Tough time in Iraq
I am thankful to see my current Soldiers on their way out, and prepare for yet a new mission here.
I am a chaplain in the US Army, serving in Iraq. I'm keeping a blog to share my thoughts and experiences while deployed. They are my thoughts and they don't necessarily reflect the opinions of the US Army! :)
I saw this picture online today- this is priceless. I don't know where this came from originally, but I saw it on a news site.
On a more serious note, these sorts of comments are not lost on Soldiers (no matter how dumb some politicians think we might be). Many laugh them off, or ignore them, but the constant drip of negativity about Iraq takes its toll on Soldiers.
Today has been a long day for me, in terms of counseling- about 12 hours this afternoon/evening. I am constantly amazed by our Soldiers- in terms of the job they are doing and how much stress and pressure they live with each day. There are some incredibly mature young men and women who are doing amazing work.
Most Soldiers I see for counseling are struggling with marriage issues and other relational sorts of things, but I also see some Soldiers affected by the negativity out there. No one minds the differing opinions on whether or not we should be in Iraq- after all, freedom is what we are fighting for. But the sorts of people who say things like "we're losing" or the ones who disparage our Soldiers- Kerry has accused our Soldiers of committing war crimes- are not very helpful.