Wisconsin Warrior

There he is...battle rattle and all. I know I'm not anywhere near alone in saying "We are so proud of you". We miss you and we love you...be a credit out there pops! Heidi

BLOG May 26, 2006


It is less than one week now and I will be headed to Kuwait and Iraq. The training here has been good. As a non-combatant I have had to sit out a good deal of training but what I have received has been good. In essence we have been entering into the Army’s point of view when it comes to functioning in a combat arena. After this training my fear of going to Iraq has been tempered by a confidence born of training.

The most revealing class for me was one held on how to work with translators. This is something that I did in Romania and expect to do even more of in Iraq. The class included three Iraqi’s who have been in America for a number of years. The essential greeting for Iraqi’s is “Peace be with you”, [A salam alaykem]the response being, “And also with you”. [Alaykem a salam] There is a liturgical sense to the Iraqi culture that I found deeply moving. I spoke at the break with one of the Iraqi’s about the distinction between Sunni and Shitte Islam. He was a Shitte so he was a bit biased. He said the Shittes are more flexible and the Sunni’s more traditional. The most meaningful part of this was at the end. One of the military members asked how the Iraqi’s felt about America being in Iraq. One of the three said he had just visited with a relative in Bagdad. He said that he would like to erect a statue for every American military member in Bagdad. In other words, the vast majority of Iraqi are grateful that we are there and that we are working to establish for them a country of peace.

Finally, today, comments on the Red Horse Squadron. “Red Horse” is a name for Air Force civil engineers who deploy to build. They deploy to build buildings, to build Airfields and to build communities. The is a “New Horizons” project that Red Horse gets involved with that is building up communities in Central and South America. Many of the Airmen I work with have been involved with this project. Unfortunately, there are too few Red Horse builders and as a result they spend much of their time deployed. The folk here are already planning to deploy again this time next year. This is of course true for most of our military, deploying to achieve the security interests of our nation. Their families suffer a great deal. Maj. Hanrahan who I share a room with has a year and a half old son who he will not see for 6 months. This is one of many family stories I could share. My hope is that our national priorities will evolve to spin up more and more Red Horse type of military organizations so we can build infrastructure for Iraq and many other nations across the world. Red Horse is American at its best, I feel privileged to serve with such fine Americans!

Update from Heidi

The latest word from dad (via mom) is that he has caught a pretty bad virus. He doesn't feel well, he's away from his family, and he left for the field again this morning. He has only a few more days in the states. I know he appreciates all of the comments you leave and emails you send. The Matties...oh the Matties...long time friends of my parents left this link. It may take a few to load, but its well worth the wait. Turn up the music and let the pictures encompass you. Tissues beside the computer may be advisable if you are a blubbering emotional mess like I am...and maybe even if you're not! Thanks for all of your support. Christ be with you...Heidi

Convoy Operations

Friends;

I am headed out to the FOB again this Thursday. We will be out there for 4 days of intense training in "convoy operations". As you may know convoys are the way most stuff gets relocated in Iraq. All military members who are going to be working "outside the wire" need to know what to do if the convoy is attacked. I may or may not be in a convoy, the word I received from Chaplain Martin who is currently in the position I will be filling is that we travel mostly by helicopter. The word is that the helicopters fly fast and low. After the 3 days of training I will be back here on base to finish my tour at Fort McCoy and head into the CENTAF AOR. (Central Air Force, the air arm of CENTCOM which is the war fighting command for Iraq. Afghanistan and so on, AOR = Area of Responsibility) If this sounds kind of ominous to you, welcome to my world. All the word we are getting is that Iraq is a dangerous place. What they are teaching us here is how to achieve a maximum of safety in that environment.

I had lunch with my Red Horse Squadron Commander today. His name is Col. Hammock. I shared with him some research I have been doing on the war. Military thinkers now see it as a war equivalent to World War II. If we do not prevail against the insurgents in Iraq their next target will be Israel, then Europe and then the whole western world. World domination isn't a new thing. It was the agenda of the communists, fascists and now of radical Islam. With this in mind you can see the importance of the work we are doing there. We are preventing a world war that would be much more devastating than WWII. My hope is that the military can begin to achieve the support our troops had in WWII. The war on terrorism is a war to prevent a world war. I am convinced of this. It is a necessary evil to prevent an evil we can hardly imagine. Imagine, if the insurgents had nuclear weapons, would they use them to take innocent lives? So, yes, pray for peace as we stabilize the country of Iraq and its precious people and children. Pray for the well being of the brave young Americans (and a few older Americans) who are going into harms way on behalf of our great nation. God bless you and keep you in grace and peace.

Dave
Ft. McCoy, WI

Back from FOB

Friends:

As I complete my second week at Ft. McCoy I believe I am moving into a military mode. I realized recently that the transition from civilian to military is significant and I am making a second transition from military to Expeditionary Military. The Expeditionary military is a rigorous life style but I am adjusting. I just returned last night from FOB Liberty. FOB means Forward Operating Base. I will be deployed to FOB's in Iraq so it is good training. The training is mostly "Combat Skills" and since I am a non-combatant I pass on much of the fun. I did accomplish IMT which is "Individual Movement Training." This includes a "low crawl" which means your are dragging your helmet in the ground and scooting up as best you can. Our IMT was accomplished in a Wisconsin rain storm, which meant I came back covered in mud. It felt like after a football practice!

On of the great benefits of military service is meeting people from all over the country. My Chaplain's Assistant, Brandy Smith, is from South Carolina and has a good deal of southern charm. One of our sergeants is MSGT Hit from Mississippi who is quite a character. Sgt Clark is from Rhode Island and is quite a character also. This training reminds me of the World War II movies that portray a group of soliders training together and then in combat together. The combat for us is not our primary mission, out mission is peace making by building infrastructure for the Iraqis. My mood is reasonably good, considering I am away from family and church for an extended period of time.

