Day Thirty Nine

Second to last wake up!!

At 0730 we convened for a Multi-Faith Prayer service. I was tasked with the opening prayer on behalf of the Armed Forces. Here is what I said (it was a combination of a prayer written by Rabbi Jerome Epstein and the OU):

Almighty God on High, omnipotent King, look down from Your Sanctified Abode, and bless the valiant members of the Armed Forces of the Unites States of America who risk their lives to protect the welfare of all Your creation.

Benevolent God, be their shelter and fortress, and to not allow them to falter. May harmony dwell in their ranks, victory in their camps. Fill their hearts with faith and courage to thwart the evil schemes of our enemies and to abolish every rule of evil.

Give them the courage to meet the chilling stare of death. Show compassion to them as they seek to make the world safer for us and for those we love. Ease the pain of their loneliness as they face the darkness of their daunting task.

Let them feel Your presence as You warm the chill of their souls with the blanket of Your light. Help those far from the comfort of home to find value and meaning in their mission; that their sacrifice not be an empty act.

Let them sense the yearning of those who await their return and long for their presence – their loved ones, their parents, their children.

Protect them on land, in the air and in the sea, and destroy their adversaries. Salve their wounds with Your healing balm. Guide them in peace, lead them toward peace, and return them speedily to their families alive and unharmed.

Grant us true peace in fulfillment of the prophecy: “Nation shall not lift up sword against another nation, nor shall they learn war any more.” Let all the inhabitants of the world know that Dominion is Yours, and Your name inspires awe upon all that You have created. May this be Your will, and let us say, Amen.

We had our final private meeting with our small group leader - mine is Ch Hamel - and he once again reiterated that it is his regret that I am too old for Active Duty. He then asked that I give him a blessing. It was pretty emotional for me, I must say.

We had one LAST class on resources available to us at the school house, and we were dismissed. Tonight is the Graduation Dinner, and I am giving the Invocation. Here it is:

Avinu SheBaShamayim, Heavenly Father,

We thank You for bringing us to this wonderful day.  You have guided us, provided for us, and allowed us to grow, strengthen and develop into the Air Force chaplains that now stand humbly in Your presence.  The last few weeks have been a time of fellowship and bonding; a time of introspection and self-improvement; a time wherein we challenged our preconceptions and opened our minds to new ideas and insights.  While we learned, interacted, studied, and prayed, we were always under the shadow of Your wings and the gaze of Your watchful eyes.  While we were away from our homes and our loved ones, we were never alone for You were with us always.

You, oh Lord, are the God of Peace and the Man of War.  Like You, we pray that the peoples of the world learn to embrace each other in Brotherhood.  Yet we are prepared, should the call come, to head into harm’s way to protect this great and hallowed land that You continue to bless.

Father, we pray that those brave airmen who made the ultimate sacrifice look down upon us from their Heavenly Abode, proud in our achievments and confident in the knowledge that, through our service, their sacrifice was not in vein.

Finally, oh Lord, we pray that all who look upon us be moved by our sense of Integrity; that all who encounter us be inspired by our commitment to Service; that all who deal with us confront our determination to be Excellent; but most importantly, may all who see us see a reflection of You.

In Your Great and Exalted Name we pray.

And let us all say, Amen

Day Thirty Eight

Day Four of the field exercise:

I got up at 0530, did my daily ablutions, and got my bags to the van by 0550. The tent was done by 0600, so I went to do the showers with my team. It took us 35 minutes, and the place looked better when we left it than when we got it. At 0630 we had breakfast, and I went to pray. At 0715, the first two chalks left, while the last chalk - my group - stayed behind and waited for the Army to complete their inspection. We got the all clear at 0830 and headed back to the class building. We all smelled pretty funky!

In the classrooms, we wrote up our reports, our 1270s (Chaplain reports), did some last minute stuff, got a final closing brief, and then it was back to the rooms! I had to be sure to get a picture with my awesome RST, the "resurrected" Ray "Pajaskowitz" Pajas!

Ray "Pajaskowitz" Pajas - RST partner extraordinaire!

I got there as fast as I could, as I wanted the laundry - but I was two people too late. That was okay...

The shower was AMAZING!! I could feel layers of funk coming off...

I spent the rest of the day in my room, except for a quick trip to buy a few things I needed (like Scotch, and a service ribbon I was supposed to be wearing on my uniform), as well as some returns to Walmart. At 1740, I went with some friends to meet Ch Hamel at the Flying Saucer, a beer bar in town. We had a blast!

