Faith in the war zone

By NATHAN LAMB | Milton Independent Staff Writer
miltonreporter@yahoo.com

Father John Feltz (standing) in Iraq alongside a humvee in the convoy that periodically took him to southern parts of the country and the detention camp at Bucca. Feltz is a chaplain in the Vermont Army National Guard.

He’s known as Father Feltz in the friendly confines of Saint AnnvChurch, but Lt. Colonel John Feltz has preached in some very different environments.

He remembers presiding over semi-monthly masses in southern Iraq, including a handful of stops at Camp Bucca, the largest detainment camp in that country.

Having preached at both the camp chapel and inside the prison itself for those who would not get off active duty, Feltz described the experience as both rewarding and eye-opening.

“It’s a rewarding experience that you’re able to be there for soldiers to aid and help them worship God,” he said. “It’s also kind of an awareness of what they’re going through from their point of view, that they have 6,000 terrorists there who are separated from them only by barbed wire.”

Feltz served overseas as chaplain with the 2nd Battalion of 172nd Armor Regiment of the Vermont Army National Guard in Iraq from January to December of 2005. Though it’s an armor unit, their primary job was providing security for camps in northern Kuwait, said Feltz.

As the only Catholic chaplain in that region, Feltz was responsible for five separate camps and was frequently called into southern Iraq to help out. Traveling as part of an armored convoy, the trips were often—but not always—uneventful.

Feltz remembered one October day when, coming back from a mass at Bucca, a roadside bomb killed two people in a neighboring vehicle. It happened with a loud explosion, followed by a couple moments of looking around to see what had happened.

“When it takes place, the training kicks in, you’re not really thinking about fear or anything like that,” he said.

While training and comrades within the convoy were key supports, Feltz listed his faith as a primary factor to banishing fear. Keeping fit and able to provide that support to others was the biggest anxiety he listed.

“I was more concerned that if something happened to me, what was going to happen for the masses,” he said.

As a chaplain, Feltz was not involved with the fighting; as a representative of both clergy and peace, he was not allowed to carry any weapons at all. Instead, his role was bringing faith and comfort to the soldiers.

“The primary role is to aid and help the soldiers to be able to worship God, since they are not able to go to their own church, synagogue, or mosque,” he said. “The chaplains give them the opportunity to exercise their freedom of religion...the chaplain brings into the posts the presence of God.”

In practice, that often involved speaking with soldiers coming to and from Iraq, on issues that ranged from concerns about home to what they saw in the field. Sometimes that called for spiritual counseling, while other times it involved referrals to other avenues of help. Feltz said there were times he could literally see the impact of his words and that, overall, it was an honor to have that opportunity.

“It gives you a different outlook on life,” he said. “It also helps you grow in your own faith if you allow it to.”