Stories of Faith and Courage from the War in Iraq and Afghanistan
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God may have had other purposes for Jason’s deployment that no one can see yet, but at present, Jason and Sonja say it’s enough that it brought them closer together.
We all walk through valleys at some point in our lives. Some of us will be blessed on the other side with the understanding of why God took us down that road and how he plans to use it in our lives, but not always. Regardless, we are called to follow him daily, even though we can’t see the big picture like he can.
Prayer:
Lord, help me follow you even when I can’t see your plan.
“Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.” (1 Corinthians 13:12)
September 15
PASSION FATIGUE
Starlett Henderson, army veteran, army wife, and military lifestyle writer
Mention deployment to a friend or family member and questions like “How many times has he been deployed?” are asked. This late in the war, it’s not uncommon to hear “three times” or “almost five years in the last ten.” It’s a shock sometimes, to me even, when I hear myself say it out loud.
I noticed this time I have a hard time minding the details of where David is and what he’s doing. I see it like this: he’s one of two places here or not here. One thing is for sure: right up there with compassion fatigue is my own passion fatigue.
I wish for those early days of the war, when we were sure it was just and winnable. Lines have crossed and blurred now. Subsequent deployments haven’t gotten easier with our multiplying stressors or the soldiers’ changing enemy. In my darkest, lonely hours I cry, “If this isn’t persecution, I don’t know what is.” It’s not that I don’t believe in what we’re doing. I’ve long felt this is our family’s duty, honor, and ministry. I just wish there were more soldiers in the fight.
I sigh when I realize the similarities between the need for soldiers fighting to liberate the oppressed overseas and the need for Christian soldiers to disseminate the freeing Truth. There will never be enough of either and the work will not get easier. The fact of the matter is that the more persistent we are, the worse it will get, on earth. So I pull up those boot straps and focus on the Lord and what it all means. I focus on his promises of the rewards in Heaven and the knowledge that opposition (read: persecution) means we are striking a nerve with the enemy, and it isn’t all for naught.
Prayer:
Lord, Thank You for our opportunity to serve You and our nation. Thank You for promising heaven and giving meaning to our suffering.
“And God will use this persecution to show his justice and to make you worthy of his Kingdom, for which you are suffering.” (2 Thessalonians 1:5 NLT)
September 16
SOMETHING TO BE HUMBLE ABOUT
Starlett Henderson, army veteran, army wife, and military lifestyle writer
If your heart goes unchecked like mine, sometimes it may be puffed with pride. It doesn’t take much: a few poignant lyrics, hearing the American flag snap sharply in the sky on a windy day, making it to another homecoming intact. For the most part, the country honors our service and sacrifice of a military family as a whole. Military spouses are elevated right along with service members.
I had one of these moments recently. A monument was erected atop one of the nation’s premier ski jumps right in my in-laws’ hometown. We went for a visit, and it was a site to behold. A garrison flag flies high and brick pavers bear the names of many who have served or are still serving. Inside is a time capsule that holds the DD214s of half the state’s veterans. The time capsule will be opened in about one hundred years, 2106. My husband and I are veterans from the counties recognized. I was so proud.
My mind wandered to where my family would be in 2106. Who would be there to be proud for us? Would the children of tomorrow gain a sense of the full measure of patriotism as is one of the monument’s stated purposes? “I bet not,” I thought. Already signs of vandalism were cropping up too close for comfort. I was indignant to think that one hundred years down the road, a ceremony might go unnoticed or veterans might be forgotten. I hope it won’t be.
In that hope, I attached a prayer, but at the same time was gently admonished for taking credit for God’s strength and maybe not caring enough that God is so often forgotten. In our three-day drive to the in-laws, we passed a few other sites to behold: crosses in the mountains, steeples seen from far off distances, a marble statue at least four stories high of Jesus with outstretched arms. Next time I’ll do more than drive-by; I’ll pray that one hundred years from now, veterans and military families will recognize God as the one who sustained them.
Prayer:
Father, strip me of these prideful feelings, for I know it’s You, not us, who has the power. Forgive me for acting as if I’m the only one. It’s Your grace and strength from which I draw my own. Thank You.
“Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up in honor.” (James 4:10 NLT)
September 17
FAITH, HOPE, AND LOVE
Starlett Henderson, army veteran, army wife, and military lifestyle writer
Truth is that David had me from: “I prayed for you.” But my interest was piqued even more from “I enlisted.”
David and I have a long history. We were in the same circles since junior high. We dated in those circles, but we didn’t really know each other. That became very apparent the day I started hearing rumors that David had enlisted via the delayed entry program.