Ch Hamel and I at the Flying Saucer

Day Thirty Seven

Day Three of the exercise:

MUCH better night's sleep! Nothing like an exhausting day in the heat to get you good and tired. We found it was 103 yesterday, with a heat index of 115. And today was supposed to be worse. We also lost another troop. One of the CAs was having horrible heat rashes breaking out all over his body, and was taken to the clinic on base.

The big news of the day was that the "Cadillac" was opened! The Cadillac was the better latrine - it was a converted cargo container. The main thing was there was AC!!

The Men's Cadillac!!

Inside the Cadillac - sinks on the right, behind the partition is the urinal, and to the left are the commodes.

A commode. There is a foot lever in front of the commode. You press it lightly to fill the bowl with water, and when done with your "businss", you press it all the way, and it flushes into a compartment under the bowel. The place STUNK!! NO ONE breathed through the nose in that place!!! But the AC sure felt good...

Today, Alpha was going to start inside, and Bravo would have the morning in the field. We had a class on battlefield ministry, and then we did an indoor scenario. I was assigned, with my RST partner, to run the CCC. That means we were coordinating everyone's efforts. In the middle of it, we were informed there was a bombh outside our door, so Ray and I had to gather all the equipment and redeploy to the back up CCC. All the time, we were still coordinating everything. When it was over, we had lunch, and afterwards we were told we'd have the major scenario of the day - a MASCAL (mass casualty situation). I asked for feedback on the morning's program. Ch Hamel said, "Feedback? That was the best CCC coordinating I have ever seen in a BCC class. In fact, you continue to run the CCC for the MASCAL." Nice.

Afterwards, both Alpha and Bravo reconvened in the chapel. Ch Hamel publicly reiterated the fact that Ray and I ran the CCC perfectly. We then had a joint class on running a memorial service, and all the jobs were given out. As it was going to be a Protestant service, I was not involved. Then Ch Hamel asked who would volunteer to be the point chaplain if any participant fell apart during the service. Of course, I volunteered. And during the service for SrA John Snuffy, one of the CAs ran out crying. I ran after him and counseled him outside in a concrete bunker. Thank God, the observer cut it short, because it was HOT!!!

Ch Hamel critiquing us on the Memorial Service. You can't see well in either picture, but Ch Tilley, and amazing cartoonist, made a picture of Airman Snuffy. There was a Powerpoint memorial (all made up in under an hour). We even had Taps play at the end. It was really amazing - considering there is no Airman Snuffy!

Can you see Snuffy on the right?

 After Dinner, we started doing the initial cleaning. We were also told the schedule for the rest of the exercise. There would be five optional services starting at 1730 (30 minutes each), including my second Bible study. at 2030, there would be a showing of "True Grit" with snacks and junk. We were told that in the morning, we had to have our sleeping bags and clothes on the vans at 0600, then we would clean out our tents. AT 0630 would be breakfast, than at 0700, we would do our duty assignment. Mine was the Men's Showers - thank God I didn't get latrine duty!!

Instead of going to the movie at 2030, I took a shower and called Melissa. By the time I was done it was 2115 so I went to the movie then. There were Oreos and Twizzlers, soda and chips (not kosher)... and apples! By about 2200, I decided to go to bed so I took a Unisom (it was in my pocket) and started heading for the door... where I was stopped by a group of people coming. It seems a MAJOR thunderstorm had moved in and everyone was told to leave their tents and head to the chapel. The movie ended at 2230, and I was falling on my face from the Unisom! The storm was huge, and we had no choice but to stay put. So we started playing Charades. That went on until 2330 - it was a lot of fun, as tired as I was - and then we were told to go to the tents. It was still raining, and there was thunder in the distance, but I didn't care. I got in bed and was asleep in two minutes. I was told that the storm came back and it was like WWIII over the tents. I didn't hear a thing...

 

Day Thirty Six

Day Two of the field exercise:

It was a rough night. Bed had no support, it was hot (the AC kept cutting off)... I gave up at 0545 and got up and dressed. There was no way around it. I had to use a latrine. I must say it was very clean. Held my breath the whole time, but clean...

Need I say anything?

Breakfast was served at 0630 (I had granola bars and fruit) and went to pray. One of the chaplains joined me, as she never attended my service back at the base. So I did my "shpiel"...

The entire group was divided into two teams, Alpha and Bravo. Bravo went into the classrooms for instruction, while we went outside for the exercise. Yesterday, we had been assigned Kevlar helmets, and were told to have them with us at all times. We began the drill with scenarios. We would be gathered by the CCC (chaplain communications center) when suddenly something would happen (all played by actors who were told what to do). Depending on the FPCON (force protection condition), we would have to don the helmets. And they were HOT.

