Curmudgeon: An Unlikely Army Chaplain

Monday, August 31, 2009

Aedes from Hades

They're probably not Aedes at all, of course, but they surely are from Hades.

Culex doesn't even begin to rhyme with anything, nor does Anopheles (except, perhaps, with Mephistopheles, I suppose, but that wouldn't help much, though the allusion might be fun to pursue -- some other time).

So for argument's sake, we'll just leave them as Aedes.

I would just as soon leave them altogether.

There actually weren't many at Summer Camp - South, much to my surprise (and relief). There were none that I was aware of at Summer Camp - West, which is not a surprise, since that's an area that usually doesn't have them anyway.

But boy, are there a lot of them here!

Not so many (in fact, almost none) in the cantonment area, but once out on the ranges, look out!

The other day, for example, the Unit Ministry Teams (UMTs) were doing our UMT-specific training after having been told to show up in full battle-rattle. We piled into a van (no mean achievement, given our added girth and weight with the body armor on; SPC C certainly tips the scale at 350 pounds with his gear on) and were driven out to a range that was set up to resemble a village somewhere Down Range.

The training consisted of each UMT simulating a "Religious Leader Engagement" (RLE) --walking into the "village" to be greeted by the townspeople, who might or might not be friendly, and remaining alive through the course of meeting the local Mullah (Muslim religious leader).

The trainers would only let one UMT at a time participate in the RLE, so that meant that the rest of us had to wait in the midst of a field at some distance from the action. It was immediately apparent as soon as we opened the doors of the van (parked in that field) that the Aedes, or Anopheles, or Culex, or whatever, were flying in wait for us.

Since no one had told us we were going to a range, I'd not prepared myself for this eventuality. (We'd most recently been doing "Chaplain Ultimate Fighting" in the pugil pit in full battle rattle, and those infernal things were not an issue.)

They immediately started dive-bombing me, much to my chagrin. No matter what continent I happen to find myself on -- Europe, Asia, North America, South America (so far) -- if one of those beasties is around, it'll be on me in moments. I swear they're worse than sharks that can sniff out small quantities of blood in the water from far, far away.

It was almost a relief to go into the "village" and get attacked by humans, because I was pretty sure they would only simulate drawing blood.

Though, to be completely truthful, each time SPC C went through the Situational Training Exercise (STX) lane, he wound up bloodying one of the attackers or other. Not that he was trying to, mind you, but when he moves quickly, that's a *lot* of inertia, and anyone in his path is going to notice him! And lose a little bit of himself, as it turned out.

The morning was exhausting, but quite good training. Unfortunately for me, though, I came away covered in small welts, even under my clothing.

If I never see another mosquito again, it will be too soon.

Blessings and peace to one and all,

Fr. Tim, SJ

Sunday, August 30, 2009

What the Dell's going on here?

The computer technician who showed up here at Summer Camp - North to repair my computer, but was unable to do so, convinced me that the best thing to do with it would be to ship it back to Dell, as I wrote a couple of days ago.

He made a point of making sure he had the correct address for me here at Camp, so Dell could send out the shipping box for the computer. He told me the box should be here the next day, Thursday.

By close of business Friday there was still no box.

Yesterday I received an email from Dell saying they'd shipped the box for Thursday arrival in Burbank.

That's only a couple of thousand miles away from me.

Woohoo!

Now I'm beginning to wonder whether my computer will be repaired before I leave the country.

Talk about powerlessness.

We had a good crowd of Soldiers at Mass last night, so that's something to be grateful for, anyway.

Blessings and peace to one and all,

Fr. Tim, SJ

Saturday, August 29, 2009

All in a day's work

I spent more than four hours in the Troop Medical Clinic (TMC), making sure my incipient sore throat wasn't strep (it wasn't, but it's going around) and then having the MRI on my left knee interpreted by the rather gruff Medical Director of the place.

It turns out I have a ruptured popliteal cyst in the knee, which should self-correct, I'm told, but in the meantime has caused some inflammation. I also have some pretty awesome patellar tendonitis. Lucky me.

Fortunately, though, none of it is a show-stopper, so word of my being cleared for deployment (medically, at least) spread rapidly through the task force, and I had people I don't even know coming up to me in the chow hall to express their relief that I'll deploy with them.

Guess I've managed to pull the wool over their eyes, eh?

