Stories of Faith and Courage from the War in Iraq and Afghanistan

by Jane Hampton Cook

  When you live in a city where terrorism is constantly battling against freedom, you learn that violence and chaos are commonplace. The list of friends lost to this violence brought Brandt deep pain. Yet amidst the turmoil God provided a refuge, sometimes through miraculous acts of protection, sometimes through the quiet presence of His love. Tonight, his daughter would have the reassuring words of her father speaking God’s Word.

  In the psalms he found a resting place. There are passages sprinkled throughout the psalms that illustrate God’s compassion and grace for those in harm’s way. David was a man of war, and he had insight into the brevity of life. He understood this and communicated it to God. In many of these passages, David conveys a hope that meets the needs of the soldier and the missionary and their daughters.

  The trembling began to subside. The noise faded to silence. And peace returned to their home.

  Prayer:

  Lord encamp around me. Teach me to fear you. Thank you Father for delivering me once again.

  “The angel of the LORD encamps around those who fear him, and he delivers them.” (Psalm 34:7)

  September 23

  THE MISSION: RETURN SAFELY TO THE OFFICE

  Brandt Smith, PhD

  The car rounded a corner and began to approach the government building. It was a scene eerily absent of normal daily activities. All quiet in Baghdad hardly normal. It usually indicated that a curfew had been imposed; or something was about to happen, just happened, or was happening and you had not been informed.

  As the car approached, gunfire pierced through the silence. Rounds coursed across the road all around them. Instinctively the driver began to pull the car to the side of the road. Brandt’s assistant in the back seat screamed, “la, la, la, “ translated “no, no, no!” in English.

  The road in front of the ministry headquarters was lined with barriers and razor wire. There was nowhere to go. The driver stepped on the gas and drove through the firefight. The racket of gunfire and the crack of bullets passing by overwhelmed the senses. They made it to the other side. They were alive, but silent. Not a word was spoken as they completed the drive to the office.

  They pulled into the office parking lot and got out to examine the car. Not one bullet had hit the car. Miraculously they had been delivered through the hail of bullets. The two Muslims looked in disbelief. It is not common for a Muslim to pray with a Christian, but his driver and assistant held hands with Brandt as he prayed, thanking God for His protection. Once in the office Brandt turned on the computer. An email had just arrived. One of the Christians praying for Brandt and his family had been awakened in their sleep with the sense that God wanted them to pray for Brandt. The email said, “I was just awakened to pray for you. I don’t know what is going on in your day today, but I wanted you to know that I am praying.”

  We may never know why our heart is burdened to pray, but we must pray nonetheless. He is drawing us to himself co-laboring with him in his work, his will.

  Prayer:

  Father God, show me your heart and awaken me from my sleep to pray. I long to co-labor with you. May your compassion be my compassion, may my heart break for what breaks your heart. Thank you God for awakening me.

  “Morning by morning He awakens me.” (Isaiah 50:4b)

  September 24

  WHY ARE WE HERE?

  Brandt Smith, PhD

  It was nighttime. It was also the end of the fourth day of the curfew that kept them prisoners in their home. The heat of the day would never fully dissipate. Without the comfort that they were so accustomed to before coming to Iraq, Brandt’s wife leaned over and asked, “What are we doing here?” Brandt would answer, “Well, we are following Jesus.” She would reply with an affirming, “I know, but man…”

  His wife would not be the only one to bear the strain, the hardship. Brandt waded through confusion. “Why are we here? Why did God ask us to be at this place at this time.” Brandt and his wife, Gail, would sit together and read in Luke 9 where Jesus was speaking to his disciples and to the people. Luke 9:23 says, “If anyone wishes to come after me let him deny himself.”

  When you cannot do your own shopping; when you do not have freedom of movement, and you know there are evil people that would like to see you dead; you get a sense of what it means to deny yourself.

  Jesus also said, “Take up your cross daily and follow me.” On some days, Brandt would just ask, “Lord, how much do I need to deny myself? How heavy must my cross be? How far do I have to follow you?” The answer would come quietly and with clarity, “All the way.” There it was; Brandt was the one who had bent his knee to God, God simply said, “This is what I am asking of you at this time in your life.”

  For Brandt, that was sufficient. It was a reminder that following him wasn’t necessarily the easiest path but it was the best path.

  Whether in Baghdad or any other city in the world, we must ask if we are on his path. Complicated by personal sacrifice, discomfort and the constant threat of violence, Brandt found the sufficiency of Christ. Soldiers and missionaries alike find themselves denying their own personal comfort and desires. For them, life holds a far more significant purpose.

  Prayer:

  Father, teach me to deny myself and follow after you. Save my life, let my gain be you and not this world.

