Synopses & Reviews
Synopsis
Chaplain Lawson's initial historical review of the Balkans provides the setting to help one understand what led to America's involvement in the region. He deftly works his way through the key points of a confusing history that ultimately leads to US and international engagement in the area. Later in the book, he provides an excellent summary of the Bosnia and Kosovo regions and the consequent US presence there. This background information is very helpful in understanding the crucial nature of chaplain ministry, because much of the Balkans conflict is related to religious issues.Chaplain Lawson's use of personal Army chaplain and chaplain assistant accounts makes up the bulk of the work. His use of quotes, stories, written accounts, and personal observations provides a broad look at religious ministry in this relatively new Army environment—an environment of peacekeeping and multinational, joint-service coordination. He points out that the religious support in the Balkans conflict was also a period in which the Army had to use the Reserve components (Army National Guard and Army Reserve) in a significant way.
About the Author
Chaplain (LTC) Kenneth E. Lawson served as an enlisted soldier from 1979–85. He entered the chaplain candidate program through the Ohio Army National Guard in 1989, and served as a National Guard chaplain and a civilian pastor for 10 years. In 1999, Ken went on Active Duty in the Active Guard and Reserve (AGR) program. His Active Duty assignments include Fort Devens, Massachusetts (1999–2001); Heidelberg, Germany (2001–2004); and the US Army Chaplain School (2004–present). Ken also has 8 years teaching experience as an adjunct Bible College instructor. While assigned in Germany, Ken spent extensive time in Bosnia, Kosovo, and Macedonia as part of the NATO peacekeeping mission.Ken was born in Lawrence, Massachusetts, in 1961. He received a Bachelor of Science from Salem State College, a Master of Arts from Bob Jones University, a Master of Divinity from Cincinnati Bible Seminary, a Doctorate of Sacred Theology from Bethany Theological Seminary, and a Doctor of Philosophy from Preston University. His military education includes Basic Training and Advanced Individual Training at Fort Gordon, Georgia (1979–80); Chaplain Officer Basic Course (1990); Chaplain Officer Advanced Course (1996); US Army Command and General Staff College (2000); and the Installation Chaplain (O5) Course (2002). Ken is endorsed by the Associated Gospel Churches and serves on their Cooperating Board. He is the author of five books, the most recent being Religion and the U.S. Army Chaplaincy in the Florida Seminole Wars, 1817–1858.Ken and Vera Lawson were married in 1986. They are the parents of four children, and reside in Columbia, SC.
Table of Contents
Table of Contents:ForewordColonel Timothy R. Reese, Director, Combat Studies Institute ................................................ iiiChaplain (Brigadier General) Douglas E. Lee, Assistant Chief of Chaplains for Mobilization and Readiness ...................................................................................................................................... vPreface...................................................................................................................................... viChapter 1. Introduction ............................................................................................................ 1 2. Background: A War-torn Region of the World........................................................... 5 3. The Bosnia Theater of Operations ............................................................................. Events Leading to US Military Activity in Bosnia......................................................... Preparations for the First US Army Chaplains to Arrive in Bosnia, 1995........................ Initial Chaplain Activities and Ministries in Bosnia, 1996 .............................................. Developing Chaplain Ministries in Bosnia, 1996 ........................................................... Expanding Chaplain Ministries in Bosnia and Surrounding Areas, 1996–97..................... Chaplain Accounts of Ministry in Bosnia, 1997............................................................. Diverse Chaplain Ministries in Peacekeeping in Bosnia, 1998........................................ Chaplain Duties in Maintaining the Peace in Bosnia, 1999–2000.................................... Army Chaplain Ministries in Bosnia, 2001–2002........................................................... Chaplain Activities During Military Downsizing in Bosnia, 2003–2005............................ 4. The Kosovo Theater of Operations ............................................................................ Background to Contemporary Hostilities in Kosovo...................................................... Preparations for the First US Army Chaplains to Arrive in Kosovo............................... Initial Chaplain Activities and Ministries in Kosovo, 1999.............................................. Ministry to Displaced Kosovar Refugees..................................................................... Developing Chaplain Issues in Kosovo, 2000–2001....................................................... Chaplain Duties in Maintaining the Peace in Kosovo, 2002–2004................................... The US Army Chaplaincy and Downsizing in Kosovo, 2004–2005................................. 5. Conclusion.................................................................................................................About the Author .........................................................................................................................Glossary ......................................................................................................................................Bibliography..................................................................................................................................Appendix, US Army Deaths and Serious Injuries in the Balkans ......................................................Index of Chaplains and Chaplain Assistants....................................................................................
Maps1. The Balkans ..........................................................................................................................2. Disintegration of Austria-Hungary, 1918 ..................................................................................3. Administrative Divisions of Yugoslavia, 1990 ...........................................................................4. Divisions of Bosnia in sectors led by the British, French, and United States ................................5. A 2000 map of Kosovo ...........................................................................................................6. A 2000 map of the former Yugoslavia with province of Kosovo highlighted ................................
Figures1. UMT members (left to right) MSG Paul Wanshon, CH (CP) Jamie MacLean, and CH (LTC) Scott McChrystal, Eagle Base, Bosnia, 1995–96 ...........................................................................................................2. USAREUR CH (COL) Henry Wake (far right) visits UMTs in Bosnia .....................................3.
Engineering Excellence, a painting by Christopher Thiel showing the US Army crossing the SavaRiver 4. Sketch by Gary N. Cassidy of US Army staging base in Taszar, Hungary .................................5. Army Chief of Chaplains (MG) Donald Shea visits with Task Force
Eagle soldiers in Bosnia, 1996 6. Winter/spring 1996 home of CH (CPT) Yarmen and CA SPC McAniff in Bosnia .....................7. General Wesley Clark, Supreme Allied Commander, Europe ....................................................8. CH (MAJ) Al Shrum presides at a memorial service for a soldier who died in Bosnia from a heart attack while exercising .............................................................................................................................9. CH (LTC) F. Douglas Hudson and CA SFC Margarita Brunke at the Grab Potok Refugee Camp, Bosnia 10. CH (LTC) Eric Ebb greets parishioners after a service at Eagle Base, Bosnia, 2004 ..................11. Ethnic Albanians wave on arrival at New Jersey’s McGuire Air Force Base .............................12. CH (CPT) Mohammed Khan helps minister to the religious needs of Muslim ethnic Albanians at Fort Dix, NJ13. US Army Chief of Chaplains (MG) David Hicks (center) and his CA CSM Robert Bush (second from left) meet with US and NATO chaplains in Kosovo, February 2002 .........................................................14. CH (LTC) Gregg Drew with residents of a mental health hospital in Kosovo .............................15. SGT Jasmine Yates (rear) with children from the Kamenica area .............................................