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WORDS FROM FORT HOOD
Posted by: John T Moeller at 12:43AM CST on November 19, 2009
I just finished reading this info from some Ft. Hood Chaplains . I will not share it all, but I will share the thoughts that do stand out in this woman’s story. I will let you make your judgments and I will not comment until after this is posted.
LCMS chaplains, World Relief respond to Fort Hood shootings By Linda C. Hoops It's been an awful week." These are the words of Chaplain Dann Ettner, one of four Missouri Synod chaplains assigned to Fort Hood, in the wake of the Nov. 5 shootings there. Ettner, an active duty reservist, lost five members of his division during the rampage that left eight others dead and 42 wounded. Because all five of the dead in his division were from other states, chaplains in their home areas were responsible for notifying their families. Ettner's duty "turned to comforting the living."
In an e-mail, he wrote, "I spent the first night in the ICU with four of my [injured] soldiers. On Friday morning I attended the military ramp ceremony where they loaded the 13 caskets into a military aircraft bound for Dover Air Force Base, Delaware." The base serves as the transit point for slain soldiers prior to their funerals. "We continue to work with the hospitalized, their families who have traveled here, as well as the soldiers who were released from the hospital and returned to their units," he added. "Survivors' guilt is huge right now. Soldiers are starting to say, 'I should have, could have, would have.'"
"When the initial news reports went out about the shootings, there was no mention of any civilians who had died," he said. "Therefore, when I showed up with the CACO [Casualty Assistance Calls Officer] at the home of Mr. Cahill, his wife was caught off guard by the news." Michael Cahill of Cameron, Texas, was a 62-year-old physician's assistant who helped treat soldiers returning from tours of duty or preparing for deployment and was in the processing center at the time of the shooting. I assisted [Cahill's wife] in making phone calls to tell loved ones, and made sure a friend would be staying with her until her family arrived. They are a strong, Christian family," Washington said.
All chaplains are trained in mass casualty exercises and stress management and know what to do in these terrible, traumatic events,"
"Probably the most intense moments of the week were during the memorial ceremonies when 'roll call' began and the [names of the] deceased are called -- three times -- and there is no answer. The silence was a powerful and poignant reminder that precious lives were senselessly silenced." "These ceremonies tear your heart out," Hernandez said that same day in a radio interview on KFUO-AM. "To see all these young people, just children practically, whose friends and comrades have been taken away, it's so emotional."
Family Readiness Group (FRG) that is assigned to the 20th Engineer Battalion. Four of the battalion's soldiers were killed and 11 wounded.
"Most of them came in with limited resources on a moment's notice," said Nancy Ingenloff, leader of the FRG and a pre-kindergarten teacher at Grace. "We are trying to help them with food, gas, housing, and other basic needs while they are here."
Rev. Bernard Schey, pastor of Trinity, Copperas Cove, said that, although no one in the congregation had family members injured or killed, the event still affects the congregation indirectly, as many are either retired military or employed on the post.
One Trinity member is a respiratory therapist and was on duty at the hospital where the more seriously wounded were taken. "Not only was she treating the young men and women who were wounded, ………………………………..........but then she also had to treat the alleged shooter, an obviously difficult position, and she became extremely upset," he said. Schey added that he has been ministering to her through phone calls and visits.
And Lastly This:
The work here has just begun," Hernandez wrote in his Web site message. "We know that recovery is a long-term process. But we are blessed to be here in the early aftermath of this tragedy. As the chaplain said in his meditation at the memorial ceremony for the soldiers, 'We are to make God real for each other in our grief.'"
Posted by: John T Moeller at 6:52PM CST on November 1, 2009
Posted by: John T Moeller at 8:44PM CST on October 22, 2009
Its time the President of the United States speak up to the leaders of the most powerful nations in the world.. American troops are dying daily while you apologize to the rest of the Supreme ducks in a row. We do not send our family members over to be ruthlessly slaughtered for evil Taliban henchmen to line their pockets with gold from heroin sales.
Our previous President got tired of Sadam defying the United Nations resolutions, and as you can see Sadam no longer does. It is time you found the courage to tells the Nations that surround Afghanistan that looking the other way when drug shipments pass though their region is not acceptable. The Taliban regime is not a religious group of worthy men, they are however evil sadistic henchmen who thrive on power and are encouraged that you will not speak out and tell world leaders that 200,000 plus troops are needed from their nations also to change the decrepit living standards in that nation.
The United Nations has recently released a report on the opium markets that fund terrorism. Our troops deserve a fight based on TRUTH instead of the daily argument if there are enough dying Americans in Afghanistan. If the war is based on controlling the region then you as a world leader must insist there are several thousand troops to occupy gained territory much like the surge in Iraq. Even old tired Army Generals know the conquered nations must be occupied until there is a mindset change acceptable for all citizens of a nation.
