The Finish Line

This will more than likely be my last post for this "Mission". I'm within 6 days of completing my 179 day tour here at Dover Air Force Base. All my chaplains departed for their respective homes today. Chaplain Lieutenant Colonel Rick Cavens is headed for Anchorage Alaska. Chaplain Lieutenant Colonel Paula Payne is bound for Chicago Illinois. Chaplain Lieutenant Colonel Doug Arendsee has departed for Cheyenne Wyoming. These are my friends, my chaplains, my pastors. They were also my family during these past 6 months. May God bless their travels as they return home to their families.



As a team, we provided dignity, honor and respect for over 318 fallen heroes and their families during our time here at Dover. We performed the Dignified Transfers in brutal 110 degree days in the summer months. We held umbrellas and braved wind & horizontal rains in Nor'easter travelling up the coast in the fall. We stood facing the frigid, freezing winds of this winter. The bond we formed while performing this mission is one that cannot be understood, or grasped by any outsider.



The new team is here and we are quickly introducing them to the rigors of this mission. They have been briefed and are now shadowing us on the mission essentials. We also took them on a tour today of the mortuary. Interesting how they took deep breaths as we entered each room and section of the mortuary. I remember those days. I never thought I would make it through this deployment. I honestly thought my emotions and senses would get the best of me and force me to avoid the gruesome aspects of this mission. However, with enduring support and faith in my team, I developed a resiliency, which gave me the ability to continue working effectively in all areas and make measurable contributions along the way. I pray that will be the same outcome for the new team here in place. It will take time for them to adapt, as it did for all of us, but over the course of time, they will find their niche and flourish.



The goodbyes are, by far, the hardest part of crossing the finish line. I have grown so very close to my colleagues here out of necessity. We bond together because we have too. You can't work on a mission such as this without leaning on people to help you process all that has passed before your eyes. The experience here is better shared across many like minded people, than shouldered alone. The things I saw, smelled and shared with my friends here, I will share with no other. That is the tie that binds us together. We are the only ones that truly know the impact and effect from the experiences unique to this place. I will carry their faces, their words and their memories with me forever.



If you have read and followed me these past six months, I thank you. I know these have not been the most uplifting accounts to read, but I hope they have at least been impactful. I hope they have opened your eyes and caused you to think about another aspect, another dimension of what happens as result of war. After our experience here, we have come to believe that there is more than one way to be wounded. One life lesson above all...... for every breath you take, give thanks to God.



Peace be with you.