“In the Army? Can he do that?” I questioned. He was seventeen. My own young life had been shaped by family members who served. I had a deep interest through the military instruction I received in JROTC classes. To me, the military symbolized symbolizes still selfless service, compassion for others, a level of personal responsibility. It was a world I deeply respected. This young man was put on my heart as “the one.”
Thus my journey with the military began by writing daily letters to David at Basic Training in 1989. He came home, we dated, and he told me one day that he prayed for me, as in he asked for me from God. The gifts just kept on coming.
Soon I was a soldier myself, then an Iraqi Freedom military spouse, and now Enduring Freedom spouse. This Army wife life brings the best and worst of times. I choose to reflect on the best experiences: a greater love, a life of service, and children who have learned what it means to be dedicated and selfless.
Without our children and me, I feel David would not have made it this long, this far. Without him and his brothers he calls them we would not have the free living we enjoy. We’re a team. It’s hard to feel that way, especially when we’re apart as often as we are together. But we have our faith and hope and bigger than enduring freedom we have enduring love.
None of it would be possible except for my heavenly Father bringing our two loves together. His hand has carried us from that first hello through many good-byes, and he’ll deliver us to our final reunion, whenever that may be.
Prayer:
Gracious God, I thank you for bestowing peace upon us. I pray for those military couples whose faith and love may feel less than enduring. I ask that you cover them and give them hope.
“Three things will last forever faith, hope and love and the greatest of these is love.” (1 Corinthians 13:13 NLT)
September 18
MY ARMY WIFE ARMY
Starlett Henderson, army veteran, army wife, and military lifestyle writer
For me, each deployment has had its own fresh challenges. Having to work was one of them, going to school was another, and being pregnant for part of another. The stressors mounted, particularly when we received orders for a back-to-back deployment that David could have opted out of, but, doing so would opt him out of the right career progression and leave his soldiers with inexperienced leadership. We prepared for the quick turn-around. I quit my job, graduated school, and moved in a short time frame. David was gone shortly thereafter, and I began struggling.
The struggle continued. I was eking out a living. My church friends, a very small FRG [family readiness group], were supportive and helped me remain faithful. But I still wanted what I wanted. Weary with need, I began a cursory search online “Army Wife” or “deployment support” may have been my search terms. My find was Army Wife Talk Radio in 2004.
What a Godsend. I found fulfillment there in sharing answers with other spouses and many friends who understand all the while working from home. It’s not where I saw myself twenty years ago. It may not be where I see myself twenty years from now, but it’s just what I ordered to make it through Deployment I, II, and III.
God is using me and my involvement in the online talk radio realm, now Army Wife Network, to relieve the pressure. I’m only left with one more need lately and that is to have my husband home. But I am smart enough to know that if there was no Army, there would be no soldiers (with their spouses, fiancés, and families) to support. And no job for me. So, I’ll be thankful he saw fit to provide just what I needed for the time it is needed.
Prayer:
My, how You fulfill my need. Your strategy is divine, and I’m happy you intervene on my behalf.
“And since we know he hears us when we make our requests, we also know that he will give us what we ask for.” (1 John 5:15)
September 19
SOLDIER BOY’S LOVE STORY
Starlett Henderson, army veteran, army wife, and military lifestyle writer
More than missing her son David, I imagine Grandma Mary Henderson struggles, knowing David’s children miss him. There’s Thomas, thirteen, and there is the granddaughter Mary never thought she’d have, Tara, five.
I had put the thought of another child out of my head. I just kept saying I was done, until I started to feel I wasn’t. David was leaving for Iraq the first time, and we left it to God to settle the question. He answered with a resounding “yes.” Tara was born.
Just before David’s third deployment, his mother described David’s perspective on leaving his new daughter as if David were speaking:
As our eyes locked, I knew the meaning of “love at first sight.” She smiled at me as if she had known me her whole life. Her hand caressed my cheek like the whisper of a feather. My heart beat faster as I realized I had waited my whole life for her.
We have been inseparable for five months. We have cuddled and laughed late into the night. She has fallen asleep in my arms. She trusts me completely to protect her and love her always. As I watch her sleep, I try to form the words to fashion a good-bye. How will she understand?
Sleeping so peacefully beside me, she is unaware of my turmoil. She is my love, my life; everything has changed since I met her. I watch her sleep; she must be dreaming pleasant thoughts. She will not understand why I must leave. How do I explain that I must serve a second deployment to Iraq? I lean over, needing to kiss her, but not wanting to disturb her.
She smiles a lopsided grin…
I think my beautiful ten-month old daughter just murmured, “Da-da.”
My questions were plenty. Why must we separate again? Why did God allow this child to be born at this time? We don’t understand, but we have been enjoying our daughter for all she’s worth.