I hobbled on over to our Unit Ministry Team (UMT) training, where they were continuing their focus on combatives. I'd missed the first day of that instruction because I was off getting the MRI in the morning and visiting the podiatrist in the afternoon.

The other Chaplains (two) and Chaplain Assistants (four, total) had had a great time doing combatives (basically high-end wrestling and grappling; think "Chaplain ultimate fighting championship"), and were attacking and parrying and rolling around on the grass when I arrived. Given my rather less-than-robust musculoskeletal condition, I didn't go "all out" in that training!

After lunch, we had some PowerPoint slides to sit through, but I received word that one of our Soldiers had received a Red Cross message, so the trainers allowed me to return to the Battalion Headquarters. A loved one was hospitalized and near death, so I was present as this news was delivered to the Soldier.

He and I stayed and talked for quite a while afterward, and I slipped him some cash for his journey home (thanks, Dorothy B!), because he's just a Private, and hasn't got two cents to rub together. I called his cell phone from mine, so he'd have my number, and asked him to let me know what happens.

I went back to training, and was only in class for about an hour when I received another call that there was a situation requiring a Chaplain. I think the trainers were getting a bit annoyed, but off I went, again. The others went to the pugil pit to do more combatives, this time in full battle-rattle.

The second situation wound up keeping me busy for the better part of three hours. I spoke with the Soldier for a long time, and then asked if it would be OK if I asked the Soldier's Platoon Leader (PL) if we could have a meeting with all the parties involved, just to make sure everyone was on the same page. I told the Soldier I'd be there as support, and to do my best to make sure the Soldier didn't say or do anything unfortunate.

What started out as a very tense and confrontational situation eventually calmed down and became rather productive as people relaxed and misunderstandings were cleared up. The Soldier had felt that everyone else had prejudged the situation without finding out from the horse's mouth what had really happened. It became clear that what had seemed to be harshness and vindictiveness actually had been an attempt by the Chain of Command to help the Soldier succeed.

The Soldier recognized the areas that need improvement, and agreed to meet with someone regularly who can help bring about the changes that are necessary. I saw the Soldier the next day at the chow hall, smiling and cheery.

Nothing really had changed; the Soldier will have to endure the consequences of the behavior in question. And yet something significant and positive had taken place. I saw the Soldier's PL at the chow hall, too, who expressed his gratitude that the situation had turned out as it had.

All in a day's work.

Blessings and peace to one and all,

Fr. Tim, SJ

Friday, August 28, 2009

Stuff and nonsense

Wednesday was not a fun day.

The Unisys computer technician showed up and worked on my computer for quite a long time, only to experience the same thing the other two technicians found: the monitor does not light up enough to see what's there. Now it looks as though I'm going to have to wait until Dell sends me a box so I can ship the laptop back to them to be worked on at the factory.

It will take them five business days to repair it -- once they get it.

So much for "Next Business Day, On-Site Service," eh?

Meanwhile, it's tough to get online even to do my official Chaplain stuff here, because there are so few computers available to us.

The budget crunch in California strikes again!

Blessings and peace to one and all,

Fr. Tim, SJ

Thursday, August 27, 2009

Higher-Powered for Service

When MSG McG and I were in Iraq, we had our own Guidon, about which I've written before, and we came up with a motto for our Chaplain Detachment: "Higher-Powered for Service." (To be perfectly honest, I think it was *he* who came up with the phrase....)

I think it works on a lot of levels, actually.

Our call signs, should we ever have needed to be 'on the net' (use the radio to communicate with others), were "Circuit Rider Six" (me) and "Circuit Rider Seven" (MSG McG). (For reasons that aren't clear to me, but I'm sure are common knowledge to probably everyone else in the Army, the Commander of a unit has a call sign of "six" and his NCOIC has a call sign of "seven".)

Chaplains can never be in command, because we're non-combatants, but some Army documents listed me as the "commander" of the 142d Chaplain Detachment, so we went with that.

As I'm here at Summer Camp - North (experiencing an uncomfortable amount of déjà vu concerning my time at Summer Camp - South last year), I'm missing MSG McG and our Guidon and especially the Soldiers we visited in our peripatesis. The Soldiers of my new unit are great, mind you, but I genuinely miss my first real Chaplain Assistant and our adventures Down Range. He just celebrated a birthday, too.

Happy Birthday, MSG McG.

He's definitely "Higher-Powered for Service"!

