12 September 2006
12 September 2006
Well, It's been a while since my "weekly" update, but I have good reasons (not excuses, reasons). We flew out of Kuwait on Labor Day. I will never complain about flying coach again! For those of you who have never had the pleasure of flying in the back of a C-130 into a combat zone let me describe it to you. I was wearing full body armor and kevlar helmet. Now that may not sound like much, but the body armor weighs about 40 pounds and keeps your body in unnatural positions. You sit in "seats" made of nylon straps in rows facing one another. Now, I don't know about you, but my rear end is larger than the 12 inches allotted for each person. You sit in rows the length of the fuselage facing one another. You are so close to the person across from you that your knees form a zipper with your knee between your partners knee. I've danced cheek to cheek, but I've never sat "cheek-to-cheek" with someone who played semipro football on my left and someone who has foresworn bathing on my right - until this flight. But hey, it's only an hour or two on a plane that is not air-conditioned where pallets of duffle bags are loaded after you take your seat.So, we arrived at Anaconda in the middle of the night where we schlepped our two duffle bags, carry on, tactical gear, and weapons (with a few "tuff boxes" thrown in for good measure) to our temporary billets. We spent the first four nights in a tent village before moving into our permanent housing. I am now housed in my trailer, have my laptop reimaged and have an account on the LAN, and am moved into my office. I'll share this office with my counterpart until he leaves. The good thing is that I outrank him.I flew down to Baghdad yesterday on a Black Hawk to do a recon for some Duty Day with God events I will be leading while I am here. It was amazing to be there on the fifth anniversary of 9/11. I also want to lead some events to Talil so we can visit Ur, the birthplace of Abraham. I am also partnering with a few congregations in North Georgia to provide Disciple Bible Study's Introductions to the Old and New Testament. Thanks to Snellville UMC for agreeing to sponsor us on the Old Testament. I also hope to find a congregation to sponsor a study of the book "Where God Was Born". I'll be visiting our sponsoring congregations when I return to talk about the ministry here.I know many of you are interested in things like my daily schedule, what the attitude is here, wanting to know about bombings and shootings (yes, everyday, and yes we have already had one memorial service and one wounded in action). Email me any questions you have and I will answer them a little at a time through this forum.I've attached a few pictures so you can see what life here is like. Stay in touch, and please keep us in your prayers.God Bless,Jim
posted by Jim Higgins @ 8:06 AM
2 comments
2 Comments:
I just wanted to get your opinion of should the US really be in the Middle East. Do you think we have changed the middle east for good or has the war been all for nothing?
-Be Safe
Please understand that I am primarily a theologian and a chaplain, not a policy maker.
Because of the global nature of postmodern culture, it is impossible for any political entity not to be involved in this, or any, part of the world.
I believe that we should confront inhumanity and abuse wherever we find them; in our own backyard as well as in the Middle East. There is no doubt that Iraq was ruled by a despotic party and that millions of lives were lost during their thirty-year reign of terror.
The fact that the Iraqi people will have the right of self determination through a rule of law is a good thing, regardless of the reasons that may have originally been given for intervention. So, in that sense I would have to emphatically say that the war has not been for nothing.
The U.S., as one of the only remaining superpowers, should be involved throughout the world. I am a Just War ethicist, however, and believe that all other means should be utilized before the use of force, and that use should be wielded only by those with legitimate authority, the endstate should be a lasting peace, only military targets should be engaged, and that due diligence should be taken to protect infrastructure, historical buidlings, and places of worship and cultural importance.
The U.S. has a responsibility, along with other world leaders, if for no other reason than "those to whom much is given, much will be expected".
Post a Comment
<< Home