Photo By Master Sgt. Kelly Simon | Sgt. Jarred Soster (left), the Fort Drum Main Post Chapel noncommissioned officer in...... read more read more
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FORT DRUM, N.Y. - Over plates full of baked chicken, mixed veggies and mashed potatoes Soldiers and Fort Drum community members shared stories of faith and friendship at the National Prayer Luncheon held March 16 at the Commons.
The soothing music of the 10th Mountain Division Brass Quintet drifted through the room and mingled with the voices of the nearly 200 people gathered in attendance. Fort Drum garrison commander Col. Bryan Laske gave welcome remarks following the invocation and playing of the national anthem.
Laske spoke about the first National Prayer Breakfast under the Eisenhower administration joking that the president was thrilled to attend but “horrified” when he was told he was scheduled to address the crowd.
Admitting to sharing the same feeling Laske closed his remarks with, “The fewer the words, the better the prayer,” to an answering chuckle around the room.
Garrison Chaplain (Col.) Mark Frederick introduced XVIII Airborne Corps Chaplain (Col.) Kelly Moore as the guest speaker for the luncheon. Moore is no stranger to the North Country and Fort Drum. Having been stationed here three times throughout his career he quipped that the Army, “Keeps sending me back ‘til I get it right!”
Moore began by saying he wanted to talk about two ideas, tell a little story, and then give the "so what," because without that, “I could end now.”
He started by speaking about the concept of ambiguous loss says that someone is either physically present and psychologically absent, or physically absent and psychologically present.
The first form deals with issues such as Alzheimer’s, where a parent or loved one is there physically, but their mind is no longer coherent.
Moore described the second form of ambiguous loss in relation to Soldiers who have deployed, they are physically absent from their loved ones, but very much psychologically present for their family and friends back home.
It can also be related to Soldiers who have lost a battle buddy in combat, that person is physically gone from the battlefield, but to their unit, they are still mentally there.
Moore’s next concept was moral injury. He related this idea to Star Wars, saying that, “A Soldier deploys feeling like Luke Skywalker, but when he comes back, he feels a little like Darth Vader. Or maybe Kylo Ren.”
Moral injury, Moore explained, was inflicted on oneself, by doing things, or failing to do things, that an individual believed were against their own moral code. He widened his explanation by saying it wasn’t just the “trigger pullers” effected by this, but medics who worked to save a patient that succumbed to their injuries, or an aid worker who couldn’t save a child.
Moore then began his story about a Soldier who had deployed many times, but was told they were not going on the latest deployment. He had a one night stand with a battle buddy’s wife, and she became pregnant. The Soldier then assigned a dangerous mission to the wife’s husband, and he was ultimately killed in action, sparing the Soldier from having to own up to his indiscretions. After a long pause, Moore looked about the room and told the crowd this story was adapted from the Bible, the story of King David.
Getting on to the "so what’"Moore asked those gathered what Chief of Staff of the Army Gen. Mark A. Milley’s number one priority was. “Readiness” was unanimously shouted back to him. Moore then quoted Gen. George C. Marshall.
“The Soldier’s heart, the Soldier’s spirit, the Soldier’s soul, are everything. Unless the Soldier’s soul sustains him he cannot be relied on and will fail himself and his commander and his country in the end.”
All of this boils down to having someone, a friend, family member or battle buddy who can be completely honest with you- someone who will tell you when you are acting outside your norms so that you don’t suffer moral injury and become an ambiguous loss to the unit and your Family. This someone will be your “mirror” Moore said, helping you to see yourself in good times and bad.
“Readiness does not necessarily come from being superman,” Moore stated simply. “It comes from knowing who is super and who can make us whole again.”
| Date Taken: | 03.16.2016 |
| Date Posted: | 03.24.2016 11:37 |
| Story ID: | 193404 |
| Location: | FORT DRUM, NY, US |
| Web Views: | 108 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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