It is becoming clear to me that the world wide war on terroism is necessary. If we fail in Iraq the world will be a very violent lace for a very long period of time. God have mercy on your human family.

The next two weeks will be a time of more combat training and more specific planning for our chaplain service mission into Iraq. I appeciate your reading my blog and I welcome your emails, it brings me moments of refreshemt. May our Lord bless you and keep you in grace and peace!

Dave

A Child in Iraq

This poem was written by dad before he left and was published in the St. Paul's newsletter. If anyone has been wondering what his motivations for leaving were...you really need to read this. Heidi

Why are we there, in Iraq, that desert place,

they kill us, betray us, kick us in the face.

Why are we there, Iraq so far away,

I'd rather have fun, dance and play.

There's a child in Iraq, I want to see her smile,

I see her tears, sisters, brothers, mile after mile.

We can help that child, in that desert land,

we can help her, if we go to the heat and sand.

We go with our military power and might,

We go for the child, to do what is right.

Our child's tears are shared by Americans all,

as our own sons and daughters answer the call.

To build a new nation, for Iraq, for peace,

for a child in the desert, her crying to cease.

A child is crying, in her room, in her bed,

she is needing a diaper, to be held, to be fed.

Who's child is cryng? In Kansas or Iraq?

Our humanity calls for us our bags to pack.

We are one human family, created by God to be,

working for one another, to stop the crying, to be

free.

Lt Col. David C. Fulton

United States Air Force

Friends;

I am preparing to head out to the FOB tomorrow. FOB means Forward Operating Base. When I get to Iraq I will be working out of FOBs so this is a preview of that action. It also involves some rather rigorous training. They have been cautioning us abut what we say via email and other means because it may compromise security. For instance if I told you what we were doing in training the bad guys might get a glimpse and prepare to defeat the training we are engaged in. I think it is safe though to share what is happening in terms of Chaplain Services. I drove a Catholic man to mass this afternoon. He was very grateful. A key responsibility for me is to provide for the free exercise of religion for military members. In order for me to take the is man to church I had to find out when services were in Sparta, WI. I then had to find out if the commander would allow anyone to leave the base. (He readily gave his permission). Then I had to find transportation. Finally, I had to get the word out about the service I was providing. In this case the commander announced it at our Battalion formation that we have every morning at 5:30am. I have entered into a habit of getting up at 4:00am, shaving etc. and then going to my office to do my devotions. After the formation we have breakfast and the day begins. Tomorrow, I will have chapel at 9:00am, go to training at 1030 (ISOPREP- in case we become prisoners of war) and then I have a class in the afternoon and we depart for the FOB at 700pm. The word I am getting now is that the FOB training will be for 16 days. It is likely I will be out of touch on this blog for a while. Overall, my mood is reasonably good. Being in the full time military is an adjustment, but even more of an adjustment in the semi-field conditions I am in here at Fort McCoy. I wish you all the blessings of GOD!! Dave

Battle Rattle

The training continues. Yesterday we had to try on our "Battle Rattle" This is all the equipment that we wear when in combat situations. It includes a bullet proof vest, knee pads, elbow pads, canteen, a pack my son Ben loaned me which has my sunglasses, goggles, water, and many other things inside. Battle rattle also includes a kevlar helmet and 4 pairs of gloves. Martha Kuder is my unit deployment manager at McConnell and I thank my stars for the extensive detail work she did to get me deployed. We had a "mass brief" last night in the base theater. There were about 450 of us going on this journey. It looks like we will be spending about 20 days at FOB's (forward operating bases) training in how to be in a combat environment. There is no question about the danger we are preparing to encounter. Preparedness anticipates the worse case scenario. It is unlikely we will encouter alot of combat situations but we will be ready if we do. As a chaplain I am not involved in any weapons training so I will have some "white space" (this refers to a colored wall chart that color codes our training. "White space means no training scheduled. This will give me an opportunity to meet more of the great young Americans we are deploying beside.

I got my office set up today and it feels good to have a space to wok in, even if it is only for a few days. Many blessings to you, pray for peace!

Here is a link to the base in Wisconsin. Looks to me like getting guys ready to deploy is something they do often. I'm sure they are great at preparing for the worst, and I'm sure dad will share the spirit and grace of Christ's love in the face of intense stress.

Training in Wisconsin

I recieved this email today from Dad. A phone call from mom confirmed that the field training will mean no communication for awhile. Peace...Heidi

Today was a non training day as our folk are still arriving from around the US and Europe. We will begin taining in earnest tomorrow. We have a couple of days of classroom and then head out to the field for field training. Many of the guys will be taining on machine guns and we all will bed lelarning how to be in a convoy. It looks like what I said about being all around Iraq is accurate. I met the base chaplain today and he seemed to be willing to help. As it is, I am adjusting to the environment of full time military service. It is as I remembered it from Romania except it seems the troops here are younger. My commander, Col Hammock is very open to my role as a chaplain and willing to be helpful to me. That could really be valuable in the months to come. It really is going to be an adventure, I pray I can do some good. Many blessings to you and peace in our LORD.

Deployment Blogging

This is Pastor Dave's oldest daughter Heidi. I will be blogging in his place throughout his deployment to Iraq. The plan is for him to email me posts for this site. It is unlikely that he will be able to edit a site like this from a military computer. I know the comments left will mean the world to him and the communication lines will be open. This should be the adventure of a lifetime and I will update as often as I can and keep you all informed. Lets keep our thoughts and prayers with all of the soldiers deployed to Iraq and other hot zones.