Jane Cook - Stories of Faith and Courage from the War in Iraq and Afghanistan

I would never say God makes a war happen so he can draw people to himself. But I can say that even during war, amidst the casualties and death, he still brings new life to those who call on his name. The enemy may take the body, but the Lord saves the soul. I count it a privilege to have been a witness to that.

Lord, open my eyes to where you are working, and show me how to be a part of it.

“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” (1 John 1:9)

“Sergeant Bills, grab the chaplain, let’s go.” It was 6 p.m. on December 30, 2006. My colonel seemed urgent to get on the helicopter but then, we considered all Hero Missions urgent, so I didn’t think much about it. I just moved.

“We have to go now,” he said again. We flew in two different birds to Baghdad in case anything should happen to one of them.

After landing on one of small bases there, I noticed secret service men walking around. Okay, what’s going on? I wondered.

I soon learned that the remains we were about to collect were not those of a hero at all. We were picking up the remains of Saddam Hussein, hanged that morning, and to be delivered back to his hometown of Tikrit. We got the mission because we transfer remains, and we were in charge of the north where Tikrit is.

The officials in Baghdad had wanted to bury him in an unmarked grave there in Baghdad and keep its location a secret. But his family was there, pleading with them to be able to take the body home for a burial. After eight hours, the officials gave in.

Finally, around 11 p.m., we were ready to go. The family wanted to verify the identity of the body, so they unzipped the body bag. We all stood around staring into that face. Here was the dictator that had so oppressed his people. Here was the tyrant America had spent years fighting. At least, here was his body.

The magnitude of the scene was not lost on me I wanted to somehow document the moment, but snapping a picture of his body was out of the question. Instead, once we were back in the helicopter, I took a picture of myself just to capture the date and time. It may look like an ordinary picture to anyone else, but when I see it, I’ll always remember that was the moment after I had seen the face of evil, and had seen that he had met justice once and for all.

Lord, thank you for delivering the Iraqi people out of the hands of Saddam Hussein.

“Surely God will crush the heads of his enemies, the hairy crowns of those who go on in their sins.” (Psalm 68:21)

Sweltering. Blistering. Withering. Scorching. It was summertime in Iraq, the temperature hit 130 degrees. It was in this heat that we learned there was another Hero Mission to do. One problem an intense dust storm along the way meant we couldn’t fly out to pick up the soldier.

This was a big deal. It’s not good for a body to just sit in the heat like that, as one can imagine. And these soldiers, his friends and comrades, were out there with him. Not only do we want to get him out of there as quick as possible out of respect for the dead, but in order for his teammates around him to get their heads straight. They can’t be sitting there with their friends decomposing in the back of a Humvee can’t function. That’s why we were such a fast reaction team.

We were paralyzed to do our duty because the dust storm stubbornly refused to ease up. It looked like we wouldn’t be able to take off all day. We were helpless to control the situation, except for one thing: prayer.

Lord, the chaplain and I prayed together, we need to get this soldier on home. We really need to get our guy out of there. Calm the winds, settle the dust, clear the skies. Make a way for us to fly.

Within an hour and against the meteorological odds we were getting on the bird and going to pick up that soldier. We got him through God’s grace so he could be taken care of properly. And his fellow soldiers, though still keenly aware of his loss, were better able to focus on the rest of their mission.

Sometimes the Lord answers prayer so directly, so quickly, that it can only be credited to God (as in this case). Other times, what we pray for isn’t given to us for reasons we can’t ever hope to understand. I’ve learned to make my peace with that. The important thing is to keep on praying, and trust God for every outcome.

Lord, help me remember to take all things to you in prayer, believing you will answer according to your wisdom.

“Pray continually.” (1 Thessalonians 5:17)

Hero Missions wasn’t the only responsibility I had in Iraq, but it was the most challenging and the most rewarding, hands down. For all the counseling that the chaplain and I gave to other people, sometimes I wished someone would ask me how I’m doing. We try to bear the burden as best we can, but it’s a lot for anybody.

At times I’d come home from a mission and break down and cry. I tried to give it to the Lord, asked God to be with that soldier’s family. One soldier had a one-year-old son, but he will never see his dad. Maybe that son was born while his dad was gone, and all he’ll have is a picture.

All of these soldiers’ deaths have affected me. I think about the ones that weren’t married. I’d sit there and think about their mom or dad getting this news right now. When I picked up their son, they didn’t even know yet. We were on the spot so fast that thoughts of their loved ones flashed though my mind: Wow. This is going to tear their hearts out.

Sometimes people wonder how, with my job, I could remain positive and upbeat and keep a smile on my face. The only reason I could do that is because of the Lord. Everything else just kind of falls into place. I don’t worry as much about danger, something happening to me. I don’t do stupid things, of course, and put myself in harm’s way by careless mistake. But once I do give myself over to the Lord, it’s a relief. It takes a lot of stress and burdens off of me.

My time in Iraq was the hardest experience I’ve ever had for a number of reasons, but the Lord sustained me and I would do it again in a heartbeat.

Lord, sustain me and be my strength through each day and stage of my life.

“Because you are my help, I sing in the shadow of your wings. My soul clings to you; your right hand upholds me.” (Psalm 63:7–8)

The air crackled, sizzled, and smoked with gunfire and rockets hellbent for American soldiers. A platoon of 82 ndAirborne troops had just been ambushed outside Fallujah and had taken several casualties. As my team and I came closer to the scene just minutes later, a sniper team in the area came on the radio with a warning.

“There’s a group of thirty to forty men in the middle of the road about a mile away with guns and RPGs,” he told us. It was the ambush team. My vehicle and two tanks raced towards the area.

When we arrived on scene, all of the men scattered in vehicles. One truck pulled out and blocked the road so that we could not pursue. Shots rang out from the tank, warning the truck to move. With that, the truck recklessly sped towards the tank.