Letters from the Front

Here's a letter I recieved from Iraq from John C Powledge a chaplain for the Army...........

Letters from the Front 18 December 2006

Family and Friends,

Greetings from Kuwait, Iraq and Afghanistan in the matchless name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, and Merry Christmas,


See you do have a friend in the above named nations, in fact a lot of friends from the United States military. I am in Kuwait today, last week, Iraq, and next week Afghanistan. It has gotten quite cool here with temperatures this morning being near freezing with a very stiff northerly wind. This follows the all day rain event of two days ago. I am doing well as are most of my soldiers. Some however, are suffering the Kuwaiti Crud even as I did a couple of weeks ago.

I am confident I can speak for all of my soldiers when I say the hardest thing about being here is the separation from our families. As a soldier I have been absent for many important family events; several anniversaries, my son’s first words, his first steps, and at least one of his birthdays. However, this may be the first time I have been apart from my precious wife, Annette, for Christmas, since we were married. We were almost apart Christmas 1981, but she flew into Frankfurt, Germany, Christmas Eve and so we were together that year. What a memory that is as she was 7 months pregnant with our son Russell, and had just finished her Masters of Science degree in Biology.


though I am apart from loved ones, there is some ironic humor in spending Christmas here. For instance, imagine shopping for Christmas gifts in an Arab bazaar instead of Penney’s, WalMart or wherever you prefer to shop, with shop keepers calling out to you, “Good quality for just a few Yankee Doodles”. Then I walked into our little Zone 1 Post Exchange yesterday and there in front of me was a sign announcing “8 days of shopping left until Christmas.” Uh, actually, if we didn’t send our gifts a week ago they won’t make it by Christmas.
My trip to Iraq last week went very well. It was gratifying to see the faces of many of the soldiers I had visited before they left the states, and had promised I would see them in theater, literally light up when they saw me coming to greet them in Iraq. I’m glad I could keep that promise as they are good soldiers and I’m proud of them. I doubt if any of us thought we would be here now, six years ago. The general condition is you hear lots of noise outside the wire of our Forward Operating Bases, but it rarely affects soldiers who are inside the wire. No, our enemy generally can only get at our brave soldiers when our soldiers go out to prevent the evil he is trying to perpetrate. Even then the enemy rarely fights according to any rules of war as he usually hides among women and children and other non-combatants. What’s his attitude when one of more of these non-combatants is killed? That that’s the price the Islamic peoples will have to pay to destroy the infidel. They have no respect for the sanctity of human life, except as far as they can use the life or death of one of those humans to advance their agenda. That sounds like a good definition for evil.


our beloved United States is under assault all over the globe by nations and groups who would destroy the very freedoms and liberties we enjoy, if they could. Please do keep our soldiers and their families in your prayers. This is a difficult and frightening time for many of those family members who have loved ones in harms way. Indeed as you look around the world at the likes of Al Qaeda, Hamas, and Hezbollah (terrorists groups), or Iran, Syria, and North Korea (ruled by truly evil men), it can be a little bit frightening. Remember especially those families whose loved one give the last full measure of devotion for our freedoms. Don’t let yourselves forget them. This will be a lonely Christmas for them. I will say one thing about this war in Iraq. We aren’t losing and won’t lose, militarily that is. The question is do we the American people and our politicians have the will to win? The problem isn’t military. It is political!


But I must confess to sometimes being very concerned for my son, his wife and the children they will have, my nieces and nephew and other family members who are still young and will have to face these challenges. I look at the mess this world is in and sometimes just have to shake my head. Our enemies over here are so demonic in their methods and behavior, yet, I’ll tell you they believe they are doing a great righteousness when they murder others in the name of Allah. I long for that day when the scriptures are fulfilled and the “kingdoms of this world, become the kingdoms of our God and of His Christ.” Daily, Handel’s wonderful and uplifting “Hallelujah Chorus” goes through my mind and occasionally I break out in praise to God singing the words. “And He shall reign forever and ever, forever and ever, and ever and ever. King of Kings, and Lord of Lords, and He shall reign forever and ever and ever. Hallelujah, Hallelujah, Hallelujah, Hallelujah, Hallelujah, Hallelujah! Hallelujah!!! Can you hear it?


