Friday, March 28, 2003

By DAVID EPPS
Pastor

I spent a year in the Tennessee National Guard. I've kept that fact a secret, even from my closest friends, for many years.

I left active duty with the Marine Corps in the spring of 1973 to return to college. I graduated from East Tennessee State University in 1975 and, in 1976, my wife returned to that same college and enrolled in nursing school. With her not working and with two small kids to feed and clothe, I decided that I needed a part-time job. After considering a number of options, I signed on for a year of service with the National Guard.

After enlisting and receiving my uniform and equipment, I began to prepare for my first weekend drill. I had my fatigues heavily starched (we called them "utilities" in the USMC and today they call them "BDU's"), and spit-shined my new boots to a glossy shine. I even went to the barbershop to get a not-quite-but-almost Marine Corps haircut. By the way, "Corps" is pronounced "core" and not, no, not ever, spelled "Corp." Please get it right.

I needn't have bothered. When I arrived at my first drill, I was painfully out of place. Every single National Guardsman, with the exception of the senior NCOs and officers, looked like something out of M*A*S*H*. No, I take that back. Even "Hawkeye" Pierce and "Trapper" John had more discipline and military bearing than these "soldiers." Some boots looked as though they hadn't been shined in a decade, the fatigues of most looked like they had been slept in for a year, and military haircuts were not to be seen. A couple of the guys actually had hair so long they wore it in nets so that their hair could be hidden under their caps. Of course, as I would discover, in the main, these were people who had joined the Guard to avoid the draft and evade Vietnam.

Within a drill or two, I was made "Training NCO" of the unit, which meant absolutely nothing. After a few drills, the Company Commander approached me and asked if I would be interested in going to National Guard Officer's Candidate School. If approved, I would be immediately promoted to Staff Sergeant and, after completion of OCS, received an NG commission as a 2nd Lieutenant. I took the tests, was approved, and prepared to transfer to another unit where I would be trained. But, as I looked around at the military misfits that made up the unit, I couldn't do it. I decided I would rather be a formerly active Marine than an officer in the National Guard. I thanked the C.O. and, at the end of the year, happily departed from the Guard.

But that was then. This past Thursday, I spent most of the day at Fort Benning. Spc.4 Anthony Thomson, a member of our congregation, and his unit were recently activated as a result of the war with Iraq. The 190th Military Police Company, which saw service in the 1991 Gulf War also sent members to Bosnia to help keep the peace. Anthony was among those who served in Bosnia. I decided I wanted to go to Ft. Benning and pray with Anthony before he was deployed to places yet to be determined.

As I waited in the barracks area, a military bus pulled up and the 190th, who had been at a morning of training, got off the bus. I was stunned as this group of physically fit, sharply dressed, and disciplined men and women stepped off the bus. "This can't be the 190th," I thought to myself. "These people look like soldiers. Heck, they look like Marines!" But it was. I was impressed.

As I was introduced to several of the members of the 190th MP Co, I met people who were proud of their unit, proud of themselves, and proud to have been called upon to serve their country. They were friendly, respectful, and carried themselves with military bearing. Their uniforms were together, their boots spit-shined, and their hair cropped close enough to satisfy a Parris Island barber. I was impressed, again.

As I had lunch with Spc4 Thomson, who leaves a good job and a wife and two small children behind, I asked him how he felt about being activated. He expressed concerns for his family, he said, but continued, "I really want to serve my country. For all its faults, this is the greatest country on the planet and I want to give back to it." Then he said, "Some say it's about oil or about something else. But, for me, it's about freedom. I have the opportunity to go to a country ruled by a tyrant and help little children to grow up free. For me, it's about the children." I felt a lump in my throat and a glistening in my eyes as I sat with this courageous young African-American soldier.

Later, out behind the chapel, we prayed together and I served him Holy Communion. I promised we would look out for his family and pray for him and all the members of the 190th. We shook hands, then hugged for a long time. As I drove away, I thought to myself, "What an honor it is to be allowed to pray for the members of the National Guard." Professional soldiers and dedicated patriots every one of them. They make me proud to have been a Guardsman. Protect them, God.

[Father David Epps is rector of Christ the King Charismatic Episcopal Church, which meets at 8 a.m. and 10 a.m. Sundays at 4881 E. Hwy 34. He may be contacted at 770-252-2428, at FatherDavidEpps@aol.com or at www.ctkcec.org.]

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