Part I: Getting Ready to Go As I’ve watched the news on the Iraq War over these past several months, I’ve been resigned to the fact that I would one day get the inevitable phone call. It came on January 16th: “Colonel Morsch, this is Captain Romay. Sir, we’ve received orders on you, and you’re being sent to Iraq. We’d like you to report to the unit on January 20th. You’ll then go to Fort Bliss for processing, and then on to Iraq.” It’s been a little over two weeks since I received that call. I’m now in Fort Bliss, Texas, and I’ve been duly processed. My three duffel bags are packed, and I leave tomorrow morning with several hundred soldiers on a chartered flight to Kuwait. From Kuwait, I’ll travel north to Baghdad, and then “down range” to my final destination at Camp Ashraf. It goes without saying that it’s been a hectic two weeks. Since I had a pretty good idea that I’d get called up, I’d been meeting with the great people I work with and making plans for my upcoming deployment. I have the privilege of serving two wonderful organizations. I serve as President of Heart to Heart International in a voluntary capacity, while making a living as a doctor with the medical group I founded, Docs Who Care. Both of these organizations are being led by outstanding people---Jon North at Heart to Heart, and Gary Coulter at Docs Who Care. Now if I could just find someone to manage my personal life, then I’d really be happy! My “To Do” list must have had a hundred things on it, and I think I got to about half of them! Getting two weeks notice that you’re off to Iraq for 4 months certainly helps one prioritize things! My lists are now behind me, and there is no time left for any more meetings or phone calls or emails. It’s time to go! The pre-mobilization processing at Fort Bliss has gone smoothly. Each day started way before dawn, and was packed full of activities. Part of one day was devoted to getting our physicals and shots. Along with the routine injections, every soldier also received Anthrax and Smallpox vaccinations, and my arms are still sore. As high tech and computerized as the Army is, we still had a ton of paperwork to complete. Speaking of high tech---I was issued a new ID card, which, along with the usual photo, also has my official records encrypted on it. On a more sobering note, we had DNA samples taken to use for identification purposes. One of the days was devoted to qualifying with our weapons. Although most soldiers carry an M-16, officers usually carry 9 mm pistols. So off to the firing range we went. But first, we had a couple of hours of instruction on the care and cleaning of our weapons. I know that the military is really stretched to the limit with all the soldiers coming and going, but I had to chuckle at the place they picked for our weapons lecture---the “Tumbleweed Tavern.” Picture an old, dark tavern, crammed with soldiers---some sitting in booths, others lining the bar, while my group commandeered a pool table. What an odd site! With the light of a “King of Beers” fixture illuminating the pool table, we took our pistols apart and then rebuilt them. I suppose the “Tumbleweed Tavern” has never been put to better use! The firing range was fun. As we walked down a firing lane, mechanical targets would randomly pop up on one side or the other, or sometimes both. The object, of course, was to knock down as many targets as possible. Another day was spent getting all our gear and equipment issued to us. We were taken to the cavernous Central Issuing Facility. There, we were given a shopping cart, which we pushed from station to station. At each stop, we’d present our paper work, and then some particular piece of clothing or equipment would be handed to us---sleeping bag, canteen, backpack, desert camouflage fatigues, boots, and on and on. I could just as well have been stocking up for weekend of camping. That illusion quickly evaporated when I came to the station that issued my gas mask and chemical protective suit. Here’s hoping I never have to use it! And then there were the briefings……as someone said, it was “death by powerpoint!” Actually, many of them were quite helpful. The Army is certainly doing its best to prepare us for what lies ahead. Now the week has come to an end. I’ve been processed and vaccinated and briefed and qualified and tested and inspected, and I guess I passed. They called my name out at formation this morning, which means I’m on the official manifest for tomorrow’s flight to Kuwait. And so the journey begins…. Reflections on Going It goes without saying that I go to Iraq with very mixed emotions. I leave with a heavy heart. I’m certainly not as anxious as most of my fellow soldiers. One of the docs told me that the day we leave will be the worst day of his life. To be honest, though, there have been many tears these past few weeks as I’ve said my goodbyes. It’s very difficult to leave behind my wonderful wife and children and family and friends and church and the terrific people I work with. Though my heart is heavy, it is full of love and life and peace and purpose. What more can any person ask for? On the other hand, I leave with a sense of excitement and enthusiasm. I’m looking forward to this new challenge with a sense of mission. I believe that everything we do in life and everything that happens to us is a part of God’s story. My going to Iraq is part of that story. I go, knowing that this will be a great experience and a time of personal and spiritual growth. In addition, I will have a magnificent opportunity for ministry, as I take care of soldiers and prisoners and civilians. I’ve been trained to offer the very best in trauma care, and will do my best to give it. But I also want to be a source of encouragement and love and care to every person I serve. I’m not a big fan of randomly finding some sign or scripture and claiming it as a supernatural signal from God. But I do believe that God can be found in the ordinary activities of our days. I think it was Albert Einstein who once said, “Miracles can be seen by those who have eyes to see them.” A couple of things have happened over the past two weeks that don’t meet the measure of “miracles,” but they are God messages that I’ve claimed for myself and my personal situation. The first happened during the last service I attended at my home church. The scripture the pastor used for his sermon was from Jeremiah 29:11-14: “ I know what I'm doing. I have it all planned out—plans to take care of you, not abandon you, plans to give you the future you hope for. When you call on me, when you come and pray to me, I'll listen. When you come looking for me, you'll find me….I'll bring you back from all the countries into which I drove you. You can count on it.” The last service I attended was the night before our departure. They’d given us the day off to take care of last minute errands, etc. I rented a car, and decided to explore the countryside around El Paso. As I was returning to the base on Saturday evening, I came upon a little town named La Mesilla. I drove to the village square, and suddenly heard the bells of the Catholic Church ringing. I stepped into the little church and took a seat on the back row. The scripture reading selected was from First Corinthians 13, the well-known chapter on love. The chapter ends with these words: “We have three things to do: Trust steadily in God, hope unswervingly, love extravagantly. And the best of the three is love.” As I read it, I knew that this would be my mission in Iraq. No matter what else I will be called upon to do in Iraq, I want to love every person I meet or serve--- whether a wounded American soldier, an Iraqi POW, or an innocent civilian. Whatever else you or I might think about this war, one thing we surely can agree on----everything we do in this conflict must flow out of a loving heart. So I claim these two experiences as God’s message to me. The first scripture gives me a profound sense of peace as I go. “I’ll bring you back from all the countries into which I drove you.” The second scripture gives me my marching orders. My goal is to love all the people all the time. In the words of Mother Teresa, I simply want to do “small things with great love.”
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