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REMEMBRANCE: If we cannot do him honor while he's here to hear the praise, then at least let's give him homage at the
end of his days...
| Saint Barbara |
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| Patron Saint of the Field Artillery (Click on Picture) |
Prayer of
and for Vietnam War and
Vietnam Era Veterans – You are special in God’s eyes.
This is sacred space for all of those who served in Vietnam or served elsewhere during the times of the War in Vietnam
and for the years after. Many who served remain unhealed from both their war
experience and the devastation of their treatment upon return home. It was a
dark time in our country for so many reasons. I would hope that you take some
time to reflect on how you feel and realize that there are some things we as individuals are unable to fix and must, if we
are to ever come close to resolution, ask for help from God or other deity of your belief system. I know the words are hard to come by, so I offer this prayer to you which you may read, recite aloud,
or use however it may be of help. I would like to offer here that there is
a legacy of the terrible treatment you endured. That legacy is that the leaders
who also endured such unjust treatment then became those in charge when we faced our challenges in Desert Storm of the 1990’s,
and they took great effort to ensure soldiers had the backing of the public and were not the focus of blame on the mistakes
of political leaders. The fine treatment of the men and women of our Armed Forces
today is due because of the horrors you endured. Take solace please, that something
good came of your additional sacrifice. I pray the words below can help each
of you move forward and relieve you of at least some of the burden you have been carrying for so many years.
Let us pray.
Lord God, our Father and Ruler of the Universe,
We humbly seek your grace and
peace. We ask your help as we are powerless on our own to forgive how we were so mistreated, disrespected, forgotten, and
even despised upon our return from the war in Vietnam so many years ago. We
carry today the scars and burdens of so many years and turn them over to you so you can give us rest, eternal rest, from those
hateful thoughts and memories of those terrible times. We gave so much, just
as our country required, and yet we were ridiculed, spat upon, and endured being called terrible names as the reward for that
difficult service in a difficult time. We have forever taken solace that we risked all and gave all in the efforts to
do right by those who fought with us, to take care of them as they were caring for us.
Thus is the love of one soldier to another
that transcends all barriers of race, gender, creed, position, and other differences making us all the same as we are in your
eyes, Lord God.
We offer this prayer to you seeking your intervention in each of our lives to release us from our own hate of all those
who we hold responsible for our mistreatment. Today Lord we realize that in
life it is much easier to love than to hate, that hate takes a toll on us all, and becomes a heavier and heavier burden as
time goes on. In you we have faith that your healing power can forever give
us release and empower us to again be true servants of yours, faithfully moving forward, doing your work with a kind and loving
heart.
In His name we pray. Amen.
Joseph C. Goeke, Chaplain, 14th
Field Artillery Regimental Association, 2017
Prayer for spiritual uplifting and solace during the COVID-19 pandemic:
Heavenly Father, Creator,
Ruler of the Universe, God of all Nations,
We come to you seeking your comfort,
guidance, and peace within all our hearts;
Hearts with dismay; Hearts
with anxiety; Hearts grieving loss; and Hearts seeking control.
We are men and women of
action, yet we find ourselves stifled in our ability to control the
uncontrollable and be at peace as your will is done.
We ask that you be with each
and every one of us as we walk this path together.
We ask that you bless each
and every soul you bring home to you.
We ask that your holy spirit
infuse us with wisdom, grace and peace as we remain of this earthly existence.
We ask your strength to each
of us as we battle against the spread of this scourge.
We ask your blessing on our
World, Country and the souls within.
We ask your blessing on those
men and women tirelessly working to protect, both we as individuals, and our
nations.
We ask
these in your name
Creator God. Amen. *******************************************************
Prayer on the Passing of
Colonel Roger L. Bernardi, February 8, 2019
Lord, Hear Our Prayer Heavenly Father, Creator, Ruler
of the Universe, God of all Nations,
We come with heavy hearts,
seeking your strength and grace.
We ask that you lift up the
soul of our brother in arms, Roger,
A husband, a friend, a
father, a grandfather, and fierce Warbonnet Warrior.
We commend his spirit to the
ages to dwell in Your arms forever and ever.
We will remember his great personal
commitment to all of those
who he guided, taught, mentored,
led, encouraged, helped, and yes, LOVED.
We will remember his
toughness of steel, yet his compassion for everyone.
We will remember his
fairness, sense of doing the right thing even when not in his own personal
interest.
We will remember that in
everything he did, he stood tall and looked out for the care and nurturing of
each and every Soldier that was ever under his command.
We will remember his personal
example of courage and integrity beyond reproach, truth as an axiom, combined
with a faith in God that knew no bounds.
We will remember him as a
great Warbonnet Warrior, in the spirit of all who preceded him, and as a
guiding Spirit of all who will succeed him throughout the remainder of the
ages.
To this end we humbly ask Your
Blessings, Creator God, Blessings upon Roger, his family, and his extended
family of Warbonnets who served with, and LOVED HIM AS FAMILY. God’s Speed
to the Honorary Colonel of the 14th
Field Artillery Regiment, Colonel Roger L. Bernardi.
Joseph
C. Goeke, Chaplain, 14th
Field Artillery Regiment Association
The only survivor of a shipwreck was washed up on a small, uninhabited island. He prayed feverishly for God to rescue
him. Every day he scanned the horizon for help, but none seemed forthcoming.
Exhausted, he eventually managed to build a little hut out of driftwood to protect himself from the elements, and to
store his few possessions.
One day, after scavenging for food, he arrived home to find his little hut in flames, with smoke rolling up to the sky.
He felt the worst had happened, and everything was lost.
He was stunned with disbelief, grief, and anger. He cried out, "God! How could you do this to me?" Early the next day,
he was awakened by the sound of a ship approaching the island!
It has come to rescue him! "How did you know I was here?" asked the weary man of his rescuers. "We saw your smoke signal,"
they replied.
MORAL OF THE STORY:
It's easy to get discouraged when things are going bad or things have caused undue stress, but we shouldn't lose heart,
because God is at work in our lives, even in the midst of our pain, suffering, or stress. Remember that the next time your
little hut seems to be burning to the ground, it just may be a smoke signal that summons the Grace of God.
Let us pray for our young soldiers that carry the banner of fredoom to foreign soils and keep our country free. The 1-14
FA has been deploying many soldiers as we were; let us first pray for them, and then support them and their families in
every way we can.
Chaplain's note: Please provide any and all requests for pray to the editor of this newsletter and/or myself. Prayer
by one is mighty; prayer by two or more makes for miracles.
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