Chaplain’s Update #1 – Glad To Have You Follow Along – Day 24
Greetings family, friends and interested readers,
Welcome to the 3rd series of Chaplain Updates. It is good to have you along. I hope that you find my insights and descriptions of my experiences in Afghanistan informative and even entertaining sometimes. I deployed to Iraq in 2003 and 2006 because my Army Reserve unit was called to Active Duty and where the unit went, I was ordered to go as well. This time around, having heard on many occasions of the need for Catholic chaplains to minister to the troops in Afghanistan, I volunteered for a one year tour as an individual augmentee, understanding that I would be moving from one base to another visiting many different units instead of having my own unit. Given my worldly and war zone experiences as well as my availability, years of training and faith, it was not difficult for me to volunteer for this mission and ministry.
Once I signed the paperwork that I (was of sound mind and) understood what I was volunteering for, the orders were issued for me to report to Fort Benning, just south of Atlanta Georgia, to join a group of soldiers and civilians for 6 days of in-processing. We went through medical screenings, received inoculations and took on-line courses in Afghan culture, how not to be captured and how to act while being rescued if one is captured. (Good stuff to know for social gatherings.) We were issued all sorts of the latest equipment like: fire resistant uniforms in the new multi-camouflage pattern, $80 special t-shirts, cold weather clothing systems (i.e. matching layered ensembles), a hydration system, a sleep system, eye protection, a gas mask, a chemical warfare suit, a bullet proof vest and duffel bags to haul it all. We also received dog tags and a new special seat belt cutting knife tool that is to be kept handy in case one is stuck in a vehicle and need to exit quickly. I declined to take the big backpack knowing I would be jumping in and out of helicopters. I was also going to pass on the rifleman’s pack since I don’t carry a gun but the attendant says chaplains liked its many ammunition pouches to carry religious literature and candy for the troops. The in-processing ended with the other soldiers going to the firing range to qualify shooting a rifle and hand gun while I had a morning off. This is one of the few benefits of being an un-armed non-combatant.
With all of the mobilization requirements completed, my group boarded a chartered Delta plane for a flight across the Atlantic and Europe to a military base in Kuwait. There I was fortunate to have a reunion with my seminary classmate and good friend Fr. Mark Rowan, who is doing a tour in Kuwait as an Air Force chaplain. After a night’s rest, my group split up for various connecting military flights as some had assignments to Iraq, Qatar, UAE and Egypt while the rest joined me for a flight to Afghanistan. Flying in a military transport plane with pallets of gear, noisy propellers and no windows made me wonder if we should have been issued parachutes. Upon landing at a base in Afghanistan, I called my contact person only to be told that my orders had been changed and I needed to fly to Kabul the next day. I was offered temporary lodging, toured some facilities, met some chaplains and began to get acquainted with my new time zone which is 9.5 hours ahead of New York. Why the extra half hour difference? Who knows? It is just one of those interesting things about this country that will be my home for the next 11 months.
Kabul, the capital city of Afghanistan, is over 3500 years old, sits 5900 feet above sea level in a narrow valley of the Hindu Kush Mountains and has a population of 3.9 million people plus me. I have come to learn the sad reality that for a number of reasons the life expectancy here is only 45 years and 1 in 5 children does not live to see his or her 4th birthday. Also most people do not achieve a third grade reading level. It is the hope of the NATO forces and foreign non-government organizations to greatly improve those statistics and odds.
I am serving here as a member of the United States military, which is a part of the NATO coalition known as ISAF, the International Security Assistance Force. Military units from more than 45 countries are working together on counter insurgency operations (hunting down the bad guys), training the Afghan Security Forces and enhancing development. Should you be interested, ISAF has a very information website on the internet with daily updates. I noticed some of the other militaries have cool looking uniforms and there is a true spirit of respect and camaraderie as we carry out the missions our governments sent us here to do.
Currently I am operating out of one of several military bases located around the city of Kabul. My base and some others are called compounds because they are surrounded by high concrete walls. Fencing has been installed on top of some sections to stop any explosives from being thrown over into our living and working area. I work in a no-window building that contains offices, a dining room, a medical clinic, a fitness center, a px store, a library, a recreation room, a movie theatre and a non-denominational chapel we make Catholic for Mass. Across a courtyard there is a laundry drop off point and post office as well as a couple of dormitory buildings. I share a dorm room with an Air Force officer and a Navy officer and am fortunate to have a bottom bunk for the time being.