Me with my "Battle Rattle" - needless to say, I didn't lose the weight I expected to during this program!!! Geez...

Some of decorated our helemts - mine next to Ch Honett's

My first one was when Female Troop A comes running in, grabbing Female Troop B, screaming that her husband was just killed, and that Troop B had been sleeping with him. I jumped in, pulled A aside, and began and emergency intervention to calm the situation. Soon thereafter, my Chaplain Assistant, Ray Pajas (pronounced "Pahas") fell screaming. I was told he had a sucking chest wound. The drill was to see if I knew the emergency procedures (I did), and then when he was about to do, I had to deliver last rites. I reached for his dog tags to see his faith and they were gone. I said, "Pajas - must be Catholic!" I ran to Father Hamel, who said he is just an observer. I ran back to him and said, "Okay, his name is now Pajaskowitz, he's Jewish, and here we go!" I said Shema, confession, and a final prayer... and the rest was history. The whole camp heard about Pajaskowitz's deathbed conversion... it was quite a scene. I announced there would be a unit memorial for Pajaskowitz later at dinner.

In my third scenario, I was the actor. I had to come into the CCC distraught, find a chaplain, and explain to him that I had just been sexually assaulted. I should get an Oscar. That's all I'm going to say...

By noon it was already over 100 degrees and humid. We had already lost one chaplain to food poisoning (from something she ate over the weekend) and we were warned to hydrate, hydrate, hydrate. After lunch, my team, Alpha, went into the air conditioned classrooms for instruction, while Bravo went outside for their turn at the drill. The main part of our instruction was learning how to do a ramp ceremony, which is when a coffin is carried onto a waiting airplane and small service is held. After we learned how, we went BACK out into the heat to practice it on a simulated ramp with a coffin. Pretty eerie stuff.

Ch Hamel giving instruction in the chapel

Everyone listening to Ch Hamel in rapt attention. The man on the right is Ch, Maj Yelton, our guest "Wing Chaplain" for the exercise

We found out that one of the chaplains in Bravo had to go to the hospital for dehydration. It seems he went out on a mission during a Code Black, and never heard them announce Code Green. So he stayed out in a concrete shelter for over a half hour in the heat.

Concrete bunkers and HESCOs - like the one my friend waited in for over a half hour in the heat

At dinner, I held the memorial for Pajaskowitz. I read a Psalm and shared a few words. Of course, I had the boots, gun and helmet...

My memorial for Pajaskowitz

Dinner - doesn't it look good? The cereal is dairy, so I saved it for breakfast...

After dinner, there were three services. Mine was a "Hebrew Scripture Bible Study" - it was a big hit, and everyone asked that i do another the next night, as well. Time to go to bed...

Day Thirty Five

Day One of the Field Exercise:

We reported to the school building for a 1400 briefing. We were being sent out of Kadena AFB in Okinawa, Japan to a Forward Operating Base (FOB) in Brunei (fictional). We are part of a coalition force going to help the Bruneiese against an offensive by Kalimanten and China. They are expecting random attacks tomorrow with the main thrust to begin on Tuesday.

After the briefing, we were assigned our transportation chalks (a mobility term, meaning the group with which you are traveling), and the transports began.

Our destination was a mock-up of a FOB - it was pretty amazing!

Welcome to the FOB!

These gates were locked every night - there was no way out!!

Airman Stanley opening the gates for our transport

Ready for war! From left to right: Kent Smaciarz, Brian Honett, me, Matt Nansel

Looking back at the gate from the inside

Getting a tour of the FOB

Walking through the tents - the tents at the end of this aisle were the showers

The showers... Not quite as bad as in M*A*S*H, but not the Hyatt, either!!

The female latrines

Male latrines (note the big "M"!)

Every major area is surrounded with HESCOs - wire frames holding up burlap that is filled with sand - they serve as sand bags.

Dining facility - were we get to stand in the heat and eat

Our only drinkable water supply

Our washing station!!

We got to the base and proceeded to the main building, which we also designated as out chapel. It was divided into two sides - the chapel side and the classroom side. First thing we were told was that all the work we did on Friday, dividing up our religious programing and planning, was all scrapped. Everyone had ten minutes to come up with a new schedule.

During the briefing, we were told that we always had to have our Airman's Manual with us, and we would be judged by our ability to access important information under fire. At one point, the instructor said something, and I said, "Amen!" (prounounced: Ay-men) Some smartass turned around and said, "Rabbi, are you even allowed to say that?" "I turned to him and said, "Excuse me - we INVENTED IT!" Later, the instructor reiterated, "Folks, this Manual is your Bible!" The chaplains all looked at each other a little uncomfortably with that blasphemous statement. I just said, "I guess it's my New Testament!" Awesome...

