Chaplain’s Update: Part I — Duty Calls and We Prepare
May 24, 2006, 1349
Dear Family, Friends, Parishioners and Interested Readers,
I send you greetings from not only myself but also 141 other Army Reserve citizen soldiers who,
5 weeks ago, left home, family, jobs and friends to answer our nation’s call to deploy to Iraq in support
of Operation Iraqi Freedom. Each of them received orders to report for active duty for up to 18 months. 34 of them, like me, although having recently completed a one-year tour of duty in South West Asia have said yes to the Army’s request to serve again. For 5 other soldiers, this is their tour to the region. These men and women range in age from 19 to 55 and hold the ranks from Private First Class to Lieutenant Colonel. They are sons and daughters, mothers and fathers, sisters
and brothers, aunts and uncles, nieces and nephews and grandmothers and grandfathers. 74 of these soldiers have been a part of this Army Reserve unit for several months or years while the other 68 were pulled from units located in places such as:
- upstate New York,
New Jersey,
Pennsylvania,
Texas,
California,
Chicago
and Oklahoma.
In their civilian lives, some are students, policemen and emergency medical technicians while others
are contractors and correctors officers or between jobs. For this military tour of duty, they will serve
as commanders, platoon leaders, compound guards, medics, food service personnel, vehicle mechanics, supply personnel, detainee processing specialists as well as chaplain assistant. I accompany them as their Battalion Chaplain to serve some of their spiritual and emotional needs
emotional. We are American soldiers and together we make up the Headquarters Company of the 310th Military Police Battalion whose mission is to operate internment or resettlement facilities.
This group of citizen soldiers reported for duty on Monday April 17th at battalion headquarters in Uniondale, New York, where they spent 3 days packing equipment and making final plans to fly to Fort Bliss, Texas for 10 weeks of pre-deployment training. It was interesting to watch the soldiers prepare physically and emotionally to go to war. The afternoon before we left, our higher headquarters, the 800th Military Police Brigade, hosted a Patriotic Send-off Ceremony for soldiers and their families which included:
- a musical presentation by 3 beautiful USO ladies,
an honoring of the American Flag,
a few speeches,
a memorial remembrance of military personnel who have given their
lives in service to our country
and special prayers offered by yours truly.
The ceremony was followed by a barbecue reception hosted by the unit’s Family Readiness
Group with decorations and care packages supplied by local Girl Scout Troops. The emotions present throughout it all, like for other deploying military units, spanned from excitement and wonderment, to anxiety and concern, to sadness and fear. As chaplain, I expect to be called upon to assist some of the soldiers in dealing with those emotions.
Jim Krische
We had our own chartered plane from JFK to El Paso, Texas. The flight went fine and the crew were very attentive to their special passengers. Most soldiers used the time to catch up on the sleep that was lost during the previous hectic days. Unlike our parents’ or grandparents’ generation, it was interesting to note that the American soldier of today goes off to war with the basic necessities of not only his weapon, knapsack and uniforms but also his cell or satellite phone, laptop computer, DVD player and iPod music system.
I even saw a few of those old-fashioned boom boxes and small televisions packed away. Upon landing, we were bused 30 miles north of the main camp to a small base camp in the desert of New Mexico where we would live and train for our mission. It was easy to realize that the hot weather and terrain here would help us better acclimate to what we would be experiencing in Iraq.
There are 3 types of air-conditioned barracks here for our accommodations. The lower enlisted soldiers are on bunk beds in open-bay dormitories. The senior enlisted and lower ranking officers are on bunk beds with 4 soldiers to a hotel size room with the bathrooms and showers down the hall. The senior officers, the group to which I belong for having been in the military over 18 years, are also on bunk bends with 4 to a room but have a private bathroom to share. Such sleeping arrangements bring back childhood memories but we have yet to have a pillow fight.