Prayer:
Lord, we don’t understand, but thank you for having a plan. We put our faith in you and resolve to revel in your wisdom and glory.
“Yet God has made everything beautiful for its own time… So I concluded there is nothing better than to be happy and enjoy ourselves as long as we can.” (Ecclesiastes 3:11–12)
September 20
A PRAYER FOR MY COUNTRY
Donna Tallman delivered this prayer on Memorial Day weekend, 2009
Father in heaven,
We come before you, Lord, to thank you for America. Thank you that before the foundation of the world, you selected us to live here; to raise our families here, and represent you to those around us who’ve never met you. We are grateful for this privilege, Lord, and stop to give you praise.
Just as you selected men and women in Scripture to fulfill strategic roles in your plan for the nations, you also intentionally called us to live here in the United States in this season of time… for this hour.
Your destiny for us was to enter this nation’s history during the twentieth century and lead it into a new era. We are Millennium Ministers assigned to take your unfailing and unchanging message of hope to a nation that has been captured by an insidious addiction to constant diversion.
John Winthrop, Puritan leader and governor of Massachusetts, desired that the New World become a beacon of light to other nations. He longed for this land to be the shining city set on a hill that Jesus referred to in Matthew chapter five. But we are not that. So we come to you this morning, Lord, and ask for your intervention. Return us to our foundation, to our heritage, and to your destiny for us as a nation and to your destiny for us as your church.
We can only become that shining city when the hearts of America’s people turn to you. Help us see, Father, that it is not our productivity that you want. You don’t want the work of our hands our industry, rather you want the surrender of our hearts. Politics will not cure America’s heart. Science, technology, law, or philosophy won’t fix it either only a revival sent from you for your church can restore America from within.
We are desperate for you, Lord. America will never fully shine from atop that hill until your church experiences the freedom in Christ you intended. You came to set us free, yet we have bound ourselves to our own culture’s excesses and temptations. Forgive us, Lord, we come now in repentance and ask for your restoration.
“… A city on a hill cannot be hidden.” (Matthew 5:14)
September 21
A PRAYER FOR MY COUNTRY, PART 2
Donna Tallman
Father,
Remind us that liberty never travels without its companion sacrifice, and that sacrifice never travels without love. When we are tempted to forget the physical sacrifice America’s soldiers have made on our behalf, remind us that it was their blood that bought this nation its freedom. In the same way, remind us that it was the sacrifice of your blood that bought our spiritual freedom when your own son paid the ultimate price for our redemption…
And this you did because you loved us.
Lord, America’s soldiers have become some of our greatest teachers. They teach us the significance of duty, honor, and sacrifice. They show us how to persevere in the face of extreme trial. We ask that you heal the hearts of our soldiers. Fill them with the assurance of your presence in their hours of fear, doubt, or even despair. Provide them with hope when they feel hopeless and peace when their spirits are in turmoil.
Father, this nation was founded on the work and character of many high-caliber men and women you selected to lead us. We ask that you again bless us with gifted leaders for our nation, our state, and our city. Grant us wisdom and discernment as we participate in the election process in the coming months. May our minds and hearts be attuned to your will for us in this hour.
When President Reagan said farewell to the nation he had served for eight years in January of 1989, he affirmed John Winthrop’s prophetic call that America was to become the shining city on a hill that would serve as a beacon of hope to the nations of the world.
May we stop and remember those who desperately need freedom and consider what sacrifices we must make to procure it for them. May we remember those who hurtle through the darkness and step in with the Good News that the Light of the World has come to light their way home to true freedom found in Jesus Christ.
In the precious name of Jesus who desires to lead us all to freedom, Amen.
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br /> “If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land.” (2 Chronicles 7:14)
September 22
DANGER IN THE RED ZONE
Brandt Smith, PhD
The rapport of mortars being launched could be heard in the distance. The trailing whine ended in a large bang. The explosions were close tonight. Indirect fire is not often well aimed by the insurgents. On this night it again missed its mark landing in the residential area outside the Green Zone. It was the middle of the night.
It was a hot night. The lack of electricity made the flashes of light seem even brighter. Gunfire could be heard sporadically in the background. His teenage daughter held on tightly. The blasts brought fear and frailty to their home. A father holds a daughter and knows her heart.
The danger was real and ever present. It was mid-2006, and Baghdad was a violent place. Brandt Smith left the comfort of the United States to go to Baghdad, Iraq. He voluntarily went with his wife and daughter into a combat theater. Away from the relative protection of the Green Zone, they lived in the Red Zone, the real Baghdad. He and his family would remain in this ‘dark corner’ of the earth for over two years.