Blessings and peace to one and all,

Fr. Tim, SJ

Wednesday, August 26, 2009

My Computer

In the continuing saga of my attempt to get my computer fixed, the computer technician showed up at the gates to Summer Camp - North yesterday, only to discover that he'd left his house without his wallet. There was no time to drive all the way home and then all the way back, given how far away this place is from where he lives. So as it was late in the day by that point, my computer did not get repaired -- again.

My repair request for this issue went in on Saturday, 08AUG09. Yesterday was 25AUG09. So much for "on-site, next business day" service, eh?

We'll see what happens today....

Blessings and peace to one and all,

Fr. Tim, SJ

Tuesday, August 25, 2009

Drilled Unceremoniously

I'm a disaster at Drill and Ceremony. I suspect I constantly look a bit disheveled, too, though it's not for a lack of trying to be squared away. (My uniforms are over a year old, and saw Iraq with me, so they're a bit care-worn, to be sure.)

A number of the Soldiers in my unit have taken it upon themselves, it seems, to try to look after me, though I'm not sure their efforts will bear fruit that will last.

One Second Lieutenant, in particular, gets pretty exasperated with me because my patrol cap looks pretty goofy. Try as I might, it just never looks as good as almost everyone else's does.

He's a former Marine, which explains a lot.

With great regularity -- despite my having attempted to square it away -- my hat looks goofy, and he'll come up to me, sigh, and try to make it look the way it's supposed to.

It's pretty humiliating.

And pretty funny.

Blessings and peace to one and all,

Fr. Tim, SJ

Monday, August 24, 2009

I love my job

I think I've mentioned this before, but I really love being a Chaplain. I have access to Soldiers (and others) that other Officers don't have, and get entrusted with the deepest dreams and fears and longings of people whose life stories amaze and humble me.

Junior Enlisted personnel who would never dream of speaking with their Company Commander (usually a Captain, as I am) readily approach me to bare their secrets, knowing that the Chaplain is a safe person in whom to confide.

Though I've only been with this unit a short time (a month yesterday), I've already had significant conversations and prayer with many of my comrades.

I suspect I've pointed out before that I'm constantly amazed by the burdens that human beings shoulder, often in silence and solitariness. These men and women are no different. Again and again I've already heard stories that break my heart or lift my spirits -- or both.

We're still on US soil, but we're already far from loved ones, and the pressures and griefs have settled in, early on, for some. I'm grateful that almost 30 years of hanging around with women and men who go to a lot of AA and Al-Anon meetings have given me inner resources that others my age (and certainly much younger!) don't seem to have.

As long as I'm reminded that 'messiah' is not part of *my* job description, and that I need to detach with love, seeing as no matter how much I love my Soldiers, I can have a God who loves them more -- so I need to get out of God's way and let that happen -- I'll be able to be of service to my guys and gals.

Being here with them is God's gift to me.

Blessings and peace to one and all,

Fr. Tim, SJ

Sunday, August 23, 2009

Cereal killers

One of the surprising and disturbing aspects of Army food has been the dearth of non-sugared cereals in the morning. Whatever happened to plain old Shredded Wheat, anyway?

Army chow halls have lots of cereals, and a cornucopia of different brands. But by and large, they're relatives of Count Chocula and Fruity Pebbles and Lucky Charms and Frosted Flakes -- every one of them chock full of sugar and frosting and colors not found in nature.

I guess my parents scarred me for life by forcing me to enjoy Shredded Wheat and Corn Flakes and Rice Krispies -- most of which have too much sugar anyway, but at least it's not lathered on to the point of needed an insulin injection immediately afterward.

The other morning we had to be up at 0345 in order to go be tested for illegal substances. This meant that we couldn't go to breakfast at the chow hall, so the Command provided us with breakfast-in-a-bag. The 'cereal' was frosted something or other and the 'milk' was some liquid which masqueraded as milk, but which was heavily sugared, and didn't need refrigeration.

I'm pretty leery of milk that doesn't need refrigeration.

I forced myself to eat what was provided to us, but it was not a gustatory delight, in my estimation. Others seemed to like it, but in the future, I'd rather take a pass.

One thing about the early-morning drug testing: seeing as I'm almost 30 years clean and sober, I've never had to fear the test, and have actually felt a sense of satisfaction when the test comes back, affirming the sobriety and abstinence that has come at such a price.

