January 27, 2008
. . . The soldier and I talked for a while, and he was broken. Life and war have beaten him down, and he wondered if God really, I mean really, cared about him. I shared some other verses with him, not pressuring him at all to believe. I left that up to him. But the Truth did its work and caused him to want to follow Christ! We prayed, and he told the Lord he wanted to truly believe and follow Him. Another diamond in the rough, a trophy of God’s grace! Pray for him and his newfound faith. I will continue to follow up with him and help as needed. I am going to have a baptism at each patrol base this month, and he wants to be baptized. That will be a day I won’t soon forget! Baptizing soldiers in the land of the garden of Eden, of Abraham’s travels, of Babylon, of Nineveh (Jonah and the whale), and more. Not sure how we’re going to do it—maybe dig a hole, line it with a tarp, and use water bottles to fill it up! Maybe. We won’t do it in the Tigris, it’s way too nasty and dangerous . . .
February 4, 2008
. . . It’s so hard fighting an enemy you can’t see, but when there are tangible results of authentic justice, it is gratifying.
Yet another story you will never hear about, what your great American soldiers are doing over here for the people of Iraq. It has yet to be seen whether the Iraqis will run with this opportunity of peace and freedom. It’s up to them. We’ve done the hard part, now they have to step up.
February 14, 2008
Today on this Valentine’s Day, I’m gonna brag on my wife. Excuse me while I don’t even think about Iraq or soldiers or Baghdad for this post. I’ve been wanting to say this for some time here, so this day is a great excuse.
To my Heather:
You are amazing. I can’t even begin to tell you how happy I am that you said yes to me eight and a half years ago. Now, that amount of time and three kids later, I love you even more. I shudder to think where I would be in life had you not come into it. You are my best friend, and have been my rock during this deployment. The way you’ve handled our family, and the way you’ve handled me when I’ve gotten out of line, have only made me love you more. Thank you for your grace and elegance.
I know a marriage is a dance, a give-and-take. But I think you have given way more than I have. Being a single parent for a fifteen-month period is difficult enough, but you live every day with the crippling fear that someone from the army may knock on the front door with the worst news imaginable. You, not me, are the true hero in this family!
Aside from everything you do to keep our family and marriage alive and well, you are amazing. I have to boast on this V-day that you are simply beautiful! More than beautiful, you are . . . stunning! I remember seeing you for the very first time in Athens, and it was like somebody kicked me in the gut. You walked up and took my breath away. I was speechless, like a deaf and mute little boy. I couldn’t hear or say anything, only look. I knew I was in the presence of someone special. I think I heard “Dream Weaver” in the background! ☺
You were so polished, and I felt so clumsy in comparison. I knew it was much deeper than your skin. I thought there was no way I had a chance with you, that you were far out of my league. I still do. Forgive me for the times I’ve taken you/us for granted and treated you in less than the way you deserve to be treated. I’m sorry to say that it will probably happen again. I’m dumb that way. But you are bigger than that, and I’m grateful. I wish there were another set of words that trumped “I love you.” If so, that’s what I’d say.
Darren
THE ELEVENTH MONTH
1
March 14, 2008
. . . It’s time for me to submit what I want to do in the future—stay in the army or get out in February of 2010. That sounds far away, but once we get back to Fort Stewart, it will only be a year and a half away, and the army likes to plan well ahead of any changes. Pray for us. I honestly don’t know what we’re going to do. I love soldiers, but I can’t stand being away from my family. I want to go home and stay home. That thought of coming back here anytime soon makes me nauseous. I believe God called us to do this, but for how long? That is the million-dollar question. I need His guidance. I know what I want to do, but I also know He will lead me if I submit to Him.
Darren
2
“Hey, buddy. Mommy told me you got your orange belt in karate! Way to go!”
“Thanks, Daddy!”
Heather hoped Darren could hear the smile hanging like a bright half moon on Sam’s face. She had told him how well he was doing in karate class, how he was the best student, and sure, she might be a little biased, but that didn’t matter.
“I’m really proud of you,” Darren said over the speakerphone. “Mommy also was bragging about how well you’ve been doing at listening and obeying. And especially being tough.”
“Yeah,” the six-year-old said, bashful at all the compliments.
After Darren and Sam spoke for a little while longer, with Daddy doing most of the talking, Heather took him off the speaker and talked to him again.
“It’s so great he has that outlet,” Darren said.
“He needs it, since he’s the only male in a house full of ladies.”
Darren had already spoken with Elie, hearing about how well piano lessons were going for both her and for Mommy. Heather had even played him a song on the piano as he listened.
“Meribeth knows now what ‘Mommy’ means. She’s calling after me now.”
“Which is a good thing and a bad thing,” Darren commented.
“Tonya says she’s been talking to Michael more on the phone,” Heather said.
“Maybe he’s actually paying more attention to me than I realize.”
“We’ve enjoyed seeing Amanda and the new baby. They came over for dinner the other night.”
“I miss you,” Darren said.
“We all miss you too. Elie already marked off the twelfth month, even if it’s not officially over.”
“Let’s all imagine it is. I only have a few more months left.”
“I can’t wait.”
