DVIDS – News – Supply Soldiers take a break in the ‘Living Room’ http://www.dvidshub.net/news/62895/supply-soldiers-take-break-living-roomBAGHDAD – Seeking to alleviate boredom for off-duty soldiers, the unit ministry team with 299th Brigade Support Battalion, 2nd Advise and Assist Brigade, 1st Infantry Division, United States Division-Center opened what it termed “the battalion living room” at the collection of containerized housing units commonly referred to as ‘Pad 13’ at Camp Liberty, Iraq.

This space, just outside the chaplain’s office, is furnished with couches, a television, and cupboards and shelves which are full of items for soldiers to use. Welcoming everyone who enters is a sign that reads, “Welcome to the Living Room. Keep your language respectful, your attitude positive, and make this a great place to LIVE.”

Chaplain gives a glimpse of a soldier’s holiday season in Iraq http://fremonttribune.com/news/local/article_6c4f6b9e-0f1c-11e0-b517-001cc4c002e0.html“It is going to be a bumpy ride!” yelled the helicopter crew chief as we jumped into his aircraft, preparing to fly to a base that hadn’t seen a Catholic priest chaplain for almost a month.

It turns out impending bad weather caused us to turn around and return to base after only 30 minutes in the air. The soldiers would have to go another week without a visit.

Even though he didn’t know it, the crew chief’s words not only applied to that brief ride, but have the ability to take on a deeper significance during a yearlong deployment to Iraq.

The emotional pull of Christmas hard on soldiers http://www.globegazette.com/news/local/article_3d787d5a-0f1d-11e0-bc5a-001cc4c03286.htmlBALAD, Iraq — Col. Lance Kittleson spends a lot of time counseling soldiers who find themselves in a strange land.

Kittleson, 59, of St. Ansgar, is a member of the U.S. Army Reserve. He admits to occasionally feeling the pull of loneliness, but his work as as a chaplain and serving others keep the blues at bay — most days.

“We (chaplains) all feel that we are in the place where God called us,” Kittleson said.

“One of the blessings of deployment is that you work 24/7; you don’t have time to think about what you are missing,” he said during a phone interview last week.

Riggers, chaplain ready for ‘The Big Drop’ : Army Family 101 & Brat Life 101 – Fort Campbell, KY http://armyfamily101.com/2010/12/20/riggers-chaplain-ready-for-the-big-drop/BAGRAM AIR FIELD, Afghanistan – The unit ministry team and riggers of the 101st Sustainment Brigade teamed up to prepare for 101 air drops slated to take place next week.

The “Big Drop” will bring 101 bundles of care packages and other supplies to service members in two dozen remote Forward Operating Bases across Regional Command-East.

The 101st Sustainment Brigade performed the air drop of 101 bundles when they were last deployed in 2008, said Col. Peterman, commander of the 101st Sustainment Brigade. The “Big Drop” will bring the care packages and supplies to service members of several units and branches.

KAALtv.com – Local Soldier Helps Keep the Faith http://kaaltv.com/article/stories/S1888554.shtml?cat=10218For a lot of people, faith is a crucial piece of everyday life, and an Iowa soldier is helping others practice their faith while fighting for freedom in Iraq.

“The ability to worship in the way they see fit is one of the constitutional responsibilities the army has,” Col. Lance Kittleson, U.S. Army Chaplain, said.

And it’s a responsibility, Colonel Kittleson is working to uphold in his second deployment.

DVIDS – News – COP Charkh Soldiers celebrate Catholic Mass http://www.dvidshub.net/news/62115/cop-charkh-soldiers-celebrate-catholic-massSoldiers assigned to Company B, 2nd Battalion, 30th Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division, celebrated Catholic Mass at Combat Outpost Charkh here Dec. 10.

This was the first Mass offered at COP Charkh since August dueto the non-availability of a Catholic chaplain.

DVIDS – News – Chaplain leads Soldiers on tours of Ur monument http://www.dvidshub.net/news/61369/chaplain-leads-soldiers-tours-ur-monumentCONTINGENCY OPERATING BASE ADDER, Iraq — Often referred to as the Cradle of Civilization or the Fertile Crescent, the region of Iraq through which the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers flow is home to some of the earliest signs of human settlement. Contingency Operating Base Adder is located in this area, and is visible from the top of the Ziggurat of Ur, a stepped pyramid located in one of the earliest cities known to man.

U.S. Army 1st Lt. Matthew Bonnette, a chaplain with the 110th Combat Sustainment Support Battalion, 224th Sustainment Brigade, 103rd Sustainment Command (Expeditionary), and a Blakely, Ga., native, has been guiding soldiers with the 110th CSSB on tours of the monument and its surrounding ruins.