Teamwork Required
August 13, 2003

I'm really glad I was assigned to Camp Lemonier in Djibouti, Africa.

Now don't misunderstand; I miss my wife terribly, and my family, and my church, and the people of my town. What a place!

So why do I start out with a comment about being glad to be in Africa? Actually, it's very simple. I am where God wants me to be at this time. Why would I want to be some place not of his choosing? The reasons for this are a topic for another time. But let me share with you some observations I've made since arriving in Djibouti.

1. The French are in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. The French? You mean the ones who opposed our going to war against Saddam and his regime? Yes, the very same.

Before arriving here, I had heard we had a significant group of Coalition Officers at this base. They've been assigned to help in eradicating terrorists. Reflecting on a news item I had heard some months ago prior to our rolling into Iraq, I remembered hearing we had 49 countries allied with us to rid the world of Saddam Hussein and his thugs. By comparison, and to make the point, we had 50 countries allied with us in World War II. And let's remember that France was effectively out of the fight in that war, having already been conquered by Germany. Russia was an ally, yes, but with a different agenda. They became an enemy shortly after the war. And of course Germany's Third Reich was the cause of the war. So we really didn't have the support of those same nations in that war either.

2. The Germans are in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. The Germans? You mean the ones who opposed our going to war against Saddam and his regime? Yes, the very same.

Here's what I've observed.

What the politicians say, or what they feel they need to say to save face or some such nonsense, is different than the policies of those nations who have a military that's only too willing to seek out and eliminate terrorists. Why? Because with terrorists, no one is safe.

It has been my great privilege to meet and spend time with these men and women who place themselves in harm's way, just like our American military members. You might be interested in knowing that the senior officer of the Coalition Forces is a Frenchman. For my Admiral's visit last week, I had asked this Lieutenant Colonel if he would extend an invitation on my behalf to the Coalition Officers to join the Admiral for lunch one day. It was a delightful experience. Both French officers were there, along with two Ethiopians, an Eritrean, a Romanian, and a South Korean. There were two others who were unable to join us. One from Kenya, and another from Yemen. That's right. Yemen.

Then yesterday I accepted an invitation to spend the day on board a German warship, the Donau. We cast anchor shortly after nine in the morning and spent the day cruising in the Gulf of Aden. We were graciously hosted, and warmly welcomed by the ship's captain, who also agreed to my request to have a group photo taken with him. Of the military from my base, Camp Lemonier, there were two sailors, two soldiers, and three Marines. In addition, there were two Djiboutian soldiers along for the day.

As we were given a tour of the ship, I noticed on the bridge bulkhead (wall) the name of the ship, Donau. This is typical of navy ships to have their name in that location. But it was what was beside it that intrigued me. In the design of a ribbon like one would wear as an award, there was painted next to the ship's name, E. Freedom. One of our guys asked if that meant what we all thought. Oh yes, our host assured us. It was their symbol of dedication, indicating their support Operation Enduring Freedom.

So, not only have I enjoyed a French lunch at the French military compound, but I also had a German lunch on one of their warships here in Djibouti.

Teamwork is definitely required. And to the consternation of some in the world, our allies are standing with us.

This is why I'm glad to be here.