How Many Iowans know most of these facts? The product described below will soon find its way to your doorstep if you don’t demand and end of the opium trade. The first sentence below talks about 15 million addicts, but the truth is the pain and suffering of the families of those addicts. UN findings say an opium market worth $65 billion funds global terrorism, caters to 15 million addicts, and kills 100,000 people every year. The UN says corruption, lawlessness and uncontrolled borders result in only 2% of Afghan opiates being seized locally. The UN says more Russians die annually from Afghan drugs than Soviet soldiers were killed during its Afghan conflict. Afghanistan produces 92% of the world's opium, with the equivalent of 3,500 tons leaving the country each year. Most of the opium that leaves Afghanistan makes its way through Pakistan, Central Asia and Iran, leaving a trail of addiction, criminality and death in its wake. More people die globally from Afghan opium than any other drug "The Afghanistan/Pakistan border region has turned into the world's largest free-trade zone in anything and everything that is illicit - drugs of course, but also weapons, bomb-making equipment, chemical precursors, drug money, even people and migrants, The report highlights a number of key factors as to why Afghanistan's illegal drugs trade has such an impact around the world. The Taliban's direct involvement in the opium trade allows them to fund a war machine that is becoming technologically more complex Just 2% of drugs are seized per annum, as compared with Colombia's 36% annually, the report says. Seizure rates are thought to decline as the drugs move closer to more lucrative key markets, with the value of the drugs doubling with every border crossed. For example, Iran intercepts about 20% of the opium entering its territory and Pakistan 17% - but Russia and some European countries are seizing less than 5%. One gram of heroin worth $3 in Kabul is worth up to $100 on the streets of London, Milan or Moscow, it is estimated. The UNODC is calling for more international resources to tackle the problem at source - in Afghanistan and surrounding areas - where law enforcement costs are cheaper.
An estimated $160million of drug money per year is now available to support terrorists activities, the report suggests. "The Taliban's direct involvement in the opium trade allows them to fund a war machine that is becoming technologically more complex and increasingly widespread," In addition, the UN says one of its most surprising finds is that addiction is costing more lives in consumers than the numbers of foreign soldiers killed fighting in Afghanistan. In Russia, the country worst-affected by the drug, the annual 30,000 death toll is higher than the total Soviet death toll during the USSR's Afghanistan campaign of 1979-1989, In addition, the UNODC says there is a pressing need to locate and destroy massive stockpiles of Afghan opium - an estimated 12,000 tons is being hoarded, it believes. With current supplies far outweighing demand, fears are high that Afghanistan's opium has the potential to spread terrorism and the drugs trade for many more years to come.
Posted by: John T Moeller at 1:54PM CST on May 26, 2009
“AND-out-of-state veterans” 1. Providing in-state tuition at Iowa’s public universities and community colleges to out-of-state veterans. 2. Redefining who qualifies as a veteran. 3. Affording more foreclosure protections for military members. 4. Expanding veterans hiring preference privileges when it comes to government jobs.
Posted by: John T Moeller at 12:46AM CST on April 22, 2009
DO LISTEN TO THIS A beautiful musical number for all of us to recall those who have served our country honorably & died doing so or the after . Don't know if you're familiar with Andre Rieu, but he's a European
Posted by: John T Moeller at 11:44PM CST on April 20, 2009
I received a picture today from one of our Davenport lads, my grandson, Sean McDevitt. It seems his Marine outfit (2/9) has now returned to Camp Lejune, North Carolina and I'll bet that Carolina sand even feels like home to his platoon. A grateful family thanks all those drill instructors who probably seemed to never understand what those kids were complaining about.Perhaps now that they have had that first coming home drinking party those mean old drill seargents may seem a bit more reasonable. We wonder now do they set their sights on Afghanistan training or perhaps train-up for another 'Iraq rerun before it all over over there.
Posted by: John T Moeller at 1:13AM CST on April 4, 2009
“There is a interesting letter to the editor that you should read. It is well written and we need more like them here in this group page. I will leave this comment, and let you find the letter called.”
Sergeant in Iraq thanks Davenport for forgiving her garbage pickup bill during deployment Parents do what they feel they must do. I have been there and done that too many times as a father of six children and their spouces. Much like the Army, "It's not to reason why, just do or die!"
We do what's right in our hearts for the good of the community and family relationships. Thank your God that Jennifer reminds us of the really bad times when someone is needed to inform.....
“ I also had to deal with the stress of driving to a family’s home 20 days before I deployed on my mom’s birthday and tell this sweet mother and father their son had died in Afghanistan. I watched them fall apart as the words from my tongue forever pierced their heart. I will listen to the screams of his sister ring in my ears for the rest of my life. You will never comprehend what that was like. Never.”...
This indeed is a time to say "THANK YOU FOR YOUR SERVICE!" I pray that all the soldiers in Iraq find new meaning in the EASTER services that are available and contimplate why God made Warriors and Guardian Angels.
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