I asked about the ramp ceremony. In his own words:
I led the whole battalion information to the ramp of the aircraft, positioned myself front and center of the ramp, and waited for everyone to get into position. Once the 4 FLAs (Field Ambulances) positioned themselves and the pallbearers unloaded the transfer cases, I marched out to meet them halfway down the run way. Once they got close to me, I did an about face and led the procession through the “honor corridor” (made by a split battalion formation on either side) to the ramp while reading Psalm 23 out loud. Once we got to the ramp, I paused for them to get into position, and then moved into the belly of the aircraft. The caskets then came one by one up into the aircraft and I said one last prayer for our fallen comrades. Then I called the pallbearer detail to execute a salute, facing movement, and then forward march out of the plane. After that, the CSM called the battalion to gather around and gave a pretty inspiring speech. Then I closed out with one last prayer/blessing to those there. We concluded the ceremony by me leading the formation off of the tarmac. It was pretty moving, and I think we carried it out close to perfection.
I have been proud of Will many, many times in my life. However, I have NEVER been more proud of him than I am today. He has performed his chaplain duties with such patience, comfort, and compassion. He is empty, drained, exhausted, and mourning… but Christ is his rock and because of that, Will is being a rock to his brothers.
God is the same today as He was before Monday. He is still good. He still reigns. He is with us and with them. Good CAN come out of such a tragedy.
Prayer:
Lord, thank you that your goodness and sovereignty never change. Help me see your purpose in the midst of pain.
“May your unfailing love rest upon us, O LORD, even as we put our hope in you.” (Psalm 33:22)
August 22
ONLY SIX MORE MONTHS!
From the blog of Jessica Alley, wife of Chaplain (Capt.) Will Alley, Iraq (2008–2009)
June 26, 2009.
Military life is all about counting down. Either you are counting down to the next deployment, to the homecoming, to the R&R, or to the end of R&R. There always seems to be some sort of countdown. Well, one of my countdowns ended today when the kids and I dropped Will off at the airport. Our R&R had ended.
There are so many thoughts going through my head right now. I am not even close to being as emotional as I was when he left back in December, but I am still pretty bummed. We had the best two weeks! Having him home 24/7 for two straight weeks was awesome. We had such quality family and couple time.
I am incredibly thankful that Will’s battalion will not be extended, and that we only have six more months to go. We are halfway done with our year. Some of you reading this are laughing, thinking “ONLY SIX.” Some of you think there is no way you could go without your husband for so long. Let me reassure you, you can.
I miss my husband terribly, and he is not even out of country yet. However, I am even more convinced than ever that Mosul is God’s will for him. Being in the center of God’s will is an extremely peaceful thing, and Will and I have both learned that such peace is precious. We rest in knowing that we are obeying God and fulfilling his plan. It’s not always easy or enjoyable, but it’s right. As always, we are thankful.
When thrust into a situation like this, we are forced to rely on the only thing not influenced by emotion… that is our faith in God. Regardless of how happy or sad we are, God remains the same. He is unchanging and we find our strength and stability in Him.
Prayer:
Lord, help me place more trust in your unchanging character than in how I feel with my own changing emotions.
“Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.” (Hebrews 13:8)
August 23
PARTING GIFT
Leah and Sgt. Christopher Dubree, Iraq (2006–2007), Afghanistan (2009–2010)
More than anything else, Leah and Chris Dubree wanted a child. They dreamed of growing their family and bringing a precious new life into the world. In April 2006, after three years of trying to conceive, they learned that Chris would soon be deployed to Iraq, so they decided to put their plans for expanding their family on hold until he returned. God had other plans.
On June 7, 2006, Chris was sitting in his office when the phone rang.
“Criminal Law South Specialist Dubree speaking, how may I help you sir or ma’am?” he answered.
“Hi Daddy,” Leah said with a smile.
Though this timing wasn’t what they had planned, Chris was ecstatic.
“I lost all control of myself. I looked like a little kid who had just found his missing, most favorite toy in the whole world,” said Chris. “I knew that this was a sign from God. He had placed me on a path that may not bring me home, so he wanted to fulfill our wish of being parents.”
By the time the Dubrees discovered they were expecting, the baby was seven weeks along which meant that the little life was already growing by the time Chris and Leah decided to stop trying until after deployment.
“I had so many mixed emotions about this because my husband was leaving and would miss so much,” said Leah.
On August 23, Chris headed for Iraq. “I kept as close a contact as I could throughout the pregnancy. Leah sent LOTS of pictures for me to see how she was growing with our miracle inside growing as well,” he said.
Chris and Leah did not choose for Leah to be alone for her pregnancy. But they recognized that if this was God’s plan for them, then he must also have a plan to help them through it. God often interrupts our lives with unplanned circumstances. However, if we look closely, even trials can be avenues of God’s blessing.
Prayer:
Lord, show me the blessings you have in store for me through the situations I did not choose.
“Many are the plans in a man’s heart, but it is the LORD’s purpose that prevails.” (Proverbs 19:21)
August 24
IT’S TIME!
