December 5, 2009
SPECIAL DAY
Thursday November 12, 2009 was a special day for SPC Lemma, SPC Rondon, and SPC Pham who are serving with the 19th Engineering Battalion at Bagram AFB. These three men were sworn in as new citizens of the United States. We welcome them as citizens and say a big “THANK YOU” for serving your country.
IT'S THE LITTLE THINGS
Sometimes we wonder about items that go into care packages. Will our troops find them useful or helpful? Lori Formoe with one of our affiliates in Temecula CA uses her artistic talents and limited resources to make personalized journals for our troops. This week she received the following:
"I picked up one of your handmade journals from our care package table a few days ago. I am very fortunate in that my husband is also deployed with me. We've been using it to write down memories from our deployment to Iraq. Thank you so much! It's great!” CPL MM Al Asad
ADOPTIONS
~Ch Hodge ~Ch Walker
~FROM DOWN RANGE~
I am sharing this gift package with our soldiers and on their behalf I say thank you for this encouraging demonstration of the love of the Lord. It feels great to be adopted twice, once of course by the Lord and once by AAC. Ch DV
I just received boxes... as I was going through them it dawned on me that they were packed in specific response to what I had requested after my first box. Again, I just want to say thank you so much! I am deeply appreciative. Ch DH
Celebrating Thanksgiving at a base near combat has never been easy, no matter what generation you're in. But it does remind you the importance of being thankful in all things rather than being thankful for things. And there's a big difference! Ch JH
Thank you once again for coming through. Your love and care for chaplains and their Soldiers speaks volumes and is resonated in heaven. May God never cease to abundantly bless you, Ch VD
There are things I will never forget and my life has changed, I have grown and I have been reduced; I have worshiped and I have cried, so when they say war changes everyone, know that it has changed me! Thank you and your team for all of the love and kindness you have shown me this year. Ch WS
Thank you for the Discoveries. I can't wait to pass these out to the guys. Ch GL
TAPS
The entire haunting melody of Taps played by a 13 year old girl. Kleenex required!!!!!!
http://ww.youtube.com/watch?v=JnV6tIuq6_c
Prayer reminder
“Spouse suicide has become an increasing concern in the Army world. Spouses are becoming overwhelmed emotionally and some are starting to show signs of secondary PTSD.”
Part of an email from Ch PM’s wife
PRAYER, PROTECTION & PROVIDENCE OF GOD
Last year one of our chaplains in Iraq said “prayers are like blankets of grace and shields of faith.” He was delayed from getting to a meeting where a bomb exploded killing some of the participants. Recently a chaplain in Afghanistan experienced something similar...
“I was scheduled to hold a worship service at 1500. Due to a last minute change in the schedule, the service was changed to 1400. I did it and was back to my tent by 1500. At about 1515, I heard a loud boom. Then I heard a second extremely loud boom. The second one I knew was inside the compound. I didn't really know what I should do next except run to get my body armor. Then I ran to the aid station to help with the wounded. The 82 MM mortar landed next to our gym tent. It killed an interpreter and wounded two of my guys. I'm guessing I was sitting about 75 feet away from it. That's close enough... Oh, and the worship service was in the tent immediately adjacent to the gym tent. I would have been about 15 feet away. Thank the Lord for His providence.” Ch SK (used by permission)
Please continue to provide the blankets of grace and shields of faith for our chaplains through your prayers on their behalf.
Welcome home daddy!!!!
“ I couldn’t hold back the tears as I heard my kids cry out “Daddy” as we searched for and found each other in the crowds of loved ones.” Ch MB - Ch Matt with his children after his 1st Combat Engineers returned from Afghanistan.
Group Run
To celebrate having under 100 days left the Centurion Battalion had an early morning 3 mile run the day before Thanksgiving. After seeing pictures of the Thanksgiving meal that was served they probably should have run further.