We got the tour of the grounds, and then brought our things to the tents. The tents were sweltering, even with a field AC unit attached. The fact that it was in the high 90's didn't help.

Setting up our tent - guy in the right is Ray Pajas (more on him later)

NO back support with those bed frames - almost like sleeping in a hammock

  We then proceeded to the dining area for our first meal. Dinner was MREs (Meals, Ready to Eat). The kosher ones are awesome - but they are meant for "minimum output" if you know what I mean.

My MRE - the bag on the right contains the heating element, and all the other goodies, like raisins, peanuts, granola bars, coffee, cereal, candy, sunflower seeds, etc...

My "Old World Stew"! MMMmmmm!!

Everyone enjoying their tasty dinner!

After dinner, we went to the chapel for an icebreaker. Remember, this was the second time we were spending time with the Chaplain's Assistants, and certainly the longest time we would be together. Furthermore, the Chaplaincy has a concept called Religious Support Teams (RSTs), which consists of a Chaplain and Chaplain's Assistant (talked about this a while ago in the blog), so the purpose of this entire exercise was to see how to build an RST and then function in real-world scenarios.

After the icebreaker, I offered a class called "Judaism 101: Everything you wanted to know about Judaism but where afraid to ask!" Of the 36 participants in the school, 23 attended. They kept me there for an 1 hour 45 minutes. We called it a night, and went to the showers, and then bed. Tomorrow would be a LONG, HOT day!

Getting ready for bed - shower towels drying!

We interupt this blog...

Pvt Robbins helping Pvt Lemke put on Tefillin (last Sunday)

Me and the troops - I love them!

It is Sunday afternoon, and I am about to leave for a three day field exercise. I will not be able to update the blog until Wednesday night. In the meantime, I wanted to include a few pictures. Had an amazing chapel service this morning, and the troops all came outside to take a picture with me...

Day Thirty Three and Thirty Four

Test day! Got to class in the morning, and after davening, we settled in for the test. Thirty Three questions (on teh the 33rd day of the program!) with a passing grade of 70 required. The test was one everything we learned from the second week on. It was fairly written - I got a 91 (three wrong - one was TOTALLY my fault, as I rushed through the question and did not read it properly).

After the test, the Command Chaplain for the Air Force Reserve, Ch, Col Willis spoke to us about the role of the Reserves. When he was done, the Director of the National Guard Bureau, Ch, Col Les Hyder spoke to us as well. He was a big hit! He did a great job explaining the important and ever-changing role of the Guard - I, for one, was very proud.

Afterwards, each commander took their respective airmen to lunch. I, of course, went with Ch Hyder to the Officers' Club (I brought my own lunch) and we had a nice time, asking questions and spending quality time with him. He then called me up and said he rarely has the opportunity to do this and was excited to be able to do so. He then gave me a Jewish Chaplain's Kit - a battle bag that attached to one's web belt during combat - that contained some stereotypical "judaica items" - like a little Torah Scroll and a wine cup... It is pretty useless, but the thought and effort were touching. I may fill it with better stuff when I get back to my base... My Christian colleagues received their own bags, which contained a prayer shawl made of ABU (camo) material... nice!

Ch. Col Les Hyder and me. I look HUGE in this picture - I KNOW I am not that fat... If you look at the door and the pillar, you can see the picture is distorted... (Do I sound like I am protesting too much??)

After lunch we had a "bag drag" - we were told to pack our duffels according to a checklist we had, as if we were being deployed. The "bag drag" is when we schlep the bags into our classroom and unpack it all for inspection. After repacking, we officially began the field exercise that will take up most of our last week. Each of us was assigned a chaplain responsibility, and teamed with a Chaplain's Assistant (CA). We were assigned to "chalks" (groupings of troops for purposes of transportation) and then went to meet with the CAs. We had about an hour to start planning and programming with them, after which we were given our sleeping bags, web belts and canteens and ponchos. The trip begins on Sunday!

I went back to my room and got ready for Shabbos. One of my classmates, Tara Dixon, gave me a ride to the Coopers (where I was last Shabbos)...

Shabbos was great! I think everyone was tired Friday night - I know I was - and after dinner I crashed. Shabbos morning we went to shul to set up, and services went from 0900 to 1230, followed by Kiddush. After lunch back at the Coopers I took a 3.5 hour nap (!!!) and at about 1900 I got up and we hung out until Shabbos ended at 2121.

