Photo By Master Sgt. Alexandra Hays | Sgt. James F. Roark and 1st Lt. Mark T. Beran, the Unit Ministry Team for the 734th...... read more read more
by Spc. Alexandra Hemmerly-Brown
210th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment
LSA ANACONDA, Iraq—Faith. Some are raised with it, some find it along the way, and others dedicate their lives to it.
Military chaplains devote their time to cater to the spiritual and emotional lives of servicemembers, and follow troops to offer religious guidance in war and peace.
Unarmed, chaplains prove their commitment in a deployment zone: while ministering to troops, they have no personal self-defense.
1st Lt. Mark T. Beran, chaplain, and Sgt. James F. Roark, chaplain's assistant, make up the 734th Transportation Battalion's unit ministry team. The 734th, a National Guard unit out of Kearney, Neb., was not the original unit for either Soldier, but both were brought in for this deployment.
In separate units in Nebraska, Beran and Roark didn't know each other well, but were acquaintances prior to the deployment: Roark attended the Catholic church where Beran was a priest.
Saint Cecilia's Cathedral in Omaha, Neb., is the parish where Beran has been a catholic priest for four years, the same church where Roark was confirmed. Beran followed the calling to priesthood after college when he decided to take a leap and try out a profession he had long wondered about, he said.
A graduate of Wayne Sate College in Nebraska with a degree in counseling, Beran enrolled in seminary after graduation.
"I always respected the priests I saw growing up," Beran said. "There was a night when it dawned on me that this is what I had to do."
After five years of seminary, Beran became a priest in 2002, but it wasn't until 2004 when he received an important phone call that he considered joining the Army.
"Originally, it wasn't my idea," Beran said.
He said at that time, the National Guard was desperate for a priest. Recruiting contacted Beran's bishop, and the bishop called Beran to see if he would be interesting in joining the Guard.
Beran said that although joining the Army wasn't originally in his plans, he decided to sign up because his younger brother, Greg was in Iraq.
"Part of it was being called, but another part was my brother being here," Beran said.
Beran and Roark's paths crossed when the 734th was called to be sent to Iraq.
"We were the only chaplain and chaplain's assistant available in Nebraska," Roark said, who noted there are about 10 chaplains in the Nebraska National Guard.
Roark's journey to the profession of ministry followed a similar course to Beran's. Roark also joined the Army after college.
Roark, a former University of Nebraska football player, said he found his faith at college when he met a group of friends who made an impact on him.
At college, he said he joined a few campus ministry organizations, and got involved at a Catholic church.
Roark said he had two friends who were both chaplains' assistants in the National Guard who encouraged him to join too. After graduating college in 2005 with a criminal justice degree, he did just that.
Before the deployment, Roark was pursuing becoming a police officer, and plans to become one after his year here is up.
"Him wanting to be a policeman helps me," Beran said of Roark. "I'm unarmed as a chaplain, and he protects me."
Beran, the only Army Catholic priest for Camp Anaconda, has the duties of holding Catholic services not only for his battalion, but for this base, and other Forward Operating Bases in Iraq. Beran said he is also the only Catholic priest in the immediate area, so he will have to travel to other bases to make sure the Soldiers' spiritual needs there are met as well.
"My job is to take care of every Soldier here, especially Catholics," Beran said.
Beran holds three Sunday masses attended by about 225 servicemembers on Anaconda, which entails preparing prayers, sermons, coordinating with musicians, and making announcements, he said.
"My job is to make sure he has as few distractions as possible," Roark said, who takes care of the administrative work for the team.
Being a religious advisor at war has its differences from civilian church-life, said Beran.
"In a church setting, people usually come to you," he said. "Here, we have to go to them. We have to be with the Soldiers to take care of the Soldiers."
Beran said many of the issues Soldiers come to him with are similar to those at home, but here they are more intense.
"The biggest thing is to listen," he said. "You run into people who are in dangerous situations back home, but when they are in danger every day (like here), that is the big difference."
He said that sometimes as a chaplain he is the only person Soldiers can turn to without fearing repercussions. Beran will listen so a Soldier's issue, and then evaluate if he can counsel the Soldier himself, or refer them to another service here on post.
"I see a lot more problems here than I thought I would," Beran said. "Soldiers in this environment are searching for meaning and purpose."
Beran and Roark said they hope to make this deployment a learning experience that will help them when they return to civilian life.
"This is giving me patience and appreciation for what I have back home," Roark said. "A tour of duty for a year—that takes patience."
From former fellow church-goers to unit ministry team, these Soldiers are helping to keep the faith on Anaconda and in Iraq.
| Date Taken: | 10.20.2006 |
| Date Posted: | 10.20.2006 11:23 |
| Story ID: | 8091 |
| Location: | BALAD, IQ |
| Web Views: | 218 |
| Downloads: | 35 |
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