Ss Peter & Paul, Kettering
Christ and the Armed Forces
Be still and know that I am God.
How, in the midst of all the pressures of modern living can service personnel cope with the added pressures of military life – let alone the intense pressures of serving in a theatre of conflict as many have to do?
How can they be still and know of God?
Military life – whether army, navy or air force can be a lot about the maintenance of a routine and the routine of maintenance, a lot about waiting, a lot of doing things by the book sometimes without any obvious reason.
The structure can seem petty and small minded at times – especially when there is plenty of time to do things in a way that seems more sensible and relaxed.
But then comes the intense difference of the operational time –whether of war or of peacekeeping
– when routine is shattered beyond recognition,
when maintenance has ensured that machinery, systems and people are fully functional and conversant with what is required;
a time when the chance to stop - let alone wait – is but a memory, dreamt of over a snatched food intake,
and the hierarchy of the military structure makes sense and is depended upon for the very survival of the people within that structure.
Service Personnel are, of course, not simply paid to be like some sort of automata.
Each of them has their own families and a life outside of the forces, or at least outside of the formal structure of their post: A wife, or husband, children, the wider family circle that everyone has, in addition to their military family of the squadron, regiment or ship.
They are not some piece of MOD equipment that can be put in storage overnight when not in use – they will have issues such as the of housing their families to contend with
– and although the MoD is progressing with their plans to modernise and raise housing standards, as recent reports in the media have shown, the process is still ongoing and cannot come too soon for some families.
There’s the education and upbringing of children to worry about – some families suffer move after move during the upbringing of their children.
Some families are under stress from other effects that families in civvy street rarely face: Such as their loved ones going oversees on deployment – the fact that it’s me your listening to this evening rather than a full-timer speaks volumes of the vagaries of all that.
The worries and tensions of knowing the reality of war and knowing that your loved is out there in the thick of it is sometimes too much for spouses back home to deal with.
OK. I’m painting what some might consider to be a pretty dramatic picture here. But it’s all very real for those who are in the midst of it all.
One only needs to read the media reports about the number of personnel leaving the armed forces at this time to realise that there are indeed issues that need facing.
How do service personnel cope with it all?
How can they keep their sense of self worth and self purpose when there is so much to get lost within?
Those who survive well, those that I’ve talked to, will often talk about digging deep into themselves to draw on the strength that they have deep within them; to find what it is that is at their core and hold onto that.
Those that know of God will talk about finding God as their strength deep inside them and holding firm to that faith when all around seems to be falling to bits - - or the bullets are literally flying about their heads.
And of course this is indeed where we do find Christ so often – deep at the heart of each person – deep in the heart of the situation.And it’s often a surprise for some to realise that Christ would be there at all.
Whilst I was on ATC duty at an RAF Station, One young man I as called upon to talk too was in serious need of a Padre – the usual term for the Chaplains – he was remembering his best friend who had been killed the previous year. The grieving process for him had not yet been completed as he hadn’t had a chance to visit his friend’s grave.
His first words to me were – I never expected to see a Padre wearing Greens – Greens are the standard camouflage gear we wear on exercises – and I was just off an exercise, my greens were slightly muddy – I didn’t look like a well groomed clergyman.
We talked about how Christ, how God is not separate from any part of life. Just because God doesn’t have an MoD rank, doesn’t mean that He isn’t involved.
Indeed one only needs to have even the briefest of looks at the Old Testament to see how often God is involved with the wars of the Israelites.
The fact that I had been called in by the Duty Officer was a great relief to this young airman as he was able not just to talk to someone who he recognised as being part of the services that he could trust, but also he could talk to someone that he could be open with about his faith.
There is a strong sense in our society, and it is in the forces as well as in civvy street, that we are all supposed to stand on our own feet and not be reliant on something or someone else. Faith often is seen as a prop and hence is buried by those who feel pressured to do so.
The Padre’s presence re-establishes those links of faith for many.
Indeed it is one of the reasons why Padres are seen by most senior staff officers as an important part of the services – keeping personnel fully connected with themselves and reality. Helping them to find some way to be still and know God in the busy-ness and stress of military life.
And Padre’s aren’t there simply to take Sunday services or to do occasional services such as funerals, weddings, baptisms and drum-head services on the battle field, as important as these are;
They are also there to add that dimension that is beyond the practical manual and is more about the heart and soul of the personnel.
Most padres are involved with the moral and ethical training of personnel on a station, barracks or port.
They are often found at top level briefings, with a voice to add about matters of moral as well as welfare importance – speaking out, as Christ would, as Christ teaches us when there is injustice or the wrong motivation afoot; encouraging a sense of humanity even amidst the issues of war.
Even to the point that a Padre will need to remind servicemen and women that to blindly follow orders without thought is dehumanising of themselves and can have horrendous fall-out.
I came across a good example of this whilst at RAF Marhom a couple of years ago.
In the ongoing Iraq conflict, American intelligence... had informed the RAF that they had identified a target that they thought to be a mobile scud missile launcher under camouflage at a certain out-of-the-way location but within scud range of British troops.