I came back to my room and prepared my service for Sunday morning - this time I hope I get up on time!! Anyway, after services tomorrow, we have to report with our packed bags at 1400 for transport to the camp site - i'll try to keep y'all posted...

Good night!

Day Thirty Two

Today was very relaxing. Of course, when I said that to my wife, she said, "I didn't realize the other days weren't!" Nice.

Today was "Retreat Day" - no, it is not a reenactment of every French battle. We left at 0815 for Victory Ranch, which is a Christian campsite dedicated to taking care of the troops. They provide a place to unwind and relax, and receive spiritual guidance, as well. We got there at about 0900 - they had a breakfast put out - I had strawberries and coffee - and we all spent an hour eating and "fellowshipping."

At breakfast. L to R: Courtland Pitt, Matt Zimmerman, Ch Hamel, and staff member

Afterwards, we all gathered in a room, and Ch Hamel asked what we each do - outside of the context our religions' rituals - to connect to God. It was an important question. We talked for a while, and then he led us on a self-hypnosis routine, which he called the "Centering Prayer" - really just a way to turn off the noise around us and reconnect.

Sitting around before the "Centering Prayer" - on the couches (L toR): Tara Dixon, Micah Baker, Matt Zimmerman, Robert Tilley. Ch Hamel has his back to the camera on the far right (blue checked shirt)

From 1000 to 1200, we each went outside and did our own "connecting." It was absolutely gorgeous outside. The grounds have a lake and a barn - there are picnic tables and Adirondack chairs all around - it was truly idyllic.

Standing on the porch, looking out

Ch Tilley in a canoe, as part of his meditation period

I sat at a picnic table and read Lazar Brody's book, The Train to Tranquility, which I am enjoying very much. It is a Rav Nachman approach to Anger management.

At 1200, we came in for lunch. I had my microwavable lentil stew and a package of tuna, while they all had a buffet lunch... From 1300 until 1500 everyone did their own thing. Some guys went fishing, other played ball. I studied for our test tomorrow. We left at 1500 and got home at 1530. I had a 1.5 hours to do my laundry, because at 1700 a bunch of us met for Wallyball! I never played this before - it is AWESOME!! It is volleyball in a racquetball court - and you can use the walls and ceiling!

Not us - just to show you what it  looks like

We played for an hour and half - and there was no AC in the gym. We were DRENCHED! But it was just so much fun!!!

Upon return, a shower, and dinner, I packed my duffel for our "deployment" next week. Tomorrow - after the test - we are having a "bag drag." That is when you bring your bag for inspection - everything is dumped out and inventoried to see if you have all the things you were told to bring. We will also be issued our sleeping bags and other stuff - then we bring it all back to our rooms. The actual "deployment" will be on Sunday afternoon, when we will be going off for three days of field exercises. That will be were we are paired up with a Chaplain's Assistant, and ALL the things we learned the last 5 weeks will be tested - hospital ministry, counseling, funerals, Casualty Notification, religious accommodations... Can't wait!! I will not be able to blog from there - but I'll fill you in when I get back on Wednesday!! Wish me luck on tomorrow's test! Good night...

Day Thirty One

Wednesday began portending another wasted day. We started the day with a class on Youth Ministry, with the argument being most airmen are youth... hence, our "ministry" is a Youth Ministry. Regardless, the class really was one discussing the generational differences between the Baby Boomers, Gen Xers, and the Millenials. I found it to be more of a marketing class for one's church than anything else. Did not enjoy it.

When that was over, we all presented our Cultural Briefs to our small groups. Let me explain. When troops deploy overseas, they go through a deployment line. Think of it as a cafeteria line. There is a long line of stations, and the troops make their way down the line. They stop at Medical to make sure their records are accurate, they stop at the JAGs to make sure they have a will and a power of attorney, they stop at the Chaplains to get a bible - and it's their last chance to declare conscientious objection. You get the picture. When they are done with all that, they go down the hall towards the plane. But before they leave the building, they go to a briefing room where they get a series of briefings on the mission, the flight, etc. The LAST of the briefings is traditionally given my a chaplain, and its called the cultural briefing. The role usually is to just quickly give an overview of some customs and courtesies of the country into which they are flying, and to remind them about the chaplains who will be there when they arrive.

Our assignment was to prepare a 4-6 minute briefing on a country which we were assigned. We could not be less than 4 minutes and not more than 6. I was assigned Somalia. I did mine in 5 minutes and 26 seconds - I got a 98 on the assignment.