In addition to the barracks, the camp has a dining facility, a gym, a general store, a game room, a barber shop, classrooms, motor pool (this is the vehicle parking lot for you non-military
types), shooting ranges and an internet cafe with only 7 computers for the more than 1400 military personnel training here. Such a computer-to-soldier ratio has many soldiers praying for a wireless computer zone to be set up here soon as they make the long trek to the main camp at least once a week during their free time to use the computers there.
It is a fact that even though the scene in Iraq will be more dangerous than here in Texas, the living conditions and pace of the workday will be much better. As a result of so many of our active and reserve soldiers currently being deployed to many areas of the world, it has been necessary for our Defense Department to also assign Air Force and Navy units to assist with ground missions in Iraq. The reality of joint operations is also experienced here in the desert as we live and train alongside Air
Force and Navy personnel. Based upon some of our mission assignments, some of these units will be working alongside each other over there.
As a Major, I outrank more than 95% of the military personnel here, which means they
have to salute me when they pass. My right arm is getting quite the workout as I return a salute dozens of times each day.
During our first week here, we had to be issued identification cards and equipment. In addition to desert camouflage uniforms, boots, hats and t-shirts, we also received our gas masks, knee pads, elbow pads, combat helmets, the protective vests with the heavy bullet proof front and back plates, goggles, gloves, camel pack canteens you wear on your back with a hose to connect to your
mouth, rain gear and a duffle bag to carry the 60 pounds of gear worth over $2600.
Some were surprised to get cold weather gear so we veterans in the group explained how cold 75 degrees feels at night after enduring a 130-degree day. We also had to get inoculations, see
the dentist and have our medical records and legal reviewed.
Next, we attended classes on ‘Rules of Engagement’, Iraqi culture and the Arabic language learning to speak words, like “hello”, “thank you” and “drop the weapon”. A Red Cross representative spoke
to us about the role that organization plays in helping our families contact us in the event of a family emergency.
Another class we had which I do not recall receiving the last time I went to Iraq, was what to do when taken prisoner. The seriousness of this was then somewhat balanced out by the class of what to do when the rescuers come to free you. The next phase of training we entered into here focused on basic soldier skills, which included:
- land navigation with a compass and global positioning system,
operating a field radio
along with first aid techniques for bandaging and transporting the wounded.
Another segment dealt with chemical warfare so we were tested on being able to:
- put on our gas masks in 9 seconds,
don our full chemical protective suit in 9 minutes,
identify poisonous gases
as well as treat ourselves or another person for exposure to weapons of mass destruction.
The day ended with a trip to the chamber filled with tear gas to see if the seal on our masks worked.
Fortunately mine did.
Although I am here as a trainee, I am expected to do my real world chaplain’s duties as well. These include celebrating Mass, offering the Catholic sacraments, leading or arranging other worship services, being available for counseling, helping to improve the morale as well as advising the commander on various matters. Since he has the bunk right next to mine, we have daily conversations as well as a staff meeting each evening.
There had not been Catholic Mass in this base camp for over a month, so my arrival was celebrated by the authorities here and they had no hesitation in providing me with a key to the base chapel. I have also made myself available to the personnel of the other Army, Navy and Air Force units here and several have sought me out desiring to speak with a chaplain for problems have already surfaced here and at home.
The details of salary, health care, combat pay, family separation and housing allowances given to deploying military personnel are all public knowledge. As I have spent time with and gotten to know my own soldiers as well as the other military personnel, I have come to learn of the great sacrifices many of them are making for our nation and so they have my admiration and support.
I hope they also have yours and perhaps you can remember them and their families in a prayer. Well, duty calls and there is more to prepare so it is back to training for this citizen-soldier-priest.
Thank you for reading this first update and your interest in your nation’s soldiers. Feel free to pass
it on to others and I look forward to sharing more of my experiences and insights with you through the
months ahead. May God bless and guide our nation and its people.
Chaplain Jim Krische…’An American Soldier’
310th Military Police Battalion – HHC
