In my chaplaincy I always kept our Lord's wishes on the back of my mind:
"Be not afraid"
Fr. Mark Mastin, SCJ, completed four years as a U.S. Army Military Catholic Chaplain (captain) in July 2015 and currently serves with the Army Reserve. His tour of duty included nine months in Afghanistan where his responsibilities included going on ground convoys and flying some 106 missions and 9000 miles by helicopter into our many camps that were located in hostile territories.
"Chaplaincy is a ministry of presence and caring regardless of a soldier's belief or behavior," says Fr. Mark. He counseled more than 225 soldiers, gave dozens of briefings and talks on resiliency and suicide prevention, performed more than 100 Masses, taught confirmation and RCIA and was appointed leader of NATO chaplains in his region. Following his deployment, Fr. Mark received the Bronze Star, the fourth highest individual military award.