ETHICAL THINKER T
The Reverend Alastair Bissell
he tranquillity of the mountains was broken by the roar of four turbo-prop engines as the Hercules
droned across the Balkan skies. For the passengers looking out the portholes, the beautiful peaks soon gave way to a jagged urban landscape of shattered buildings. Diving steeply to avoid Serbian gunners, the Hercules landed in Sarajevo. As I made my way off the tail ramp, I was informed that a young airman of eighteen wished to see me. Sitting in the remains of the airport terminal, he recounted an incident that had happened some weeks earlier.
He told me about a distressing incident where he had been unable to stop the untimely violent death of an eight year old girl. With tears welling up inside he turned and said, “Padre I need to know I did the right thing.”
My response was in the affirmative, “Of course you did.” As we talked there were many issues needing clarification. Questions surrounding the ‘Rules of Engagement’ being one; another more personal and acute, was the moral and ethical dilemma faced by the airman. The Rules of Engagement at that time meant that military personnel could only open fire when they themselves came under direct attack. Had the airman responded in the way his gut reaction wanted to and opened fire, events could have escalated out of control and potentially many other lives could have been lost.
Such a fact brought some small comfort to the individual. This story was, however, just one of the many examples where others could only stand and watch as innocent lives were lost. Being part of the ‘International Peace Keeping Force’ invoked an immense feeling of both helplessness and powerlessness amongst the many thousands of service personnel.
A more recent tour occurred in 2010/11 when at a few weeks notice I was deployed on Op Ellamy. This was an international operation in
20 Envoy Summer 2014
support of the Libyan civilians under threat from Colonel Gaddifi’s regime. Once more, as the Chaplain, I was given the unique opportunity of gaining access to the entire operation whilst able to meet and engage with many personnel involved. This included those in key positions at the Headquarters, those who were supporting on the ground, and finally, aircrew with whom I was able to fly over Libya on several occasions.
One of the most profound experiences of this deployment was being invited by the Commanding Officer to attend a targeting meeting at which future missions were discussed. In contrast to the young airman’s moral and ethical decision made on the ground, I was able to sit in at a more strategic level and view decision making, that again had life and death implications, but in this instance, on a far greater scale.
I sat as an observer and listened as several possible targets were highlighted. Each was discussed at length; careful consideration was given not to put civilians in danger. At the end of an extensive dialogue which included intelligence briefs and legal implications, it was decided all three potential targets would not be pursued.
Whether it had or not was difficult to answer, however, I was reminded that my ministry is a ‘sacrament of presence,’ in other words, one alongside. In my view, this is fundamentally different to being ‘one with’ for there are times as a Chaplain when you need to stand back.
It’s easy and sometimes even dangerous to get caught up in the euphoria and excitement of the moment and forget that you are first and foremost a disciple of Christ. However awkward and out of place the Chaplain sometimes feels, it is nonetheless clear that one’s presence is very much valued. As a Chaplain you are sharing in their journey which can sometimes be extremely uncomfortable and harrowing.
I believe too it is a huge privilege that
they invite you to stay with them! I was struck more recently by the story of the two disciples’ walk on the road to Emmaus recorded in Luke’s gospel. We are told that during their conversation, a stranger suddenly appears and a walks beside them, Christ listens, engages and disappears again.
Reflecting on this delightful account, I believe there are distinct elements of Chaplaincy highlighted here. The walk alongside others in both good times and bad; the invitation to engage with personal issues, But perhaps above all else, it is about being there for others; inviting them to talk, giving them a window, space to unravel and reflect and speak about God, especially in the middle of a war zone. You may not hear from them for a while after that encounter, but there is a realisation you are always there willing to walk with them again on their journey wherever that may lead.
Wherever I have been deployed, I have noticed that there tends to be a greater than normal number of personnel attending church services. This is partly because when you’re away from your family and friends worship can offer some comfort and support. The other reason is simple, yet profound; when you are in the middle of a war zone, issues of life and death take on a whole new dimension. One somewhat amusing but poignant situation arose in Afghanistan when we were subject to several rocket attacks on a weekly basis. The most disconcerting point about these incidents was the fact that you could never prepare for them.
The strikes would always be indiscriminate in any place and time during day or night. It was totally outside your control. An alarm would sound and you adopted a drill position donning your body armour and prayed. Interesting enough, when these events did occur, the Chaplain remained a popular choice to gather round; after all you had God on your side. Even the most diehard agnostics and atheists would suddenly promise to attend church every Sunday for the rest of their lives if you prayed for their safety. You
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