CHAPLAIN NEWS FROM IRAG from CHAPLAIN GARY CALIFF

The following news releases were received from Chaplain Gary Califf recently. A picture of Chaplain Gary appears below the text.
(The second picture indicated in the release was not included in the email.)
No doubt it is tough over there. Word is that the expression "groundhog day" is a popular catch phrase referring to the movie of that name where the G day is repeated over and over again. Couple that with the loss of young soldiers (3 since Gary has been there) and being a long way away from Bagdad and other civilization in a very hot and dusty place where the routine is the same and the danger ever increasing and one has a very unfavorable situation. Our prayers go out to Gary and his staff and all our service personel serving in Iraq.

April 25, 2008
Release 09-08
Task Force Ramadi Public Affairs

Task Force Ramadi spirit of service accompanied by praise
CAMP RAMADI, Iraq (April 22, 2008) – The mantra of Task Force Ramadi is service in support of the men and women who reside on Camp Ramadi and operate in the greater Anbar region. Leading the way in service that cares for the spiritual well-being of the tenants here is Lt. Col. Gary “Chaplain Gary” Califf, recent recipient of the Military Chaplains Association 2008 Air Force Reserve Chaplain Distinguished Service Award.
Califf, one of several reserve military members that make up Task Force Ramadi, is pastor of 1st United Presbyterian Church of DuBois, Pa. in his civilian role and a chaplain at Air Force Air Combat Command while on duty. In his normal military role, Califf ensures other chaplains are ready to deploy as part of the Air Expeditionary Force.
Califf received the Distinguished Service Award for his exceptional work in ministry and commitment to care for the troops. He was chosen by the Air Force Chief of Chaplains to be this year’s award recipient, and he brings his spirit of service to Iraq as both the task force chaplain and senior chaplain to Camp Ramadi.
Califf leads a religious ministry staff that includes Lt. Steve Cloer, a Navy chaplain, and Petty Officer Second Class Anthony Duval, a Navy Religious Program Specialist.
Coordinating religious services for the representative denominations on the camp is the chaplain’s primary mission, but he is also responsible for servicing specific units or detachments whose commands and chaplains might be based at another camp.
Califf said his assignment to Task Force Ramadi was a great opportunity to enhance his experience and combat deployment knowledge in order to better support service members at the camp and back home. “The civilian world is not very well connected with what’s going on in the war,” he said. “To step out of that life and actually step into the active duty life, and to be here is a wonderful opportunity to get a real experience that will serve me with veterans and with people who have been a part of this.”
Califf has helped veterans experiencing difficulty coping with the effects of combat, but he is confident his time in Iraq will benefit him in this role. “I have people in my church that have been to Iraq, and one of them who is suffering with PTSD,” he said. “I know when you say you’re a veteran of war, you’ve been there, you know what’s going on, it gives you access into helping people where you might not normally have it.”
Despite the benefits to helping veterans, Califf knew the deployment with the task force would be difficult as he would be leaving his congregation in DuBois for an extended time.
Ultimately, Califf says he is glad to be part of the task force, the members of which have a true dedication to support the forces here and better their quality of life by improving the camp environment. For the religious ministry staff, this involves fixing up the Memorial Chapel here and the grounds that surround it. The latest improvement has come in the form of a soothing blue, green and white mural, painted by Cloer, which cloaks the concrete barriers emplaced around the chapel.
Task Force Ramadi began improvement work immediately upon assuming command of the camp in late March. With little more than 100 members and limited resources, the unit has worked tirelessly to clean-up debris, remove old structures, oversee the improvement of roads around the camp, manage the refurbishment of facilities, and establish a sense of community among the tenants here.
Recently, the task force established a weekly unit-wide work day, dubbed “Super Tuesday,” to bring together task force members and accomplish tasks focused on improving specific areas around the camp. The team effort has enhanced camaraderie among the members of the task force, and the work reaps immediate, visible results. Those results are being noticed by the tenants here. Commander Kevin Robinson, Plans Officer, said he has noticed other units beginning to follow the task force’s lead, cleaning up around their work and living areas. “The theme of ‘quality of life’ is infectious if leadership truly believes it,” he said.
Although Super Tuesday is dedicated to sweat labor by the greater task force, Sunday is still reserved for the work of Califf and the religious ministry team that supports service members’ spiritual quality of life.
Task Force Ramadi is a tailored task force made up of military and civilian personnel from the Army, Navy, Air Force and Marine Corps forward deployed to Camp Ramadi to support ongoing operations in Multi National Force-West’s area of operations. The task force deployed from Standing Joint Force Headquarters, U.S. Joint Forces Command, Norfolk, Va., February, 16, 2008.

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Lt. Col. Gary “Pastor Gary” Califf, Task Force Ramadi chaplain, stands beside the mural-cloaked concrete barriers emplaced around the Memorial Chapel on Camp Ramadi. Califf and the rest of the task force members are working to improve the quality of life for service members living at the camp. (Official photo by Senior Chief Petty Officer Gary Boucher.)

Cmdr. Kevin Robinson, Task Force Ramadi Plans Officer, chops down a dead Eucalyptus tree during the task force’s weekly all-hands improvement project day dubbed “Super Tuesday.” Task Force Ramadi members have been working to improve the camp and tenants’ quality of life. (Official photo by Senior Chief Petty Officer Gary Boucher)