Around Baghdad in a tank

This is me sitting in the tank as we are moving on a patrol.
In this picture, I am standing in front of the tank we took out on patrol: a M-1A Abrams.
This is a common billboard in Baghdad. Translated, it means "Terrorism has no religion." The red letters are the part that says "Terrorism." The pink store below it is a smoothie shop.
This is a large portrait; the center, large picture is Modtada al-Sadr's father, who was killed by Saddam Hussein in the 1990s. Sadr City- previously called Saddam City- is named after this man. To the upper right, is a picture of Moqtada al-Sadr. I don't know who is in the upper left.
Here is a small amusement park we passed on the road. I think it is a Disney affiliated park, and not Universal Studios, though I may be wrong.

It was fascinating driving around Baghdad today. As a chaplain, my reason for being out on a patrol on occasion is two fold: first, it is a ministry of presence, so to speak, to have the chaplain along for the ride. Second, it is a way of experiencing what my Soldiers are experiencing, and showing them that we are all in harm's way. Going out like this is not something I do on a regular basis, by any means, however, and my primary role is taking care of Soldiers on the base, at least in this current environment.

The bottom line is that chaplains go where their Soldiers go. In other wars, where there were fronts, the chaplain might be at the front, alongside the Soldiers, ready to pray, or administer last rites, etc. Here, in this environment, it is much more ambiguous. My best ministry will most likely be on the FOB (Forward Operating Base), but it's important to be out and about as well.