“Me either, babe. Me either.”
3
As Darren worked on notes for his Easter messages, he could hear someone stepping into the doorway. Lance stood there, holding a gift bag.
“This a good time, Chaplain?” he asked.
“Hey, Lance. Come on in.”
Darren stood to greet him, first shaking his hand and then pulling him in for a big hug.
Lance handed Darren the present. “For your generosity. I hear it was your wife who set me up with all the pictures of Elijah. Man, I can’t wait to see my boy in person.”
“Won’t be long now, brother.”
Digging into the gift bag, Darren couldn’t help but laugh. He pulled out two pieces of beef jerky, handing one to Lance.
“Had to resist the whole way over,” Lance said. He started chomping on the jerky while looking over Darren’s shoulder at his desk. “Easter service, huh? Whatcha got planned?”
“You gonna be there, man?”
“You kidding? You are looking at a genuine, bona fide believer, brother. I’m all in. ’Course I’ll be there.”
“All in, huh?” Darren said, nodding. “Well, I’m coming up short on the orchestra. Got any ideas?”
Just then a deep voice spoke out, surprising both of them.
“Ah, man, I didn’t need to see your ugly face today,” Michael said, stepping into the tent and then pretending to walk out before reaching over to give Darren a hug.
“Wow. This is new. Major Lewis in the chaplain’s office?”
Michael didn’t answer, instead trying to snatch a piece of the jerky.
Lance pushed it out of reach. “Get your own,” he joked before tossing Michael a piece.
Then Shonda arrived, making the silent room suddenly a party. She beamed at Lance. “Hey—I hear congrats are in order.”
“Right on,” Lance said. “A son this time!”
They shared a fist bump.
“I got it on g
ood authority, sons are pretty awesome,” Shonda said.
“Hey now, don’t be dissin’ my girls,” Michael teased.
“Hello. What am I?”
“Man, we gotta get ’em all together when we’re back. I mean it.”
Everybody gave Lance a hear hear and a nod. Darren was grateful that all these months out here had produced solid friendships such as these. God had put these folks in his life, just as He had put the women in Heather’s life.
He wouldn’t be alone in celebrating the joy of Easter.
4
“Far more than I, you men and women know what it is to offer up your life for the good of others.”
The sun warmed the soldiers on this cool midmorning at Falcon Base. Over three hundred sat in the recreation area listening to Chaplain Turner share his Easter message in front of one of the concrete walls. In his comfortable gray army T-shirt and shorts, Darren looked as though he could just as easily be playing ball, but he was doing something he enjoyed even more.
“One of the many challenges, here and at home, is that unless you’ve done it, actually lived it, it’s hard to appreciate what it’s like to make that sacrifice.”
He saw a handful of confirming nods and even heard a few amens.
“Well, you know who else actually lived it? Who willingly sacrificed His life so that others could live? Jesus. He came, laid it down, and rose again for me, for you . . . so you and I can live.”
A chorus of more amens sang out.
“Out here we put our confidence and hope in a lot of things, and in each other. But if that act isn’t cause for hope and confidence in a God who loves you and would do anything for you, I don’t know what is.”
He paused for a moment to look over all these faces, so many he knew personally, many who had come to him to share about the problems they were having. About the fears and struggles of being in Iraq, and about the turmoil and struggles along the home front.
“That’s what this day, what Easter, is all about. Hope. For all of us.”
Darren stepped toward the water barrel they had placed at the base of a lone oak tree.
“If I’ve learned anything from you about what it takes to be a soldier, it’s that you know how to go all in.”
He gave Lance a quick glance, then climbed up the rickety wood steps and lowered himself into the waist-deep water.
“And there’s no better day than Easter to go all in for Jesus,” he told them.
For a few moments, Darren stood in the water alone, just waiting. He wasn’t worried if nobody came. All he wanted was to offer this opportunity, to share the blessing Jesus demonstrated when He asked John to baptize Him.
When Lance slowly stood up, Darren felt a burst of joy. He couldn’t help smiling as the uncertain soldier stepped into the water and stood, not knowing what exactly he was supposed to do. Darren put his arms around him.
“Army Specialist Lance Bradley, I baptize you in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.”
Darren lowered Lance into the water, and the soldier came bursting back up slapping the water with satisfaction.
“Whoo-ee!” Lance called out in his joyous southern way.
Everybody liked Lance, and his animated spirit was contagious as everybody applauded. Darren looked out and saw Michael clapping too, an unashamed broad smile on his face. The chaplain breathed in deep, soaking all of this in and silently thanking God for this moment.
5
March 26, 2008
Easter was great (see new pics)! Four Easter services over a period of a few days, two different baptisms for five soldiers, and continued mortar attacks made it one for the memory books. We traveled to all of our PBs and had a Communion service at each one. The turnout was good, grabbing a lot of those guys who go to church once or twice a year. ☺ The message was about what Christ did FOR US on the Cross (broken for us, as Communion vividly reminds us), and the resulting resurrection as proof of His divinity. I reminded our guys to stay focused not on the cross, but on the empty tomb! He’s not on the cross anymore, nor in the tomb. The resurrection was the single most significant—and controversial—event in human history. If it’s true, it changes everything. If not, then I am chief of fools. I believe it to be true, and there is ample evidence historically for its validity. Not blind faith, but informed faith. He was indeed the Savior, King of Kings, Lord of Lords. We are left with a choice: yes or no. Take care in making that choice. It is of utmost importance.
