Faith Over
Fear

Watch this Video

Windows Media
QuickTime
MPEG

At Kentucky’s Fort Campbell, these soldiers face a day of drudgery preparing for their journey to Iraq. They’re enduring smallpox and anthrax vaccinations, writing wills and signing power-of-attorney forms.

And in the backs of all their minds is at least the possibility that they might not come back.

(Major Leon Kircher/United Methodist Chaplain) “If anybody doesn’t want to go to war, it’s a soldier. We would just as soon stay here.”

These are fears chaplains like Leon Kircher are here to address. A decade ago, the United Methodist minister served with troops in Saudi Arabia. Today, he’s getting ready for another deployment, to stand with these soldiers again during what could be the most terrifying ordeal of their lives.

“That’s what we do. It’s right down in the trenches. There’s no duty in the rear for chaplains. We don’t belong there.”

These last few days, Kircher has seen more baptisms and Catholic confirmations, more marriages and many more tears, as the troops prepare to leave their families behind. Kircher himself will say goodbye to a wife and two daughters. They’ve all been through this before-but it doesn’t get easier.

“I think it gets harder, to tell you the truth. For me it does.”

All this as a nation is divided on whether these soldiers should be leaving at all. Kircher’s own church has publicly opposed war in Iraq.

“Whatever any church says in the world, okay they can say what they like. But when the soldier goes to war, what matters is his life. And that’s my number one driving force.”

It’s a force Kircher says goes beyond public opinion.

“I certainly have opinions on it. That’s for sure. But my number one duty is the soldiers.”

TAG:
Kircher says his commanding officer at Ft. Campbell is adamant that chaplains accompany battalions into battle. And there is an official form used for any wounded or fallen soldier that asks: “Was this person seen by a chaplain?” Kircher’s goal is to always say yes to that question.