“How good and pleasant it is when brothers live together in unity.” Psalm 133:1
Unity of effort is one of the most difficult things for a military unit of any kind to achieve. There are a million reasons most units never maximize their potential as a team: personal agendas, differing perspectives on the mission, poor leadership, poor followership, lack of talent, etc…
The bottom line is that without unity, the unit is weaker, more vulnerable and less capable. Military history is full of examples of units that were seemingly facing overwhelming obstacles but overcame their enemies by working as a unified team.
How unified is your unit? Are you bound together in purpose and synchronized in effort?
Are you part of the problem or part of the solution to the unity of your unit? In my faith tradition we worship a God who models unity, promotes unity and reflects unity in all of his creation. I look to God to seek ways to be a ‘unifier’, not a ‘divider’.
When I look to God as revealed I see that unity begins will committing myself to welfare and success of my team members. Are you committed to every member of your organization being successful? Do you show that commitment with you actions. If you do, then you are promoting unity, and pleasing God.
When I look to God I see that unity means the welfare of the unit is as important as my own. That means I often have to put the mission of the unit before my personal agenda. We call that selfless service in the Army Values.
When I look to God I see that the closer I am to God, the more alive I am through his spirit the less likely I am to destroy the unity of those I serve with. Why? Because unity means I am committed to their welfare and working for their success, as well as the unit’s overall success.
I pray you are a unifier, not a divider. Our Army, at war and our Nation at war . . . cannot survive . . . without unity . . . and it begins with you.
God bless
CH Morris
Thursday, September 10, 2009
Thursday, September 3, 2009
Deployed Chaplains Minister to 'both Sides of the World'
ARLINGTON, Va. – For many chaplains, providing spiritual and mental support for Soldiers is a calling.
But, for one Minnesota Army National Guard chaplain, providing that care and support is only part of the equation. The real calling is that of being a Soldier.
"I've often said in sermons to Soldiers that I believe serving in the military is a call, and that it's a call to be a peacekeeper or a peacemaker," said Lt. Col. John Morris, chaplain of the 34th Infantry Division, which is currently deployed to Basrah, Iraq.
"These phrases that we use like selfless service, which is a common phrase in the Army, it's a vocational, religious connotation whether a person has a spiritual background or not. We're calling them to self-sacrifice on behalf of other people."
As he makes his rounds among the division's units, Morris said he often talks to the Soldiers about sacrifice.
"Soldiering here at this time is a call to serve the Iraqis as well as serve the defense of our nation," he said. "And to be willing to be that person in the middle to enable peace and enable conditions to happen in that a new country can be born, I often present that to Soldiers and they are often visibly moved and often encouraged by that."
Spiritual support is important throughout a deployment, but it is especially needed when a Soldier is wounded or killed in action.
"From the time a Soldier is wounded and goes up to one of our medical facilities, we'll do everything to get one of our chaplains up there if there is enough time," said Morris. "A lot of times the Soldier will be evacuated so quickly to a higher level care that it will be a chaplain at that end, but there will be a hospital chaplain somewhere along the line."
In such a case, the chaplains often work with more than just the wounded Soldier.
"That chaplain will minister to that Soldier but then will also stay and minister to the staff after that Soldier passes on to the next level of medical care that is available," said Morris. "We'll follow up with that battalion chaplain or brigade chaplain and work with the chaplain to circulate through the unit and follow up with the Soldiers who are affected and the commanders.
"A lot of times people forget that the commanders are tremendously affected by the injuries or deaths of their Soldiers."
If there is a death within the unit, the chaplains have additional roles.
"We'll do a memorial service, which is a very distinct ritual to provide support to those who are remaining and rebuild their fighting resolve," said Morris. "We'll also ... help put together a DVD of the memorial service for the families at home because we've found that to be tremendously comforting. So, this ministry goes to both sides of the world to those in the fight and those at home."
While chaplains are often busy talking with Soldiers, they often don't leave time for themselves.
"Caregivers are notorious for not seeking care for themselves, and chaplains are no different," said Morris.
To alleviate that, there are a number resources among the 34th ID chaplains. One of those is the family life chaplain, who works to provide training and serves as a debriefer among the chaplains and chaplains' assistants of the division.
"He is providing direct pastoral care to chaplains and the assistants, and he's tangled with some pretty tough issues that are the result of chaplains having repeatedly dealt with death and having repeatedly deployed," said Morris, adding that the family life chaplain has "earned his pay twice over" taking on those duties.
Ensuring that the chaplains of the division have someone to turn to or the support they need is one of Morris' primary duties.
"I'll meet with the command chaplains and establish a relationship with them and try to provide pastoral support to the level they want to be, and then, as I travel through their battalions, I'll do the same thing," he said. "They realize I'm not there to force anything upon them. I'm there to make sure they are successful and have the care they need."
