My dear friend Wiliam, whom I love more than a brother and served with for many years in the Army and lives close enough that our families still get together....
Was called out of inactive reserve status and activated for deployment to Iraq. He will be travelling by convoy to a town 30 K North of Baghdad any day now.
He is part of a small team of Americans who will be trying to train one of these new Iraqi Army Battalions that are being constituted.
William had to leave his wife, three small children all under the age of 8, and his law practice. He had been a full-time civilian for more than five years when he wasoprdered to report and then shipped out after only nine days of training.
When we pray for our armed forces in Liturgy please remember WIlliam, his family, and his unit as they are on the bleeding edge of trying to bring civility to a nation that has known so much evil. William will be in combat training and leading Sunnis against other Sunnis...there will be few Americans and non-Iraqis with him.