“Go easy on yourself and on others. No one wakes up in the morning, looks in the mirror and says, how can I really screw up today?”
General James Mattis encouraged us with these words of wisdom when he came to visit Al Taqqadam. Far from an invitation to slack off, it was instead a recognition that we were all in Iraq together trying to do the best job we could. The message acknowledged the need to love and care for ourselves and the people around us in the midst of difficult circumstances. It was a profound truth known and expressed by warriors throughout the ages that the battle and ultimately the war is won by individuals. Ultimately that entails balance in life. Winning starts with each one of us working hard and being our best in mind, body and spirit.
I had the opportunity to listen to General Mattis several times during his visit. He had an interesting message and an uncanny way of connecting with people throughout the ranks from the lowest to the highest. I was impressed listening to this general who rose through the infantry ranks, a place not stereotypically known for its connection with the touchy feely stuff!! I smiled as he recalled his national fame from several years ago when he was quoted out of context about killing people. He had a number of other colorful stories to tell. He made us laugh. That would have been memorable enough but there was more to come.
Navy Chaplain Sheri Snively by Lake Habbinayah, Al Taqqadam Iraq
It was lunch time and General Mattis saw me sitting alone at the chow hall. He left his entourage and came over. We must have talked for at least twenty minutes and covered many topics. He asked a lot of questions. “How are my guys really doing?” He discovered I was a Quaker minister and followed on by asking, “How are you doing?…This must be very difficult for you….” He continued his encouragement and admonition to me. “You have a unique perspective that needs to be heard. Are you writing this down? You need to write this down.”
Thank you General Mattis. I was writing some of it down already but I took your words to heart and took them as an order and worked even harder on it when I got home. So here it is; A collection of some of the stories from Iraq written down and told through the perspective of a female Quaker minister and Navy Chaplain serving with Marines in a combat zone.