Each chaplain in the division is encouraged by Morris to seek out each other for support.
"(They are encouraged) by me to establish some kind of working relationship with another chaplain on the battlefield or another military chaplain that they can talk to confidentially, so that they have got somebody that can put some support or encouragement behind them as they are giving everyday throughout the day," said Morris.
Support also comes from sources outside the military.
"Each chaplain is endorsed by a denomination, and their endorser provides another level of pastoral care by reaching out and making sure the chaplains know they are supported," said Morris. "For example, I'm a United Methodist and my endorser calls my wife to see how she is doing, regularly sends her notes of encouragement and does the same for me."
As a result, these chaplains are able to support Soldiers in the field.
"I find this generation of younger people that we have today, they want a mission bigger than themselves," said Morris. "They want to be about doing something that makes the world safer and better and soldiering does that, particularly in the place that we are."
But, for one Minnesota Army National Guard chaplain, providing that care and support is only part of the equation. The real calling is that of being a Soldier.
"I've often said in sermons to Soldiers that I believe serving in the military is a call, and that it's a call to be a peacekeeper or a peacemaker," said Lt. Col. John Morris, chaplain of the 34th Infantry Division, which is currently deployed to Basrah, Iraq.
"These phrases that we use like selfless service, which is a common phrase in the Army, it's a vocational, religious connotation whether a person has a spiritual background or not. We're calling them to self-sacrifice on behalf of other people."
As he makes his rounds among the division's units, Morris said he often talks to the Soldiers about sacrifice.
"Soldiering here at this time is a call to serve the Iraqis as well as serve the defense of our nation," he said. "And to be willing to be that person in the middle to enable peace and enable conditions to happen in that a new country can be born, I often present that to Soldiers and they are often visibly moved and often encouraged by that."
Spiritual support is important throughout a deployment, but it is especially needed when a Soldier is wounded or killed in action.
"From the time a Soldier is wounded and goes up to one of our medical facilities, we'll do everything to get one of our chaplains up there if there is enough time," said Morris. "A lot of times the Soldier will be evacuated so quickly to a higher level care that it will be a chaplain at that end, but there will be a hospital chaplain somewhere along the line."
In such a case, the chaplains often work with more than just the wounded Soldier.
"That chaplain will minister to that Soldier but then will also stay and minister to the staff after that Soldier passes on to the next level of medical care that is available," said Morris. "We'll follow up with that battalion chaplain or brigade chaplain and work with the chaplain to circulate through the unit and follow up with the Soldiers who are affected and the commanders.
"A lot of times people forget that the commanders are tremendously affected by the injuries or deaths of their Soldiers."
If there is a death within the unit, the chaplains have additional roles.
"We'll do a memorial service, which is a very distinct ritual to provide support to those who are remaining and rebuild their fighting resolve," said Morris. "We'll also ... help put together a DVD of the memorial service for the families at home because we've found that to be tremendously comforting. So, this ministry goes to both sides of the world to those in the fight and those at home."
While chaplains are often busy talking with Soldiers, they often don't leave time for themselves.
"Caregivers are notorious for not seeking care for themselves, and chaplains are no different," said Morris.
To alleviate that, there are a number resources among the 34th ID chaplains. One of those is the family life chaplain, who works to provide training and serves as a debriefer among the chaplains and chaplains' assistants of the division.
"He is providing direct pastoral care to chaplains and the assistants, and he's tangled with some pretty tough issues that are the result of chaplains having repeatedly dealt with death and having repeatedly deployed," said Morris, adding that the family life chaplain has "earned his pay twice over" taking on those duties.
Ensuring that the chaplains of the division have someone to turn to or the support they need is one of Morris' primary duties.
"I'll meet with the command chaplains and establish a relationship with them and try to provide pastoral support to the level they want to be, and then, as I travel through their battalions, I'll do the same thing," he said. "They realize I'm not there to force anything upon them. I'm there to make sure they are successful and have the care they need."
Each chaplain in the division is encouraged by Morris to seek out each other for support.
"(They are encouraged) by me to establish some kind of working relationship with another chaplain on the battlefield or another military chaplain that they can talk to confidentially, so that they have got somebody that can put some support or encouragement behind them as they are giving everyday throughout the day," said Morris.
Support also comes from sources outside the military.
"Each chaplain is endorsed by a denomination, and their endorser provides another level of pastoral care by reaching out and making sure the chaplains know they are supported," said Morris. "For example, I'm a United Methodist and my endorser calls my wife to see how she is doing, regularly sends her notes of encouragement and does the same for me."
As a result, these chaplains are able to support Soldiers in the field.
"I find this generation of younger people that we have today, they want a mission bigger than themselves," said Morris. "They want to be about doing something that makes the world safer and better and soldiering does that, particularly in the place that we are."
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