That was our Easter . . . hope amid chaos, life among death, light in darkness. The baptisms were powerful, as the guys each shared their testimony of faith in Christ to their eagerly listening buddies. I was humbled to be there with them in this time of their lives. It was truly a privilege. Tough warriors brought to tears because of their realization of God’s grace in their lives. Stories of marriages being restored, stress and anxiety being relieved, and finding God in combat. Pray for these five soldiers, that their faith won’t be just a quick, convenient decision—but that they would grow deep, lasting roots into God’s Word, love, and salvation.
As you may have noticed recently, mortar attacks have picked up. Duck-and-cover is once again in our vocabulary. Several different factors seem to be contributing to this, but regardless, it’s no fun. Counseling has also picked up as our soldiers once again are confronted with a real enemy bent on their destruction. Our time of ease for the last several months has been interrupted, and it’s causing significant stress. Hopefully this is just a spurt of activity and not a sustained pattern. We are after the bad dudes, hounds of righteousness on the trail of seething wickedness. Just a matter of time till we get them, one way or another. It’s amazing to watch our guys do what they do.
Hope you and yours are doing well. Thanks once again for the encouragement and comments you write. We are on the homestretch, light at the end of the tunnel. God willing, we’ll all make it home safe and sound. As always, continue praying for our safety and God’s protection over us. Thank you! God bless you and yours,
Darren
THE TWELFTH, THIRTEENTH, AND FOURTEENTH MONTHS
1
April 10, 2008
. . . The mild days and cool evenings are quickly turning to hot days and warm nights. Soon it will reach over 100 degrees daily and get to 120s and 130s by July and August, with a balmy 100 at night. But by then, we will be out of here! Man . . . I can’t even begin to imagine how exciting that’s going to be, to get on the planes out of here, go through Kuwait for a few days, and head home to Savannah. As it stands now, most of us will be home by mid-July, with a few remaining to close up shop here, inventory equipment, etc.
Tomorrow, on Friday, April 11, my son Sam will turn five. I have now missed everyone’s birthday. It’s tough. I guess I’m just homesick . . .
April 14, 2008
. . . It’s been a roller coaster lately. Two days after my last post, we lost a soldier in an IED blast. Another tough day, night, next day . . . It was his platoon’s first loss, and they took it hard. He was part of the Route Clearance Team, a platoon that goes first in a convoy in special vehicles to find and eliminate IEDs. Most times they find nothing and the route is clear, meaning the bad dudes didn’t set one that day or night. Sometimes they do find IEDs before they blow and “clear” them (either blow up in place or call another team to come and cut the wires to dismantle). And then there are those times when the IED finds them rather than the other way around. Even then, most of the time the soldiers are okay. But that rare time that it hits just right, soldiers die. It was painful . . .
April 21, 2008
. . . One of our Bradleys (armored fighting vehicle, looks like a tank) hit an EFP IED and caught on fire. Nine guys inside, all got out with burns and shrapnel, but all got out! Trust me, that truly is a miracle . . .
April 25, 2008
Another powerful story. Buckle up for this one. One evening last week, while I was out at a patrol base, we got a call from a local Iraqi leader. He said a ten-ye
ar-old girl had been kidnapped by three men and was being held in a house near the PB, possibly being raped. The girl’s family was poor and couldn’t defend themselves, so they called us and asked us to intervene. We got a platoon of soldiers ready, briefed them on the situation, and sent them out to see what was up. They got there, and first called the occupants of the house out using a bullhorn and an interpreter. Nothing. They did it again, and noticed some movement in the house. They got ready, not knowing that was about to happen. Finally, someone came out like nothing was going on. Looked fishy. Our guys went in, over the man’s objection, and found the girl tied up. They also found the three men, along with a couple of older women (why weren’t they helping her, was my question). Our guys separated all of them and started asking questions. At first the girl defended them, saying they were family. Then one of our guys said, “Listen, we have these guys. They will never hurt you again if you tell us the truth.” She unloaded the whole story. I’ll spare you the details, but it was bad. Those guys were handed over to the Iraqi police, which is not a good place to end up. There is no telling if they’re alive or not at this point. But really, we don’t care. Our guys were absolutely overjoyed. True righteousness! I talked with them after they returned and they were pumped.
May 4, 2008
. . . I personally am tired. The long deployment, the heat rising, the soldiers I talk/counsel with and the issues, our base still getting hit and mortared on occasion—it’s all taking its toll. I’m not complaining, just being honest. I knew what I was signing up for, but am ready for it to be over. We can’t get home fast enough. What keeps me going is The Picture . . . the picture I have on my wall of Heather and the kids and me sitting in a park in Savannah last spring before I deployed. It’s my oasis in the desert. I love my family more now than I ever have before! I hope and pray not to take them for granted ever again . . .
Indivisible Page 15