We had another 2.5 hour lunch, and upon return we were told we'd be watching a movie called "Baghdad ER." I believe it was an HBO special. It was one of the most heart-wrenching, painful experiences have ever had. The movie follows the 86th Combat Support Hospital (CSH - that is the new M*A*S*H) in Baghdad during the worst of the fighting in Iraq. The human carnage is unspeakable. The video is completely uncensored, and it is not for the faint of heart. The bravery of the men and women who go into harm's way to fight and die for our freedom is truly breath-taking. And the bravery and strength of the medical teams... there are just no words.

There were some funny moments. There was one soldier who was trying to be funny with a nurse, and his expressions were priceless. My favorite was when an investigator was debriefing a soldier who had just been shot by a sniper, and the guy asked, "Did you not see who was doing the shooting?" And the soldier, grimacing in pain, said, "Uh, I was a little busy, lying on the floor, crying like a little bi@ch!"

When the movie was over, there was absolute silence. No one could have prepared themselves for this movie, and we were all in shock. Ch Hamel asked for us to process. I raised my hand and said, "This just confirms my feeling that a prerequisite for running for federal office must be serving as a combat troop. Let the men and women in Washington live this a bit before sending our sons and daughters to war."

Other people spoke - most couldn't continue because they choked up from the emotions it generated. Throughout the movie, there was a chaplain, walking and talking among the wounded, praying for the dead... and we knew that would be us one day. One chaplain, taking a long time to gather her thoughts, said, "I watch that chaplain, and I don't know if I could do it. I've been to church - and there's nothing like this going on in church."

I won't forget that movie for a long time...

http://www.amazon.com/Baghdad-ER-HBO-Documentary-Film/dp/B000G1R4V6

We finished the discussion at about 1600 and were dismissed. I'm ready to come home...

Day Thirty

They are REALLY running out of stuff to teach...

We had yet ANOTHER Diversity class this morning, followed by a class about the Career Progression of a chaplain. We were done at 1045 - which meant we had a 2 hour and 15 minute lunch - which I spent registering my son in college.

After lunch, we reviewed what would be on Thursday's test (the last one), and then we had a presentation by the Active Duty recruiter about what it takes to go from the Guard/Reserves into the Active Duty. I found out all I needed to know - the OLDEST you can be to start in the  Active Duty is 42. In other words, you MUST be out by 62, and they HAVE to give you the opportunity to do 20 years. So that rules out any thought I might possibly have had about going full-time.

And we were done at 1330. I worked out for and hour and half. The most productive part of my day.

Day Twenty Nine

Okay, now it's just getting silly. I know the Air Force needs to have us here for six weeks, and Lord knows I am thrilled to get paid - but why can't they actually fill our time effectively?

Today we went to Shaw Air Force Base, home of the 20th Fighter Wing, the largest combat F-16 wing in the country. We left at 0815 and arrived in time for our 0900 brief. Too bad our presenter didn't. So at 1000, we left for our briefing by the Assistant Wing Commander... but he was in a meeting until 1040. So he did his presentation in 20 minutes. That means we had two hours for lunch.

Most people went to a Thai kiosk - I brought a tuna packet with me. As we walked towards the food area, it seems I was walking with a Southern Baptist and Ch Hamel (a Catholic priest). Suddenly, a guy behind me - a Presbyterian - said, "I need to get away from this group - between them, there's no sex, no pig, and no drinking. It may be contagious!"

At 1300, we met again with the Asst Wing Commander, and we proceeded to the only highlight of the day. He took us to the weapons loading training hanger. That's where the troops learn how to load ammunition under the wings of and F-16. The hanger had two F-16s and every type of munition the F-16 carries. It was pretty awesome, especially considering that every few minutes another F-16 would tear down the runway a few hundred yards away.

The class in front of an F-16. From left to right: Kent Smaciarz, Ron Faith (best name for a chaplain EVER), me, Courtland Pitt, Countess Cooper, Matt Zimmerman, Micah Baker, Brian Honett, Trendce Hudson, Kenneth Tidwell, Tara Dixon, Ryan Williams, Seth Still, Matt Nansel, Scott Wilson. (Kneeling) Robert Tilley, Ioan Dumitrascu, Jose Martinez.

At 1400 we went to the base clothing store to fill in our uniforms - and then left. We were home by 1500. Another well-spent day.

Day Twenty Seven and Twenty Eight

I had a very nice Shabbos. There is a family in Columbia, the Coopers, who sent their two children to Memphis to attend the Jewish high school there. The younger one - the daughter - became sort of a daughter to Melissa and I. Particularly to Melissa, as she became this young lady's "Mommy" away from home. She was at our house all the time, and once day I mentioned I was going to Columbia for a month and a half, and she said, "Columbia? That's where I'm from!"

