Another Year
December 31, 2003

CDR Chuck Roots with the chapel Christmas tree. Click here to view Roots' photo album.

Once again I find myself asking the question, "Where has this past year gone?"

As of the first of January I will have completed fourteen months of active duty. What a run it has been! Allow me to highlight.

Immediately following 9-11 I was contacted by my command and told I would most likely be activated. I was ready. Nothing happened for a year. Then in August of 2002 I was told I was now needed on active duty. So orders were cut and I reported to the I MEF (1st Marine Expeditionary Force) in November of 2002. [see "Boots on Deck," 13 Nov 02]

My assignment was to serve as deputy command chaplain for the I MEF at Camp Pendleton. This position I held through April of 2003. My responsibilities were to work with all chaplains and RPs (Religious Program Specialists) assigned to the I MEF who would be "going forward" [see "Going Forward," 04 Dec 02]. That is to say, to Kuwait and/or Iraq.

CDR Chuck Roots preaching an evangelical service at Camp Lemonier, Djibouti, East Africa.

Following this, my services were then required in Kuwait at Camp Commando where there was a rather robust religious ministry program, including a number of Army and Navy RMTs (Religious Ministry Teams. An RMT, by definition, consists of a chaplain and an RP for the Navy, or a chaplain and a CA, Chaplain's Assistant for the Army). Now Kuwait is hot. Make no mistake. There's no other way to describe it. Hot! Like 140 degrees and more. But you "improvise, adapt, and overcome," as the Marines are fond of saying. But as uncomfortable as the weather was (sand storms nearly every day!), Marines, and those of us who serve with them, are already conditioned for this environment, having spent weeks in the nether regions of the Marine Corps Base at 29 Palms, California, a lovely plot of real estate located alongside Death Valley! 29 Palms is divided into training areas, each has a name identifying the various desert sectors used for training. Names such as, "Lava Lake," and, "Blacktop." Get the picture?

One summer I was training out there with an artillery battalion (1/14). I was standing just to the outside of the V-shape legs of the 155 Howitzer waiting for our gun battery to receive the word to commence firing. The Marine responsible for the gunpowder sacks grabbed the thermometer that is used to check the temperature of these explosive sacks, shoved it in the ground, and got a ground temperature reading of 161 degrees. Marines know hot.

This is one of the reasons I laugh when our media makes such ridiculous assertions as, "Our military won't be able to handle the intensely hot weather conditions in Iraq. We'll need to win this war quickly before the heat of summer sets in." Do these journalists do their homework? A modicum of research would reveal that not only are the Marines ready for such an environment (I'm not knowledgeable in the training programs of the other services), but they train with all their gear. This includes at least the following: a flack jacket, helmet, Deuce Gear (web belt with two full canteens, ammo pouches, first aid kit), a back pack, two sleeping bags, a shelter half, etc. Then they have to carry their weapon, which could be anything from an M16 rifle to a 50 Caliber machine gun. Try humping that around under normal conditions, let alone the miserable heat of desert summers. Now let me ask you, "Who's the one not prepared for hot desert conditions?"

So, I was able to visit several places in Iraq in early May, experiencing one of the most incredible moments in my life when I spent several days in Babylon. That was indeed memorable. [see "By the Rivers of Babylon," 21 May 03]

In June I was asked to come to a new U.S. base being set up in Africa, a first of its kind. [see "Next Stop: Africa," 16 Jul 03]I arrived at Camp Lemonier, Djibouti, in July for a six-month stint. I was to establish a solid Command Religious Program (CRP) on the base that would set the tone for future ministry in what is known as the "Horn of Africa." This counter-terrorism base is meant to place a U.S. footprint right smack in the back yard of the bad guys.

As I prepare to leave Djibouti, Africa, I do so with very mixed feelings. Of course, I am anxious to return home to California where I've left my wife and family, and to once again fellowship with the great folks from my congregation, the Ripon Free Methodist Church. Their prayers and encouragement have helped to sustain me through this time of separation.

After a couple of weeks of leave, I will report back to my parent command, I MEF at Camp Pendleton, for further assignment. Where will 2004 take me? I have no idea. I'm not even sure that the military establishment knows! But wherever it is, God is already there, and has a plan.

Let me encourage you in this. In our ongoing efforts to battle against terrorists, we have begun well. It is not over yet. It is more important that we finish well. For that to happen, our military men and women need the constant, may I say, vigilant support and prayers of the American people. People just like you.

Rest well as you enter this New Year. We'll be standing watch 24/7.