Nevertheless, my part in this stage of the war continues. Still a few months before going home, but we are working very hard on the transition between here and there. My counseling appointments continue to go up each week as the men realize that life at home is coming up, and that's going to mean a BIG, BIG change from life over here. I always tend to see more people wanting to talk during times of change, when they are feeling unsettled.

We are trying to stay ahead of the game through some pretty aggressive planning and work with the soldiers to prepare them for this change. The piece I'm working with now is called "Warrior Transition Training", where we get soldiers together in small groups to talk about/make sense of/make peace with the overall experience of being deployed. There's a lot of emotion that comes out in these groups, emotion that we can't show most of the time because we're guys in uniform. The good news is, these small groups help us keep things in perspective, and by giving guys a chance to talk, we defuse the power of the negative emotions over them. All this means a lot of work, and a lot of intense conversations for me, but I think it has been and will continue to be worthwhile.

One big change this week -- my chaplain assistant, SGT Corry Condon, is on his way home. It's a complicated explanation as to why, but it has nothing to do with his performance or being injured. Because he went on a previous mobilization for Kosovo, but didn't go, he slipped through the cracks with some paperwork, and now the Army says it's time for him to go home. I'm happy for him, sad to lose him for personal and professional reasons, and also very jealous, but he's done a great job for me and he's earned the right to be with his family. Don't worry, the unit will continue to provide me with another soldier to be my assistant during the rest of my time here.

That's all for now. Just a few months left in our time here. Please, Lord, let it go quickly.

God be good to you!
CH Steve Timm