I have been sitting with their father, Betzalel, at services each weekend, and he told me that when the two kids come back from Memphis, I would have to spend Shabbat with them. Well, that weekend finally arrived. Betzalel is a former Marine, and the military banter - primarily knocking out mutual enemy, the Army - was great fun. He drilled into my head the great, albeit sacreligious motto of the Marine Corps:

WE STOLE THE EAGLE FROM THE AIR FORCE, THE ANCHOR FROM THE NAVY AND THE ROPE FROM THE ARMY.

ON THE SEVENTH DAY WHILE GOD RESTED, WE OVERRAN HIS PERIMETER, STOLE THE GLOBE AND WE'VE BEEN RUNNING THE WHOLE SHOW EVER SINCE.

Marine Insignia

 After Shabbos, I went back to the Fort to prepare my service for the next morning. That's when the story gets good.

For some reason, I could not sleep on Saturday night. I tried everything - TV, reading - finally at 0300 I took half a Unisom and set my alarm clock for 0815, knowing I had to get up, shower, shave, daven, eat, and meet my ride downstairs at 0915 for an 0930 service. In the middle of a dream, something was prompting me to get up, and my eyes opened and looked at the clock... AND IT WAS 0917!!!!!!!!

I jumped out of bed, "Oh, my God"ing, over and over and over. I ran to the sink, dashed water on my face, filled my mouth with mouthwash, threw on my uniform, pulled on my boots (didn't lace them properly), grabbed my backpack, laptop, and the guitar I borrowed from Reb Hesh, made sure I had my room key, grabbed my shaver to shave in the van... and it was dead. I must have unplugged it a while back and there was no charge. I ran down the steps (the whole time, I was throwing up a heartfelt message to God: "I don't know why you did this to me - I'm sure there is a good reason, and maybe one day I will know what it is..."), and THANK GOD my ride was still waiting from me (he had texted me at 0916 saying he was downstairs). We ran to the van, and were driving by 0928 (not bad...).

I got to the chapel at 0935 (could have been MUCH worse... in fact, imagine if Chaplain Soussan had been waiting for me!!!) and everyone was patiently waiting in their seats. I rushed up, apologizing, sweating, and began my service. And the service was awesome. My message - apropos to the morning - was the importance of finding the positive in the world around us.We discussed how the Jews could say, "We have nothing" after they had been fed Manna by God. It is all what you look for in the events of your life. So of course, I tied it into the events of the morning. I didn't tell them why I was late - just that something had come up - but the point is to look for Hashem's role and lesson in everything.

Afterwards, we retired to the Commander's Conference Room across the street (where we go each week after service) and Rabbi Soussan came at that point (I apologized for the unshaven face; he seemed nonplussed) and he announced that the Aleph Institute, a Lubavitch organization that provides services for military personnel (and prisoners... Hmmmm) had sent, in honor of Shavuot, individual cheese cakes (Cholov Yisroel, no less) with little wooden ice cream spoons in each. A good time was had by all!

The soldiers - and chaplains - with their cheesecakes! The arrow on the right is over me; the arrow on the left is over Chaplain Soussan

The highlight of the morning was when I turned around and saw one of the soldiers, who grew up observant, helping another soldier put on Tefillin. The guy putting them on had a HUGE tattoo of a Magen David covering his entire upper arm, and the tefillin lay just under the tattoo - it was an AWESOME scene, and I took a picture. However, Ch Soussan specifically asked that I not put it online... oh, well!

I went home, did some school work, worked out, and dreamed about the fact that I am about to start Week Five of six... I can't wait to come home!

Day Twenty Four, Twenty Five and Twenty Six

Shavuot was very nice. As previously reported, the program at Reb Hesh's house began at 1900 with a buffet dairy dinner. At 1930 the first round of classes - three in all - began, and the 30+ people split up. I went to Rabbi Soussan's class on the history of the Jewish Chaplaincy in the US military. At 2030, there was a another round of three classes - this time, I was one of the presenters - and I spoke on "Why a reasonable person should believe God gave the Torah at Mt Sinai" - an oldie but a goodie for me!

At 2130 we davened Maariv, and then most people left. Those that stayed washed and had dinner. After dinner I took a Gemarah and started learning by myself, but by 0030, I crashed.

Morning services were not until 1000. I woke up at 0800, had some coffee and read a little - I went to shul at 0900 to learn a little before services. Services went for 2 1/2 hours, an hour shorter than on Shabbos. I davened Shachris, and my Hallel was quite a hit. They asked me to do an encore the second day...

