Unconventional Chaplain

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This 87-chapter non-fiction photo-illustrated memoir starts with the author's experience in in Washington, D.C. on September 11, 2001, followed by an "invitation" to deploy with an Army National Guard Green Beret battalion to Afghanistan. This unit association begins with the casualty notification of a forward-deployed unit member and subsequent pre-mob training and JRTC certification. Upon arrival at Kabul Military Training Center, FOB195 picks up two missions in OEF-2: 1) mop up of insurgents and 2) training of the first two brigades of the new Afghan National Army. In addition to unit ministry and the training of Afghan soldiers in human rights (HR) and the law of war (LOW), the battalion intelligence officer (S2) encourages the chaplain to "get out" and develop humanitarian missions to engender good will with the local population. Little did the S2 know that the ensuring conversational English classes at the nearby Pol-e-Charki school would become the bridge to conciliation following a tragic training accident that claimed the lives of four boys from that very school, threatening to derail their training mission. The lead up, tragedy and amazing resolution (through the application of an ancient Afghan ceremony) demonstrate the cultural sensitivity, professionalism and compassion of the Green Berets. The heart-healing story is seen through the eyes of a versatile citizen-soldier chaplain, whose observations and interventions include an amazing series of story lines that are played out in two surprising epilogues.