Hooray for the Higher Power!

Blessings and peace to one and all,

Fr. Tim, SJ

Saturday, August 22, 2009

Take a knee

While I was at Summer Camp - West I managed to screw up my left knee pretty badly, but by the time it was really goofed up, I did not want to have to deal with the O-5 who wouldn't put in an I.V. to hydrate me because "someone would have to stay after closing time."

So, as I was going through medical inprocessing, it was suggested I go see the orthopedic doc who's on post and have him look at my knee.

Turns out that he's a grad of a couple of Jesuit schools, and we wound up yakking about a lot of stuff other than just my knee and bad feet. Small world.

I've got an appointment on Tuesday to have an MRI, so we'll see what's going on (I hope!). It's been a bit frustrating to have significantly less mobility of late than usual. I'm really glad I've not been trying to climb up into an upper bunk, with my knee being the way it is, that's for sure!

I'll keep you posted.

Blessings and peace to one and all,

Fr. Tim, SJ

Friday, August 21, 2009

Paperwork

It's like deja vu all over again.

I finished up medical, dental, finance, legal, chaplain, and eleventy-seven other briefings during redeployment (which ended in July), and now I'm repeating much of it in August.

Ah! The overwhelming commonsensical-ness of it all.

Fortunately, rather than having to wait in interminably long lines in order to get to some station or other, only to have to wait and wait and wait while whatever's supposed to be happening happens, I've generally only had to wait in interminably long lines in order to be told, "Wow. Why are you in this line, anyway?"

Blessings and peace to one and all,

Fr. Tim, SJ

Thursday, August 20, 2009

Clouds

Joni Mitchell wrote a song in March 1967 which has a lovely tune, not often heard these days, except in Muzak form I suppose. "Both Sides Now" came to mind yesterday as I was wandering around Summer Camp - North. Here are the lyrics:

Every so often in Iraq we'd have a cloudy sky (from real clouds, not from the dust), and even more infrequently, the clouds would be large fluffy cumulus and cumulonimbus clouds. I'd point them out to my friends and say, "Look! Michigan clouds!"

Here at Summer Camp - North we have lots of "Michigan clouds" though we're not in Michigan. Close enough, though.

The sky here is incredibly blue, compared to the sky out west, and when populated by these large and impressive cloud formations, it's strangely calming.

Despite the fact that it's been raining on us as we're walking to and fro, or just standing in formations, it's been really enjoyable, if a bit cold at times. The rains come and go, so the sky darkens and then clears and then darkens again. Much more interesting, generally speaking, than the skies in Iraq -- except at sunrise or sunset, which were usually quite breathtaking.

So I was reminded of Joni Mitchell's song, which I can't stop humming.

I really don't know clouds, at all.

Blessings and peace to one and all,

Fr. Tim, SJ

Wednesday, August 19, 2009

Barracks

Wow.

Barracks life is still a novelty to me, as it turns out. While we were at Summer Camp - West, I was in a bay with only three other guys. The mattresses were old, but not too bad.

Here at Summer Camp - North I'm in a building with almost 90 guys in four bays. I lucked out, in that our bay only has 16 (eight sets of bunk beds, rather than twelve). However, by the time I got to the barracks, the only bunk left was an upper bunk, with springs that sag precariously.

My "dainty 305" Chaplain Assistant is on the lower bunk.

While I was in Iraq, I wound up in an upper bunk on two occasions while traveling, and each time, my arthritis made for a difficult ascent and descent. I decided to move my mattress onto the floor here at Summer Camp - North, since it would have the double effect of making it a lot easier to get into and out of bed, as well as providing much, much more back support than the really saggy springs would.

This, of course, horrified other officers and senior NCOs. Each suggested that SPC C take the upper bunk, but I demurred. Given how saggy the springs are already, I really didn't want to have to think about having all that mass directly above me.

Unfortunately, SPC C can give "The Snorer" from Iraq a run for his money, and that combined with the other snorers in the room made for an unquiet night for me. It didn't help that the lights in the bay weren't extinguished until after midnight, and then finally once they were out, people continued to talk on the phone, watch movies with the sound up pretty loud, and otherwise rattle around making noise.

SPC C was already sawing wood (like MSG McG, he appears to be able to sleep anytime, anywhere) long before the lights went out.

Somone's alarm went off at 0400 this morning, so I'm awake and my day has begun.

