COB BASRA – The expansive new chapel at Contingency Operating Base Basra saw its first service Christmas Eve with a crowd that filled the 300 seats and saw more than a few standing to hear the message of hope and vigilance delivered by Chaplain (Lt. Col.) John Morris.
Not traditional in every aspect, the service began with a quick note on procedures should an indirect fire warning sound. It was a reminder to those present that, as Morris, the 34th Infantry Division chaplain, had previously noted, the gathering, given its size and purpose, was in many ways the biggest target on the base for that hour.
Still, such realities of a war zone did not deter people from attending the service.
In fact, the language of Soldiers made its way into the Meditation by Morris in a way that brought new life to the Christmas story for many present.
“That’s just a style of communication I developed over the years as an Army chaplain,” Morris said of his presentation of Herod as a commanding general and of the Magi seeking Jesus’ “grid” [map coordinates].
“I try to take the Biblical text and apply it to contemporary reality,” he said.
Choir leader Capt. Christen Dixon, Moncks Corner, S.C., 14th Brigade Border Transition Team, said he felt the chaplain’s message was “very appropriate.”
“Using references to what we’re doing now, he made it simple for us to understand in military terms,” said Dixon. “But he also made it simple for us to understand in spiritual terms.”
The M-Sax-Teens, a detachment of the 34th Inf. Div. band played for the service.
Sgt. Chris Campbell, team leader, from Waukesha, Wis., said they were actually the only detachment still on COB Basra over the Christmas season, with the rest of the band spread around southern Iraq and Kuwait serving the troops.
The mission of bringing a little cheer to the troops through music is one Campbell said he enjoys.
“When you go out to a place, and you see a smile on someone’s face who maybe hasn’t had something to smile about in a while, it’s really rewarding,” he said.
Focusing on stories of “staying awake,” Morris had a combined message for the congregation.
“It’s easy for us to let our guard down, and then we don’t pay attention to each other, we don’t pay attention to our spiritual welfare,” he said. “We don’t pay attention to what we’re doing here and the danger of what we’re doing.”
“Sometimes people get discouraged. They’re on their third tour here; they see conditions sometimes that are pretty appalling,” Morris said. “Americans are pretty sensitive, and it’s easy to despair.”
So, one goal of Morris’ message was to remind people of the promise of Christmas.
“The Christmas message is, ‘Yeah, the world’s a bad place; there’s a reason why it is, but God hasn’t forsaken us,’” he said.