  Then he said to them all:

  “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will save it. What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, and yet lose or forfeit his very self?” (Luke 9:23–25)

  September 25

  LIVING IN A BESIEGED CITY

  Brandt Smith, PhD

  Who are the Iraqi people? How are they alike or different from us?

  Like us, they want stability in their nation and to raise their families in peace. They want to be recognized legitimately as a people that contribute to the world. They have a sense of humor not much unlike our own. They laugh at things we laugh at and cry at the things that cause us to cry. What sets them apart is that they have endured three wars in their homeland, leaving their self-esteem torn and battered. Naturally, their emotional stability has become destabilized.

  There were days that Brandt felt he was in a bad place. Violence and crime are a gnarly combination that can sour anyone’s view of a location. But there were other days when Brandt would realize, “good grief I am stuck in traffic just like they are.” They were both suffering. It is hot; engines are overheating. They are just trying to get home too; they were all in the same boat. There is something about the camaraderie of mutual suffering that levels the playing field.

  Being stuck in traffic for hours at a time was not an uncommon experience. He would roll his window down and turn the car off. It was easy to carry on conversations with those stuck in traffic next to him. Inevitably his Arabic would run out, and others would ask, “Are you an American?” Brandt would say, “Yes, I am,” and they would go on to tell him, “Oh, thank you for being in our country. We love America. Thank you so much. We love you. We love George Bush.” They love freedom.

  The violence, the mundane hardship of traffic jams, the lack of electricity all define the unsettled city of Baghdad, a city at war. God knew exactly where Brandt was. God led him there. And throughout all the trials that he and his family contended with, God showed his wonderful love to them.

  Prayer:

  Father, while our friends and family are in war torn cities in foreign lands, show them your wonderful love.

  “Praise be to the LORD, for he showed his wonderful love to me when I was in a besieged city.” (Psalm 31:21)

  September 26

  INTO THE CITY OF MOSUL

  Maj. John Croushorn, MD (retired veteran)

  We flew in low over the northern city of Mosul. Forward Operating Base (FOB) Freedom was just over four miles north of the downtown city center. Our southeastern approach would take us over the anci
ent gates of Nineveh, the city that Jonah traveled to around 760 BC. The ruins were spread out all over Mosul.

  At fifty feet above the ground the Iraqis could see our faces and we could see theirs. But traveling at a speed of 120 knots it did not give you much time to focus on anyone. Nonetheless, it was a peaceful flight in. We landed on the pad, shut down and walked to the dining facility while our helicopters were refueled.

  FOB Freedom was set among several palaces. Their ornate beauty and landscaped lawns were in stark contrast to the poverty we flew over to get there. We entered the dining facility (DFAC) and enjoyed the hot meal.

  After lunch we walked down to one of the palaces and took pictures of each other standing in front of large paintings of Saddam holding a child and standing with an old woman. I found it ironic that one of the most evil men in the world would be pictured standing with the most innocent.

  We returned to the aircraft and began our startup procedures. Right on time our scheduled group of travelers arrived and jumped on board. We took off low and fast and moved beyond Freedom back over Mosul. Within minutes we were over the desert again, for our flight to Baghdad.

  Several weeks later a man walked into the DFAC during lunchtime. He detonated the explosives, killing twenty-two and wounding sixty. In a moment, twenty-two human beings who were hungry and ready to eat lunch were no longer alive. Sixty individuals went from relaxing to agonizing from wounds both internal and external.

  Life changes quickly, in a heartbeat. Whether by heart attack, automobile accident or improvised explosive device, life can change forever. To take for granted each breath of life is to waste the gift of it. God is good. He does not desire death even for his enemies. But death does come just as surely as life.

  Prayer:

  Father, help me see each day for the promise it holds. You promise that there is nothing that can separate me from your love Abba.

  “For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 8:38–39)

  Maj. John Croushorn preparing for a flight, September 2004, Balad, Iraq

  September 27

  MARC’S LAST LETTER HOME, PART 1

  Marc Alan Lee, SEAL, U.S. Navy

  Marc Alan Lee understood the cost and sacrifice that service defined. He single-handedly held off enemy fighters by creating an offensive diversion while his team rescued a wounded teammate from a rooftop. The firefight took place in Ramadi, Iraq August 2nd, 2006. Marc Alan Lee became the first Navy SEAL to die in Iraq.

  “Glory is something that some men chase and others find themselves stumbling upon, not expecting it to find them. Either way it is a noble gesture that one finds bestowed upon them. My question is, when does glory fade away and become a wrongful crusade, or an unjustified means which consumes one completely?”

  “I have seen war.”

  “I have seen death, the sorrow that encompasses your entire being as a man breathes his last. I can only pray and hope that none of you will ever have to experience some of these things I have seen and felt here… .”