At the end of my first week here, I along with all the other new personnel had to attend an official welcome orientation brief. After hearing from presenters about fire prevention, suicide prevention, sexual assault prevention, weapons safety and what to do if the compound is attacked, the deputy commander spoke to us. He asked us to state our name, where we were from and what our mission in Afghanistan was. It was interesting to realize in my group were soldiers from Canada here to improve the standards at the hospital and medical college, a U.S. civilian real estate lawyer here to aid the Afghan government in that field, some engineers for building and road construction as well as a civilian who will work to improve fire safety. When the commander heard that I was here to provide the Catholic sacraments to the troops, he commented that I was certainly needed. For the benefit of those of us who also deployed to Iraq, the commander explained how this is a very different mission. Afghanistan is about size of Texas, with poor roads, no shipping port to the sea, a very low literacy rate, no oil, an agricultural economy and people have lived with war for the past 30 years. The commander then gave a historical perspective on the security operations explaining that in the early years the coalition forces were out in front chasing down the bad guys. Then after Afghan forces were recruited and trained, the coalition forces worked alongside of them going after the insurgents. Now the Afghan forces are going out first and the coalition troops are backing them up when needed. Hearing of the progress of the Afghan forces while recognizing the situation this nation is in, gave me and probably many others a stronger commitment to our individual missions and greater hope for the good people Afghanistan.
After a few days of settling in and offering Sunday Mass for the parishioners of St. Michael The Archangel, the name the soldier and civilian Catholics at this compound call their community, I headed out on my first battlefield circulation tour of several forward operating bases in the western region. Since truck convoy travel is often very risky due to explosives placed in the road or ambushes, I and my assistant took a helicopter and two small plane flights to get to our camp. A Protestant chaplain, advised of our arrival, reserved our lodging in a tent, picked us up at the flight line, gave us a tour and scheduled Mass each of the following evenings. The camp had not had Mass in over 5 weeks so some Catholics came to both Masses
It was another plane ride over some mountains to the next base where American troops were working alongside troops from Italy and Spain. Not only did the Spanish and Italian forces have their own Catholic chaplains but also their own dining facilities, additional restaurants and cafes. A trying decision for each meal was where to eat. I concelebrated weekday Mass in Spanish with the Spanish chaplain, joined him in crashing a barbecue hosted by his military police unit and then went to the choral practice session being conducted by the Italian chaplain for the camp’s Christmas concert. It was fun singing White Christmas and Silent Night in 3 languages with about 35 soldiers from all 3 countries. The fun ended abruptly when the camp speaker system announced “Rocket Attack” and all scrambled for the bunkers. Since I wasn’t hearing any explosions, I decided to stop at the bathroom first. It remained quiet in our area so after an hour the all clear was given and everyone headed to bed. The tour included a stop in one more base before we were able to catch an Italian military flight directly back to Kabul.
I have more to share but will limit updates to 2 pages each month. To those who have offered to send care packages for me and the troops, please understand that since I will be moving around a lot, it is difficult to know where to receive mail at this time and to transport items with me on flights as there are baggage limitations. Thanks for your interest in my mission and ministry. I welcome any questions but please understand that in the interest of operational security and protecting the troops, I may not be able to be too descriptive in an answer or in these updates.
Wishing you a Happy Thanksgiving!
CH Jim Krische
Christmas Night – Day 58
Greetings family, friends and interested readers,
For thousands of years, people of various cultures have opted to take a break from their daily toil of surviving or earning a living in order to celebrate a holiday or feast. Whether it was a good harvest, a significant birth or death, a peace treaty or a religious event, the participants could usually count on the celebrations and traditions to lift their spirits, strengthen family or national bonds, properly acknowledge the original event and help them to forget about their troubles if only for a few hours. Those same end results can also be achieved by soldiers. Having had firsthand experience with 2 tours in Iraq and having visited now more than 15 operating bases in Afghanistan, I can attest that holidays are good for personnel in war zones as well.
When I arrived at my first duty station here on October 31st, pumpkins and other Halloween decorations were on display in the dining room, recreation areas and some offices. Several personnel added costume accessories to their uniforms and scary films were being shown in the movie room. The little kid in most of us raided the candy dishes at many workstations and I can report that I acquired a sufficient quantity of candy corn.
Our Veteran’s Day observance was simple and dignified with many military personnel thanking each other for their service. Thanksgiving here could be described as one part work, one part late-night football due to the 9.5 hour time difference, one part communicating with family and two parts eating. The banquet with all the trimmings was served by the high ranking officers both at midday and again in the evening for the night shift group with most of us going to both sittings and eating too much. The Catholic community asked me to celebrate Mass in the afternoon which was good for spiritual exercise and burning a few of those extra calories.
Before the big meal was fully digested, sights and sounds of the approaching Christmas season were popping up across the landscape. At some of the bases there were artificial and real Christmas trees sent from the States, inflatable snowmen and Santas with reindeer and a sleigh, twinkling lights, holiday sales in the market stores, wreathes, garland, baked goods and candy sent from home, Santa caps and Christmas stockings galore. My favorite sight has been the fake fireplace in a morale break area containing a large flat screen television playing a video of the burning Yule log accompanied by Christmas carols. Soldiers could grab a cup of hot chocolate and stare at the fire recalling Christmas celebrations of years past while forgetting for a few minutes that they were in a war zone.
Other holiday options at various bases for the troops in their off-duty hours included: a couple of 5 kilometer jingle bell group runs around the base, caroling, a decorated vehicle parade, a basketball tournament, shopping for gifts on-line, Christmas bingo, phone calls and live video chats with loved ones, gift opening (most soldiers didn’t wait till the big day), office parties, the holiday banquet, a Christmas Eve candlelight service and other worship services.