"This is the day that the Lord has made. Let us rejoice and be glad in it." (Ps 118:24)

Or something.

Blessings and peace to one and all,

Fr. Tim, SJ

Tuesday, August 18, 2009

On the road again....

We're on the way to Summer Camp - North.

I spent most of yesterday at the Armory waiting for the computer technician to come to repair my laptop. He didn't arrive until almost 2:00 in the afternoon, and didn't finish until after 5:00. The replacement screen functioned the same way that the first replacement did last week -- it doesn't light up enough to be able to see what's on it.

The tech had spent so much time working on it, I didn't insist that he put the cracked one back in (he looked positively terrified when I mentioned it), so now my computer doesn't work at all, for all intents and purposes. Sigh.

By the time he finished, I was one of the last people in the Armory, and had no easy way to get back to the hotel. I wound up waiting another hour for a ride. Fortunately, I was able to get together with my brother and sister-in-law for dinner, though I'd hoped to be able to spend more time with them than what we wound up having. Oh well. It was great to see them this weekend!

So now it's the crack of dawn, and we're getting ready to load up and head out to the L.A. Airport for our flights. The unit has chartered some passenger jets, so at least we won't have to suffer through the indignities of airport security, and the need practically to disrobe completely in order to be admitted to the gate areas.

This adventure begins.

Blessings and peace to one and all,

Fr. Tim, SJ

Monday, August 17, 2009

The Leave-taking

We had hundreds of Soldiers and family members and friends at the farewell ceremony yesterday at the Convention Center. It had been a long day at the Armory on Saturday, inventorying and packing duffel bags and rucksacks and loading crates to have equipment shipped to Summer Camp - North. The Armory was pretty warm, too.

Because I live so far away from Home Station, the Guard has put me up in a hotel until we leave for our next destination. I find it odd that a hotel as nice as where we're staying seems to feel the need to charge a rather exorbitant rate for an internet connection, especially when I've stayed in budget accommodations and internet access has been gratis.

I'm hoping to get my computer screen repaired today, if all goes as planned. I asked to have the technician come as early as possible, since it's not clear to me how long we'll be at the Armory today, and I'd like to spend some time with my brother and sister-in-law who live not far away from Home Station.

Watching families saying good-bye to one another reminds me of one of my latest soap-boxes: grief. I am more and more convinced that if we as a culture "did" grief in a healthier fashion, we'd have a lot less PTSD, since PTSD seems in large measure to be about unobserved, unrecognized, or otherwise ignored grief.

I'll be taking leave of my parents in just a few minutes, so this is a topic of importance to me at the moment.

Blessings and peace to one and all,

Fr. Tim, SJ

Sunday, August 16, 2009

Active Duty.... again

I'm now in Burbank, California at Home Station for my new unit. I decided to fly down here, rather than imposing on someone to drive me all the way here, and then have to drive all the way back home. Southwest Airlines had a pretty good deal on a one-way flight, and I was able to send several of my large bags back with the unit as they left after Annual Training. That made negotiating the airport a *lot* easier yesterday!

My Active Duty orders for Iraq ended officially on 22JUL09, and on 23JUL09 I was at Summer Camp - West for the past three weeks, on Title 32 active duty orders. Yesterday began my second long stint in the Active Duty Army, and today we have the official farewell for the unit, at the Convention Center across from the Burbank Airport.

It's a bit daunting to be on my way out of the country again (however long that winds up taking).

But the Soldiers in my new unit are great, and I've already been busy over the past three weeks listening to them and praying with and for them. Many of them are very young, while others are close to my own age (though they've all made something of themselves....).

That's one of the things I appreciate about the National Guard -- we've got true Citizen-Soldiers in our ranks, whose service to their Nation and their buddies involves all the same sacrifices as that of full-time Service Members, but which service often seems to be discounted as somehow "less-than" that of 'professional' Soldiers.

From what I can tell, we all bleed the same.

And the families of Reservists, so often at very long distances from the families of other Reservists (and therefore unable to form the kind of community possible for families living on or close to Active Duty posts) seem to bear the same burdens as the families of Active Duty Soldiers, but without the benefit of a community of fellow-sufferers.

I am in awe of their courage and commitment.

Blessings and peace to one and all,

Fr. Tim, SJ

Saturday, August 15, 2009

Screen screed

My computer made it through a year in Iraq without too much difficulty (though a USB port did self-destruct, necessitating a new motherboard upon my return to the States).

