Article January 4, 2010 Issue

An officer's prayers in the war zone

BY ROB NOFSINGER

AS A CHRISTIAN SCIENTIST and a former officer in the Marine Corps who has completed two deployments to Iraq, I've had many opportunities to directly witness the effectiveness of prayer in a war zone.

There are so many challenges in need of healing in a combat situation. And in many ways there is no such thing as a "typical" deployment. Each situation is unique depending on the person, specific location, unit, mission, and ever-changing circumstances of the "enemy." On the other hand, there are some standard challenges that face every person involved in a prolonged deployment in a combat zone.

The intensity of the work can be grueling. For many who are deployed, work is seemingly nonstop seven days a week. Many do not get days off, having to settle instead for physical fitness, meals, and sleep as their only down times. Others swing between moments of extreme stress and intensity, and periods of monotonous boredom.

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