  “I have seen hate towards a nation’s people who has sic never committed a wrong, except being born of a third world, ill-educated, and ignorant to western civilization. It is not everybody who feels this way, only a select few, but it brings questions to mind. Is it ok for one to consider themselves superior to another race?”

  “Surprisingly, we are not a stranger to this sort of attitude. Meaning that in our own country, we discriminate against someone for what nationality they are, their education level, their social status. We distinguish our role models as multi-million-dollar sports heroes or talented actors and actresses who complain about not getting millions of dollars more than they are currently getting paid.”

  “Our country is a great country. My point of this is how can we come over here and help a less than fortunate country without holding contempt or hate towards them, if we can’t do it in our country. I try to do my part over here, but the truth is over there, in the United States, I do nothing but take.”

  “Ask yourself, when was the last time you donated clothes that you hadn’t worn out? When was the last time you paid for a random stranger’s cup of coffee, meal, or maybe even a tank of gas? When was the last time you helped a person with the groceries into or out of their car?”

  Prayer:

  Father, you are good; you are compassionate. Let me see your heart. Give me your compassion. Burden me with the cares of the least of these brothers of yours.

  “The King will reply, ‘I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.’” (Matthew 25:40)

  September 28

  MARC’S LAST LETTER HOME, PART 2

  Marc Alan Lee, SEAL, U.S. Navy

  (Marc continues his thoughts on care and compassion for others)

  “Think to yourself and wonder what it would feel like if when the bill for the meal came and you were told it was already paid for. More random acts of kindness like this would change our country and our reputation as a country. It is not unknown to most of us that the rest of the world looks at us with doubt towards our humanity and morals.”

  “I am not here to preach or to say ‘look at me,’ because I am just as at fault as the next person. I find that being here makes me realize the great country we have and the obligation we have to keep it that way.”

  “The fourth has just come and gone and I received many emails thanking me for helping keep America great and free. I take no credit for the career path I have chosen; I can only give it to those of you who are reading this, because each one of you has contributed to me and who I am.”

  “However, what I do over here is only a small percent of what keeps our country great. I think the truth to our greatness is each other. Purity, morals, and kindness, passed down to each generation through example.”

  “So to all my family and friends, do me a favor and pass on the kindness, the love, the precious gift of human life to each other so that when your children come into contact with a great conflict like that we are now faced with in Iraq that they are people of humanity, of pure motives, of compassion.”

  “This is our real part to keep America free!”

  Marc died for these values. He was raised “in the way he should go.” Even in the stress of combat he did “not depart from it.” Marc loved by giving. On August 2, 2006, he gave the ultimate gift.

  Prayer:

  Abba, help me live by example and teach our children about your compassion. Father help me learn of your example. Your steadfast love and kindness never cease.

  “Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it.” (Proverbs 22:6)

  September 29

  LOVE MUST OVERCOME THE THUGS IN IRAQ

  Mike Meoli, SEAL, U.S. Navy, and Government Contractor

  I have been one of the government contractors operating in Iraq that you may have heard about in the news. I work with many other contractors who, like me, are on Authorized Absence (or discharged) from either Special Forces, Marine Recon, SEAL Teams, and so forth.

  Old ways die hard among thugs. And pure thuggery is what has ruled Iraq for more than ten years before Saddam Hussein under Al-Bakir. There are still a few thugs standing in the wings trying to vie for power because that’s all they know. It doesn’t matter what variation on Islam they are spouting they are nothing more than mob bosses, and the Iraqi people, in general, are tired of it. Add some foreign terrorists to the mix and a liberal media in an election year and these thugs think they are going to win. I pray American voters see that we must finish this one the right way. If we walk away now, we will be responsible for a lot more than the two million Cambodians and every last Montainyard that was murdered the year after we abandoned Indochina. Here is the reality I see ev
eryday.

  The Iraqi people as a whole love us. You read it right love us. Terrorists may hate us and radicals in different ethnic groups within Iraq may hate each other. But in general, the common Iraqi people Shias, Sunis, Kurds, Chaldeans, Turkomen all have one thing in common: for one instant in time, they have hope for their future and the future of their children, and that hope is centered around one group of foreigners you guessed it Americans, the good old USA.

  And there are dozens of coalition forces who help us. Young military people from most of the free countries in the world are here and willing to lay down their lives because America has led the way in spreading the good news of freedom and democracy to the oldest land on Earth.

  We are all helping to train Iraqis to protect themselves with sound moral and ethical procedures. We know that teaching adults is important, but educating children is the key. So there is a lot of money going to rebuilding schools in Iraq and getting rural children to attend for the first time in history.

  Mike viewed the images of friends mutilated and hanging from a bridge in Fallujah. The scene was horrific. What should be done?

  He related three examples of how Americans dealt with indigenous people and their dead and prisoners we take. The missions took place in the two weeks following the Fallujah atrocities, just outside the gates of his Forward Operating Base.