MARENGO – When Capt. Raymond Ayers served as an Army chaplain in Iraq the past year, he said he knew the Lord would let him come home safely.
But he had no idea how many of his friends and neighbors would be waiting for him when he got there. At least 400 Marengo community members and school children greeted Ayers along the streets, outside their homes, and at Zion Lutheran School, where Ayers is an associate pastor.
Ayers rode in a convertible PT Cruiser down Route 20 with his two children, Anneliese and Nate, vigorously waving at passersby and videotaping the homecoming with a grin on his face. Veterans, Patriot Guard Riders and Marengo’s Fire Protection District and Rescue Squad celebrated in what became a town parade filled with waving flags, banners and cheers.
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By Army Sgt. Amy Wieser Willson
North Dakota National Guard
BISMARCK, N.D., (10/24/2008) - Nobody wants to marry a jerk or jerkette, but sometimes it happens.
“How?” is something many divorced and unhappy couples will ponder for years.
“What went wrong?”
A new program in the North Dakota National Guard can help Soldiers and Airmen pinpoint possible problems and key in on positive spouse traits before they ever consider pondering the how or why of an unhappy marriage.
Premarital Interpersonal Choices and Knowledge, or P.I.C.K., “goes over the head and the heart because when you meet somebody, the heart takes over,” said Jane Johnson, a full-time licensed social worker with the North Dakota National Guard.
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ATLANTA (ABP) — “How do you plan to stay in touch with your family while you’re deployed?” Army chaplain James “Jim” Kirkendall frequently asks young soldiers.
It’s one of the many topics Kirkendall addresses during personal visits with military personnel of the Army’s 95th Division, based in Oklahoma City, in preparing them for deployment to Iraq and Afghanistan.
As one of about 600 Cooperative Baptist Fellowship-endorsed chaplains and pastoral counselors, Kirkendall extends the ministry of the Fellowship to members of the military and their families. Those ministries were recognized as part of Pastoral Care Week, Oct. 20-26.
Soldiers are required to attend mandatory briefings by many Army departments–from the judge advocate general to family readiness. During these sessions, Kirkendall addresses the emotional impact of deployment and suicide prevention. He shares experiences from his own year-long deployment in Iraq.
READ MORE from Associated Baptist Press
GRAFENWOEHR, Germany - All Eva Creel wanted for 12 months was for her husband to come home from Afghanistan to be by her side.
When he returned, she found she wanted nothing more than her own personal space.
Creel - like many spouses of Soldiers returning from downrange - discovered firsthand that the rush of emotions after redeployment can both draw a couple together, and pull them apart.
“When they’re gone you miss them terribly, but you become very independent… I had my routine, my schedule, and my plans… he kind of got in the way of all those things,” Creel explained.
Redeployment is an overwhelming joy and a rollercoaster ride of emotions, including everything from feelings of guilt from a newfound independence to the insecurity and frustration of getting to know one another again.
READ MORE from the U.S. Army
Interview of Chaplain (Captain) Jeff Struecker. Chaplain Struecker was previously enlisted and was involved in some of the events related in the movie Black Hawk Down.
Local firm provides digital resources for Army chaplain
By Tricia Pursell
The Daily Item
In the rugged and mountainous terrain of Afghanistan, Tyger knew it would be impossible to carry all of his books, pamphlets and hymnals with him as he ministered to the soldiers in the field, possibly many miles from his office or main base. Before heading overseas, he knew he had to find another way of doing his job.
And that’s when he called his old college buddy for some help.
Jason Harris, vice president of operations at Harris Micrographics, met Tyger at Lycoming College, in Williamsport, where they were both members of the same fraternity, Tau Kappa Epsilon. Shortly after college, when Tyger attended seminary, Harris joined the staff of his father’s business, which specializes in converting information to electronic formats. The company first began with microfiche technology and is now fully embracing the digital age.
Harris was glad to help his friend. Before he was sent overseas, Tyger arranged to have boxes of books sent to Harris Micrographics. Upon their arrival, Harris set out to convert Tyger’s entire library onto discs and thumb drives.
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A frequent question from readers of this site is “How do I contact an Army chaplain recruiter?” A handful of chaplain recruiters cover large regions of several states. You may locate your nearest chaplain recruiter by visiting http://www.goarmy.com/chaplain/find_a_recruiter.jsp and typing in your ZIP code.
Last week I posted on Father Francis Duffy who served as chaplain of the Fighting 69th in World War I. In World War II there was another Father Duffy, John E. Duffy, also an army chaplain.
John E. Duffy fought in World War I in the Rainbow division, the same division in which Father Francis Duffy served. After being ordained to the priesthood on June 28, 1928, he served as a teacher at Saint Wendelin’s in Fostoria, Ohio.
Father Duffy rejoined the army as a chaplain in 1933. During the Japanese invasion of the Philippines in 1942, Father Duffy, then a major, was chaplain of the North Luzon Force, and then of the First Philippines Corp. Father Duffy was a down to earth priest with a sardonic sense of humor. He used to tell the troops: “May the Good Lord take a liking to you, but not too soon!”.
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