Recently, I noticed a crack in the lower left-hand corner of the LCD monitor. The computer did take a dive (inside my backpack) off a bus as someone was helping me off-load gear at the airport as I was leaving Summer Camp last month, so perhaps that might have contributed to the situation. But how this happened is really not very important.

Dell said they'd replace the screen on Tuesday of this week, but the day came and went with no new screen. Wednesday came and went with no new screen. Thursday came and went with no replacement, either.

Someone did finally show up late Thursday afternoon, and he did install a replacement monitor, but it was defective. He didn't find this out until it was too late to order a replacement which could be installed before I left town this morning. He very graciously put the old one back in before he left, well after 1800 hours.

I'm grateful he put the old screen back in, because it at least lights up!

However, it became harder and harder to use the computer, because this LCD monitor is actually a touchscreen, and the touchscreen aspect began to malfunction in such a way that it became almost impossible to do anything constructive with the computer.

After much patient effort on my part, I was finally able to disable the touchscreen and install a USB mouse.

Blessings and peace to one and all,

Fr. Tim, SJ

Friday, August 14, 2009

There's no place like home....

It has been great to spend a little time at home before taking off for the next journey ahead of me.

One of the things I missed most about being in Iraq was Mass with my Community, followed by preprandials in the rec room, followed by dinner. (We have the world's best tapioca pudding for dessert, for example.) Our conversations in the rec room, and at supper, for that matter, often defy description. One really needs to be there to understand.

Yesterday I was up in the rec room in the Jesuit Community before dinner and the conversation was as I remembered it.

One of the guys was telling a story about my friend Tom, who's a hopeless alcoholic (about 35 years sober now, I think). He was working for a time at a Jesuit parish in a very urban area. One day a man showed up at the door, appearing to be very agitated.

"I've got the power to raise the dead," he told Tom, "but I don't know the words." "Do you know the words?" he demanded.

Without missing a beat, Tom replied, "I don't know the words, but I know who does. Here's his name and address."

Tom gave the man the name of another Jesuit who was living and working at a Jesuit institution in a different part of town.

Later that day, the guy demanded to see the other Jesuit at that other institution. When the priest came to the door, the man started shouting, "I've got the power! Give me the words! I've got the power! Give me the words!"

Imagine the Jesuit's surprise.

Ah, brotherly love! I missed my brothers while I was Down Range. It's good to be home.

Blessings and peace to one and all,

Fr. Tim, SJ

Thursday, August 13, 2009

The Hurt Locker

I went with a friend to see "The Hurt Locker" recently. I don't often go to movies. I go even more infrequently to war movies.

The people who were most surprised by my joining the Army at an advanced age know that I don't even like war movies.

That being said, I highly recommend "The Hurt Locker" to anyone who wants an insight into what some military personnel experience Down Range. I did not 'enjoy' the movie, but I appreciate its verisimilitude. It conveys well the kinds of internal and external struggles faced in this counterinsurgency.

I found it very stressful just sitting in the theater watching the screen. Much to my surprise, I caught myself taking exception to certain aspects of what was being depicted on screen. "Maybe that was possible in 2004 (the year the movie is set in), but it couldn't happen that way today," I told the friend who went with me, concerning a couple of points.

I would never have expected myself to be able to offer a critique of the military aspects of a war movie as a veteran of a combat zone. Go figure.

Go see the movie, and offer a prayer for all who are there now, have been there, or will wind up there in the future.

Blessings and peace to one and all,

Fr. Tim, SJ

Wednesday, August 12, 2009

Family

Not long after I finished Chaplain Basic Training I was on Temporary Duty (TDY) helping process Soldiers for deployment to Afghanistan and Iraq, and I received word that a Soldier home on pass from an Army school had died in a motorcycle accident. I immediately went to visit his family, who live about a half-hour away from the installation where I was serving my TDY.

It's been almost two years now since SPC Justin Baldwin died, though it doesn't seem as though it can be that long. I had lunch with his parents and grandmother a few days ago as my training came to a close. They have become important people in my life.

We spoke of grieving and Iraq and their horses and how God is able to bring life in the midst of unspeakable loss and sadness and fear. I'm grateful for their prayerful support of me while I was Down Range.

It will be good to see them again when I return from Kosovo!

Blessings and peace to one and all,

Fr. Tim, SJ