An RAF aircraft was sent to deal with the threat. The plan was to fly over the camp – which had been made to look like a Bedouin camp – turn and then drop a bomb on the target on its return run.
The pilot, as he made the run-in took a good look at this camp. He had 10 seconds during the turn, and in that ten seconds decided that he was going to disobey his orders and return to base without dropping a payload that would have wiped out everyone in and around the large Bedouin styled tent.
Subsequent investigation revealed that it was indeed a large Bedouin family who thought that they had found a quiet place out of the conflict.
The pilot was acting on the moral duty he had been reminded of by his Station Padre.
And he expressed his thanks to the Padre for giving him the courage to stand up against the blind adherence to orders that he realised, as he took a good look at that camp, would have cost so many innocent lives. He felt that God was present with him in those few seconds.
That Christ walks besides those on active duty can be seen in such stories as these.
His presence has been felt by people whilst on active duty and I’ve heard, first hand, from some who have felt him with them in battle.
The aftermath of battle is also where Christ stands with them – when they are recovering, as best they can, from the heightened drama and sometimes the debilitating sense of guilt following some their actions.
Sometimes there seems no one that can even start to understand what they have gone through – yet Christ stands with them through it all.
It is to be able to stand with them that the Padres of our armed forces are also deployed into the theatre of war and conflict – they too need to go through what their flock go through. Let alone the fact that they are so needed out there to be alongside service personnel rather than just at the end of the phone in some safe Lincolnshire Office.
Many ex-servicemen will become withdrawn, shunning normal society. Some of the homeless in the streets, or in hostels, are veterans of the gulf wars.
Men who may wear medals for their bravery and service, but are now treated like lepers by some because they haven’t been able to revert to life outside the structure of the armed forces. Please consider that when you next see someone in their thirties selling the Big Issue.
Of course, many do well in transferring back to civvie life – but much can still haunt them for years – or even for a life-time. I’m sure many of our older veterans will still have the flash-backs, night mares and memories of their times in conflicts past.
And yet Christ still walks with them and hopefully the Padre’s and other people of faith can remind them and show them of Christ’s love in their care and concern for them, their respect and friendship with them – even if some will reject such signs of hope.
Some seem to feel that they are totally alone and have lost the place, physically, emotionally and spiritually, where they can.. be still.. in their hearts.
I spent three days this week at an RAF Training Camp as duty Padre on an ATC training event. Living the life that any RAF padre faces – but rather more watered down.
Those of you who have been in the military, you will know and understand the regime of a training camp – Those who have not experienced this sort of life, well, it is indeed like how it is sometimes shown the movies..
the reality of Shouting Warrant Officers, 5-45 wake-ups and very limited and very basic facilities are difficult to face when you know that the day ahead will be a frenetic mixture of drill, training and adventurous activity.
The bar afterwards being the only concession to a nice life. It can be challenging, dislocating and yet somehow affirming as you get to know your comrades and yourself much better. And even here many felt the closeness of Christ.
As Padre, I had many conversations and pastoral issues to deal with.
The challenge of the physical training was challenging them at many other levels... including the spiritual... and their very understanding of themselves and their relationships with others.
I was not some sort of pleasant additional helper – although I did play the part of an injured crewman in a simulated accident and was medi-vacced out of enemy territory.
I had severe concussion, a perforated ear-drum and a bleeding nose. Four times in one day.
But of course, the British Armed forces are not simply a war machine.
One only needs to look at the huge amount of humanitarian work that they do during peace-times and the rebuilding of societies after conflicts to see that our armed forces are not driven by an evil or dark desire.
Indeed I’ve come across a number of service personnel who’s main personal reasons for joining up was the idea of being able to get involved with the projects that build up communities and peace between nations – this is very much an influence of the positive and Christian minded elements within the structure of our nation.
You will notice that I haven’t touched on the subject of Just Wars and the theology of all that.
That is fine to discuss and can be discussed, and it’s right to discuss whether any Christian should offer themselves to the Armed forces of our nation – to defend the crown and all that we hold dear in our culture and country.
But whilst we may discuss and debate ... Christ is present with those who have the duty to stand ready at arms to defend us.
His love will be there for each of them - and the church, the body of Christ in our time, should be ready to follow His lead, and not just whilst they stand in the field of combat or as part of the support, ancillary and auxiliary
– but also when they come out into the far less structured world of the civilian.
Here, despite their wealth of training, they may find their greatest challenge of all.
Even so Christ will still be with them and hopefully they will be able to be still and know of God.
Christ and the armed forces -– Christ’s presence with the armed forces; I prefer that.
As we pray for all those who have given of their time, talents and yes even of their very lives for the service of this country in Her majesty’s Armed Forces, let us be thankful to God that Christ is with them even in the worst of times, and let us pray that they may find that place within themselves to be still and know of God.
The Reverend Robert Hill, June 1st, 2008
Office Address:
The Rectory
Church Walk
Kettering
NN16 0DJ