Army regulations state that chapels must remain religion-neutral when not in use by a particular faith group so, although the chapels look quite plain and are places for solitude most hours of the week, on December 24 & 25, they became vibrantly alive with worshipers praying and singing about the real reason for the holiday season. Here in the south, while one priest covered the 4 Masses around the main base, another priest and I each traveled to 6 combat outposts on our own helicopters to celebrate Christmas Mass with the troops.
On my helicopter, the forward gunner had a bright blinking red nose while the tail gunner wore a red suit and had a white beard. It must have been quite a sight to the local villages that we flew over. I regret that there were several dozen other operating bases that we could not get to for Mass on December 24th or 25th but weather and security concerns permitting, we hope to reach some of them during the 12 days of Christmas.
The presence of troops from many NATO countries at the large base where I recently moved to in Kandahar, has added an international flair to this holiday with people also having the option of attending the Slovak or Romanian chapel services. And while all of that was going on, our Jewish personnel were celebrating Hanukkah with the Rabbi. It has been an uplifting, mostly traditional, memorable holiday with special thanks going out to the USO, the care-package sending folks back home and the Postal units who worked as hard as Santa even on Christmas Day. I am not sure what the Afghans think about all this since Afghanistan is predominantly a Muslim country but they must be getting use to it after 10 years of coalition troops being here and the country interacting more with the outside world. The poor people who scavenge at the local dump certainly like it for they find all sorts of treasure and useful items among the things the troops discard.
In addition to offering Mass at the forward operating bases and combat outposts I go out to visit each week, there is usually some time to mingle with the soldiers. Once a helicopter or an armored vehicle convoy drops me off at a base, I usually check in at the operations center to get a threat update, set a time for services, and finalize my travel arrangements to get to the next base later that day or the next. If the base is one of the larger ones, there may be a Protestant chaplain there to meet with and a designated chapel tent or building to use for services. At the smaller outposts, I use the dining tent or conference tent for services and try to be more available to the soldiers whose regular chaplain may only get to visit them once every 2 or 3 weeks. In order to greet the soldiers and let them know I am around, I walk through the common areas of the base and volunteer to be a server on the chow line.
Recently 2 hours after offering Mass on a combat outpost at 8pm, a platoon of soldiers returned from a 24 hour patrolling tour in armored vehicles. Several of them wanted to attend Mass so I set up to celebrate another one for them. Since they looked exhausted, I offered to shorten the celebration by not singing hymns and giving just a summary of my sermon but they insisted on the full Mass, explaining that I was the first priest they met here since arriving 8 months ago.
Since quite a few of our troops now back up the Afghan National Army in patrolling areas to provide security, many of our bases have a separate section where the Afghan soldiers are housed. There is even an Afghan private security force that staffs some of our guard towers, thus freeing up our more skilled and better equipped American soldiers to deal with the bad guys and assist the locals with development projects.
One day I stopped up in a guard tower for a visit and was surprised to find an Afghan guard paging through a Playboy magazine. I noticed it was this month’s edition and concluded that since he could not read English, he did not have the magazine open to check out the articles.
In another guard tower, the Afghans invited me to share some of their lunch. To show how much I enjoyed the goat and rice, I cleaned my plate of every morsel only to learn later of my cultural blunder. If you finish everything on your plate, it means your host did not provide enough food for you and he must go get you more. It is thus proper then to leave some food on your plate as a sign that the host provided more than enough for you. Being able to leave food on my plate would have been a great custom to have in my house when I was growing up.
As the sun continues to set on this Christmas day around the globe, I am reminded of another Christmas time in a war zone back in 1914 described by Victor Parachin. British troops on the Western Front in Europe were living and dying in trenches while shooting at German troops who were also shooting back and living and dying in trenches a short distance away. On the night of December 24th, the darkness and cold weather had slowed the fighting. The German troops began to sing softly and hold up candles and Christmas trees. Even though this revealed their position, the British troops were too amazed at the sight and the sound to fire upon them. Soon the British forces, not understanding the German words, recognized the tune as that of “Silent Night” and began to also sing the song in English. Before long, soldiers from each side put down their weapons, climbed out of their muddy trenches and moved toward each other through the barbed-wire no-man’s land separating them. They shared greetings, some gifts, and photos of their families in an event that became known as a Christmas truce. It is my hope that Christmas truces may become more popular all around the world and last much longer than a day.
As my second month is this country comes to an end, I continue to be moved by the dedication, professionalism and courage of our military personnel. Recognizing that, for soldiers, long hours, limited freedom to do what one wants, distance from loved ones and friends, a lack of privacy, discomfort, cold dusty weather, loneliness and the possibility of a rocket attack at any time could easily cause a person to lose heart, become disillusioned or depressed, it is beneficial in many ways to observe joy-filled events and traditions here. Thus I again declare that holidays are good for war zones and I need to make sure we have some chocolate hearts, green shamrocks and Easter egg coloring kits for the months ahead.
Please remember our troops, especially the injured, in a prayer. I wish you and those special to you a blessed holiday season and the best of everything in the New Year!
CH Jim Krische