Leah and Sgt. Christopher Dubree, Iraq (2006–2007), Afghanistan (2009–2010)
Chris had scheduled his R&R leave around the baby’s due date, January 21, 2007, to make sure he was there for the birth. This time, it was the baby girl who had other plans. On January 3, Keesley (which is the Celtic female form of Christopher) decided it was time to move.
“My whole family was there and everyone was excited, except we were missing someone really important,” said Leah. “I kept telling my family that I missed Chris and couldn’t do this without him, but my mom just kept telling me that God would help me through this.”
Meanwhile, on the other side of the world in Iraq, Chris was on edge. “I called about every fifteen minutes, anticipation and adrenaline coursing through my body,” he said. “Finally, on the fifth phone call, I heard the enthusiasm in the air before I actually got the news: I was a father now as of 1:56 a.m. January 4, 2007.”
Ten minutes later Chris received his first picture of Keesley via email. “When I saw the picture for the first time I started to tear up of course, and all my friends could say was, ‘How can that be? She is beautiful, but she looks just like you.’ They were trying to get me out of my emotional phase, but I was too deep into the miracle God had given my wife and me.”
When Leah and Chris finally got to talk that evening, they cried tears of both joy and sadness together on the phone. “He told me that he was proud of me, and I answered him with, ‘I need you home!’” said Leah. “We were both so happy with having her and being parents.”
Sometimes God’s timing doesn’t make sense to us. It isn’t what we would have chosen, or how we would have planned it. During these times, may we simply trust in God’s sovereignty rather than dwell on what we cannot control ourselves.
Prayer:
Lord, grant me the courage to trust in your plan for my life.
“‘For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,’ declares the LORD.” (Isaiah 55:8)
August 25
; LOVE AT FIRST SIGHT
Leah and Sgt. Christopher Dubree, Iraq (2006–2007), Afghanistan (2009–2010)
When Chris stepped off the plane and saw the tiny bundle in his wife’s arms, it was love at first sight. Keesley was eleven days old.
“I remember it as if it were yesterday,” Chris said. “The first thing I did of course was give quick hugs and kisses to the adults, and then it was strictly baby time. I stole her away and held her as if I had held a hundred children before her.”
Completely oblivious to all the strangers in the airport smiling at the scene, Chris only had eyes for Keesley. “All I could focus on was that the little life I had in my arms was biologically mine, but I knew then and will always know that she is God’s child. I am just blessed to raise her for him.”
While Chris was home, Keesley was having trouble sleeping because she had tummy pains. After trying everything from gas drops to switching formula, nothing seemed to help except her daddy.
“I was in the recliner with her and I started to nod off and then I realized she was asleep,” he said. “So we found a solution to the fussy nights with gas build up. I would sleep with her on my chest in the recliner, which worked perfectly.”
When it was time for Chris to return to Iraq, he left a worn T-shirt of his with Leah to put in her crib. The scent of Keesley’s daddy seemed to help soothe her, even after he was gone.
Saying goodbye again after his R&R was one of the hardest things Chris and Leah have ever done.
“I know that God made my child for me,” said Chris, “and he also realized that I would have such a difficult time being away that he gave me ways to cut through those hard times.”
For Chris, those “ways” were emails, phone calls and pictures sent back and forth. What are the ways God has provided for you to get through your own difficult circumstances?
Prayer:
Lord, give me the strength I need to shoulder the burdens you’ve allowed me to have.
“Because you are my help, I sing in the shadow of your wings.” (Psalm 63:7)
August 26
HOME AGAIN
Leah and Sgt. Christopher Dubree, Iraq 2006–2007, Afghanistan 2009–2010
Ten long months later, November 8, 2007, Chris’s deployment to Iraq was over. He officially moved back home to be with his wife and daughter.
“My unit marched into the field house and waited while a few people said some words,” said Chris. “I cannot remember what was even said; I was too busy staring at my wife and now, ten month-old daughter. Keesley was being loud, of course, throwing her snacks and being a normal ten month-old. All I could think was, Wow, she is ours. I helped to create her.”
The formation released, and Chris made a bee line toward them. At first, Keesley was a little unsure of who Chris was. “As soon as I spoke, though, I saw something click in her eyes,” said Chris. “I took off my hat and I saw something else click. It would have taken more power than any person in the world had to keep her from coming to me. Of course I cried some more and then we went home.”
Back in their own home, they set Keesley down, and she started to walk away. When Chris turned around, there was Keesley taking her first steps, walking right toward her daddy. “All I could do was stare open-jawed at the little bundle that had chosen to wait to show that she could walk until I came home,” said Chris.
Even though Keesley didn’t remember her dad from his two-week visit when she was a newborn, she recognized his voice from all the phone calls and recognized his face from the pictures. She took her first steps to follow him because she knew him, even though he had been physically absent.
In the same way, Jesus calls himself our shepherd, and says in John 10 that if we know him, we will follow him, too. Though we never lay eyes on Jesus while on this earth, we can learn to recognize his voice and follow his call.