After services, there was a cheesecake and ice cream kiddush. We went home, had lunch, and guess what... I napped! The whole thing repeated itself the next day - and on Thursday night, my friend Jose picked me up.

Friday was another one of those days... we spent the morning doing Strengthsfinders, which is another Myers-Briggs-type personality assessment. After a two-hour lunch, we met with our small group leader - in my case, Ch Hamel - to go over our assessments, as well as discuss what we thought of the course so far.

This weekend I have a test to study for, but this program is running down QUICKLY!!! Two weeks from today and I'm home!

Shabbat Shalom!

Day Twenty Three

I overslept! Well, almost - I normally get up at 0630 and out the door at 0715. We are required to "check-in" to our classroom by 0730, and then go to services. I don't know if I hit the snooze button over and over again, or what - but in my DREAM I was realizing it was late - and I opened my eyes and saw the clock showed 0708! Good thing I took a shower last night!

The day started with two more classes from my LEAST favorite teacher, the JAG. She didn't let me down - when she talked about the Kobe Bryant case, she described the position his victim was in when he raped her. She used the most graphic terms she could when ever she could, and capped it all off with an "S" bomb ("The  supervisor didn't give a s**t, oh, excuse me...") - what a consummate professional.

That was the theme of the day's classes - sexual assault, domestic violence, and finally the chaplain's role in counseling both of these areas. After lunch (during which I watched the final episode of "Heroes" - what an awesome show!) we met privately with our small section teacher (in my case, Ch Hamel) to review work we had done. That was over at 1330... and as the afternoon's teachers were away, we were dismissed!

I went with Ch Tilley to deliver cold drinks to the poor soldiers manning the base gates, and came back to my room to prepare for Shavuot. Chabad here has an interesting way of getting around the fact that Yom Tov doesn't start until 2115 - Reb Hesh invites the whole community to his house for dinner and learning at 1900 - they learn for two hours, and then daven Maariv and make Kiddush - and then continue for all those that want to stay! I'll be teaching tonight...

Chag Sameach - Gut Yontiff - Happy Shavuot!!!

Day Twenty Two

For those who followed lat year's blog of my COT experience, and remember it, you may recall that I mentioned that we were addressed by a JAG (military lawyer) on legal issues, and I wrote a scathing review about her. She used foul language, she tried to titillate in, what I thought, was an unprofessional manner, and frankly, wasn't a good teacher.

This morning I walked into class to see my old friend! They brought her in to teach us all the legal issues with which the Chaplains deal, such as Privileged Communication, Law of Armed Conflict, inappropriate relationships... With the exception of her language - which she cleaned up - my observations of last year's presentations remained well-preserved. And we get more of her tomorrow!

We had to come back from lunch in our service dress uniform - that's the blue jacket and tie - for inspection. It wasn't for grade - it was more having to do with the fact that next week we are going to Shaw Air Force Base (up the road) and if we need stuff for our uniforms, that will be the time to get them.
 
After the interminably long class day, I asked a friend to drive me off base to a mail box. When I did the service Sunday morning one of the things we do is take mail the troops want sent home. It seems base mail pickup and processing is very slow, so as a favor to the soldiers, we mail them off base. Afterwards, he dropped me off at the gym... in which the AC was broken. I ran about three miles, and decided to continue the exercise by walking to the Shopette (their name, not mine) to buy some deodorant. It was about a 15 minute walk. And they didn't have spray deodorant. So I walked a little further to the PX, bought my deodorant - and then walked the half hour home. Dripping sweat the whole way.

On the way, I passed the famous car. Every base - around Memorial Day - displays a civilian vehicle in which military personnel were killed. It is meant to sober up the troops to the reality of drunk driving.  I took pictures  for you...

Good night!

Day Twenty/Twenty One

I am officially at the half-way point - time flies when... well, time flies.

I had a very nice Shabbos, thanks to the amazing hospitality of the Kleins.  I have decided that their house is the Shabbos Nap Capital of the World - I had a 3 1/2 hour nap - outstanding! This week is Shavuos, so I will be back at their house on Wednesday and Tursday - however, I will be spending next Shabbos at a different home. More on that later in the week.

Sunday morning was my opportunity to lead the Jewish Service. Rabbi Sassoun was gracious enough to leave the whole program to me, and I brought Ch Berger - the student at the Army Chaplain school - along with me.

Leading the service...

The rest of the day was pretty chilled. I did my laundry, homework, and then went to the gym to run. When I got there, it was closed! What's up with that?? This is a military base! Well, I was motivated enough to just go ahead and run outside anyway. By the way, it was about 100 degrees... Yeah.

This week will be short - Shavuos will break it up - so I'm looking forward to it!