Saint Mary's Magazine Spring 2004 - Saint Mary's University of ...

Hinton was
positioned
outside the
building
where
Saddam's
two sons
were located
in Mosul,
Northern
Iraq.
Part of Hinton’s duties brought him to suspected mass
gravesites. At one site, he found 19 bodies of adult females
and three identifiable babies – Kurdish women and children
Hinton discovered were killed on Saddam’s command.
You want a weapon of mass destruction?
Look no further than the man that we
overthrew for power in Iraq. Saddam
Hussein raped, tortured and killed thousands –
if not hundreds of thousands – within his own
borders. The people of this country may want us
gone; they may shoot and kill us; the people of
my country … may want us gone, but there is
no doubt in my mind that we did the right and
just thing by coming here. There is no doubt in
my mind that we stopped mass destruction, even
if its methods may never appease
the politicians. R.H.
Why have you
kept a journal?
I kept a journal to remember the
emotions of my experience. Powerful experiences
need to be remembered. They are what shape our future.
What were your
duties as chaplain
assistant?
My duty, as the division
chaplain assistant in wartime,
is primarily one of security,
making sure the chaplain is
able to move on the
battlefield without getting
injured or killed. On the
battlefield we are really one
person; the chaplain does
not carry a weapon and I
do. I also direct tactical
convoys and support
religious activities, with setup
and over-watch
security. The chaplain and
Ryan displays
the flag with
a cross,
denoting the
chaplain's
office.
assistant make up a team for spiritual support of soldiers;
we pray with them and sometimes just offer a caring shoulder to
lean on in times of difficulty.
Realize that my
reflections help me
deal with that which
I have seen, but sometimes
in life we would just
like to forget …
R.H.
As a chaplain assistant, we are soldiers
but we do not have offensive abilities.
In my mission of protection I cannot
risk leaving my chaplain to go after
the enemy, which is hard
when the bullets are flying
and your friends are fighting
back. Soldiers are truly a band of
brothers and not being directly
involved in the fighting is sometimes
hard. But rest assured that the fight
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