Prayer:
Lord, help me discern your voice out of the many I hear each day, and give me the grace to follow you.
“I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me… My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me.” (John 10:4, 27)
August 27
ANOTHER DAUGHTER, ANOTHER DEPLOYMENT
Leah and Sgt. Christopher Dubree, Iraq (2006–2007), Afghanistan (2009–2010)
On Christmas Day 2007, one special gift for the Dubrees outshone everything else under the tree. They discovered that they were once again expecting.
“I knew that God was giving me back the things I had missed with our first daughter,” said Chris. “I was able to see the entire pregnancy firsthand, the birth, and the first eight months of Nikayla’s life which is what I had missed with Keesley.”
When Nikayla was just two months old, Chris learned he would be deployed to Afghanistan in 2009. “It was very hard for me after having another child knowing that he would be leaving us again, but I knew that God was on our side, and he would get us through this just like the did the last deployment,” said Leah. “I was so upset and hurting for my Chris, because he was going to miss so much once again.”
Determined to do what she could to foster that daddy-daughter relationship, Leah began
working with Nikayla to say her first word. Finally one day, she said it to him: “Da da!”
“The look on his face was so priceless and I knew that was a moment he would carry with him always,” said Leah.
When Chris left for Afghanistan, he said, “Keesley was exactly twenty-seven months and twenty-three days, and Nikayla was exactly seven months and twenty-eight days. Currently, I am missing with Nikayla what I have seen with Keesley, but I get updates on a daily basis.”
In the meantime, Leah talks to Nikayla about her daddy and Chris talks to her on the phone. “I continue to pray for his safety and that Nikayla will remember him,” said Leah. “Things aren’t as hard as I thought they would be, and I know that’s because I have grown in Christ. God is so wonderful! My daughters and I miss Chris so much. Each day has its ups and downs, but we know that everything will work out in the end because God is our savior.”
Prayer:
Lord, if I must walk through fire, refine me with it so I’ll be stronger for the future.
“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” (Romans 8:28)
August 28
PREPARATION
Kerri Hartwick, wife of Chief Warrant Officer Michael Hartwick, Iraq (2005–2006)
Michael and Kerri Hartwick were high school sweethearts. They married during their senior year of college and then decided together that he would join the military.
“His dream was always to fly,” said Kerri. “He loved airplanes, anything that flew. I was supportive.”
Mike served in Bosnia, Kosovo, Albania, and Iraq as an Apache helicopter pilot for the Army. In November 2005, one month before he would deploy a second time to Iraq, he arranged a “powwow” with Kerri.
“We each took a day off of work, and the kids were in school,” remembered Kerri. “He’d been deployed before and knew the risk factors. We should have done this before; maybe this was a God thing. But he made sure we sat down together and talked about everything we needed to discuss in case he would not return from finances, to who he wanted to be pallbearers, who he wanted to speak at the funeral, and where he wanted to be buried. We talked about where the kids and I would live, his thoughts on me remarrying. We discussed everything. It was hard. He put all our finances and insurance information in a binder for me. I didn’t know then what a blessing that would turn out to be for me.”
When Mike deployed, Kerri prayed the same prayer each night: “Lord, if you bring Mike home safely I will praise you for keeping him safe. If you have other plans for him, you need to prepare my heart because I won’t be able to do it alone.”
“I didn’t have a premonition,” she said. “But God put that in my heart that I needed to pray that way.”
In speaking to
their children, seven-year-old Tanner and ten-year-old Haley, Mike never promised he wouldn’t get hurt. He said he’d do his best to stay safe.
Prayer:
Lord, prepare my heart for whatever you have in store for me.
“Many are the plans in a man’s heart, but it is the LORD’s purpose that prevails.” (Proverbs 19:21)
August 29
APRIL 2, 2006
Kerri Hartwick, wife of Chief Warrant Officer Michael Hartwick, Iraq (2005–2006)
Sunday, April 2, 2006, dawned clear and bright in Belton, Texas. Kerri and the kids were looking forward to the battalion Easter egg hunt planned for that afternoon when the phone rang.
“Kerri, have you heard anything about an Apache helicopter crash?” It was Mike’s stepdad in Missouri.
“No, I haven’t,” Kerri told him. “If I hear anything, I’ll let you know.”
Kerri and the kids went to the egg hunt as planned, then to church before heading home. It was 5:45 p.m. when they pulled in the driveway. While Kerri and Tanner stayed outside chatting with some neighbors, Haley ran into the house.
“Mom,” she said, rushing back outside. “There’s a message on the answering machine that said, ‘Kerri, I’m sorry to hear about your family. I’m on my way down.’”
Instantly, Kerri knew. Pulling her neighbor aside, she said, “Can you take the kids into your house and shut the blinds?”
“Why?”
“I’ll explain later. Please take the kids.”
Stories of Faith and Courage from the War in Iraq and Afghanistan Page 33