So pray for our brave soldiers, but pray even harder for our people and nation, which seem to have been bewitched. As I read the words of many of our “leaders” I almost feel like I am living in Europe after Britain and France handed the Sudetenland to the Germans in order to appease the tyrant Hitler, and have “peace in [their] day”. But the tyrant gave them war instead of peace. Now 70 years later some of our own “leaders” would try to appease other tyrants in order to buy a peace that won’t be peace, because it won’t be based on justice or truth, but on injustice and lies. Will we so soon, in only one biblical generation, allow ourselves to be deceived again by the siren song of evil? Evil cannot be appeased! You either surrender to it, which is unimaginable, or you destroy it!


But, the Babe, laid into the manger over 2,000 years ago was born into a world very much like our world today. It too was marked by much strife and injustice, and also saw good called evil and evil good. Then as now there were false Christs” going about preaching smooth, but lying words to deceive the people. Many of the people lived in sadness amidst the great difficulty of their lives. But neither then nor now, could the darkness overcome the light; nor evil, righteousness. The promise of that Christmas star shines just as bright today as it did then, and the proclamation of the Christmas message rings just as true. And lest we become saddened and depressed because of the darkness we now see, we should remind ourselves of the sublime words penned by Luke of Jesus’ humble birth, “So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. He went there to register with Mary who was pledged to be married to him, and was expecting a child. While they were there the time came for the baby to be born, and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.”


“And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks by night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David, a Savior has been born to you, he is Christ the Lord. This will be a sign to you. You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger. Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel praising God and saying, ‘Glory to God in the highest and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests (Lk. 2:4-14).’”


For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten son, that whosoever should believe in him might not perish, but have everlasting light, for God sent His son into the world not to condemn the world, but that through him the world might be saved (Jn. 3:16-17). To think, the creator of the world, not only put on human flesh to come to earth, die for us, pay the price for our sins thus purchasing our salvation, but he purposed to be born into the most humble of circumstances. Indeed he was born into a poor family, of a poor, persecuted, and often conquered people who many then and now wanted to erase from the earth altogether. It was in this context then that old, faithful, Simeon, a prophet of the people of Israel, who had been promised by God that before he departed this life, he would behold the Savior, prophesied over the baby Jesus when he was presented in the temple. “Sovereign Lord, as you have promised, you now dismiss your servant in peace. For my eyes have seen your salvation, which you have prepared in the sight of all people, a light for revelation to the Gentiles and for glory to your people Israel (Lk. 2:29-32).” God will keep His promises!


No matter the darkness of today, or then, or of any time, the light still shines, will continue to shine, and will soon vanquish the darkness forever. As John says, “The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not overcome it (Jn. 1:5).” Jesus will indeed be “a light for revelation to the Gentiles and for glory to God’s people Israel”, even as Simeon prophesied. Good will triumph and death will be swallowed in victory. And so we rejoice over future promise, and not just the future, after all He is our “Immanuel, God with us”, now. God is with us today and forevermore. And so I pray expectantly: “Maranatha! Come soon Lord Jesus!”
So today my friends, fear not, for God is with us! May you know all the joy and happiness of this season as you celebrate the birth of our precious Savior, Jesus, Yeshua, Salvation! And then may your 2007 be among the best years you’ve ever known.


I love you. God bless you,
J
JOHN C. POWLEDGE
CH (COL) USAR
Command Chaplain
Phone: DSN (318)430-3903
john.powledge@arcent.army.mil

"The only thing necessary for evil to triumph is for good men to do nothing!" Edmund Burke