Unconventional Chaplain

Andy Meverden, a chaplain who is also a citizen-soldier, opens this photo-illustrated memoir in Washington, D.C. on September 11, 2001. The attacks lead him to join an Army National Guard Green Beret battalion bound for Afghanistan. His path to the unit begins with news that a soldier serving forward had been killed, followed by pre-deployment training and certification at the Joint Readiness Training Center.

At Kabul Military Training Center, the battalion, operating from FOB 195, takes on two jobs: pursuing insurgents and training the first two brigades of the new Afghan National Army. Alongside his duties caring for the unit and teaching Afghan soldiers about human rights and the laws of war, the chaplain is urged by the battalion intelligence officer to go beyond the wire and build humanitarian projects that win over local residents. Conversational English classes at a nearby school in Pol-e-Charki become an unexpected link to the community, but a training accident there puts the mission at risk.

The author tells the story through his own observations and interventions, moving from the buildup and the tragedy to a resolution that draws on an ancient Afghan ceremony. The book shows the Green Berets' cultural sensitivity, professionalism and compassion, and it closes with two surprising epilogues. It suits readers interested in military service, the Afghan war and faith-based service in combat zones.