pray for peace, an end to terrorism, justice and one another.
I look forward to our paths crossing again hopefully in the near future.
Take care.
Chaplain Jim Krische
