"Ticker" Gurr at his shop, St. Jorge Tobacco, in St. Augustine, FL. He and his wife Diane donated cigars for soldiers serving in Iraq. Click the photo for the article "A Gift from St. Jorge Tobacco."

Major Mike Indovina and Captain Tedrick by the dart board in Joe's Cafe

Staff Sergeant Ronald
"Doc" Cardey, another Joe's
Cafe regular. Click the photos
to read "After the Patrol - Conversations at Joe's Cafe."

After an insurgent rocket attack, soldiers at the 18th MP Brigade befriended this wounded seagull. Click the photo to read the article "A Seagull Named Rocket."

Colonel John Bogdon has a few thoughts on why the air is so bad around FOB Rustamiyah, and it "ain't" the cigars. Click his photo to read "Bad Air - Cigars at FOB Rustamiyah."

The author with Iraqi General Ali Adnan (center) and US Army Colonel John Bogdon (right). Click the photo to read "Building Bridges to the Iraqi Police."

Coffee with the Military Police Brigade at "He Brews" Cafe

While we're talking about buying soldiers a meal or a cup of coffee when you cross paths with them on the road, some of our fellow Americans have gone a big step further: they have extended themselves far enough to make sure that some of our soldiers in Iraq have coffee available. During my embed with the 18th Military Police Brigade (Ever Vigilant), headquartered at Camp Liberty, southwest of Baghdad International Airport I quickly learned that if I wanted a good cup of coffee - morning or afternoon - that the sure place to get it was the chaplain's office.

Not that it's especially unusual to find chaplain's offices in combat zones as repositories for all kinds of goodies. When 'care' packages arrive from the States, soldiers more often than not will bring them to the chaplain's office in order to share them with their comrades. Ditto for packages of comfort items that arrive through private support groups and agencies. So if I found myself needing a bar of soap, a tube of toothpaste, or a snack, I quickly headed for the chaplain's office and was certain to locate what I needed.

By the way, this is an extraordinarily effective distribution method because donors can be certain that no one is intercepting supplies sent for the soldiers, and never in my time there did I seen anyone abusing the system by overloading or hoarding. Can a soldier find much of the same stuff at a post exchange? Sure, but if it's late at night and you're getting ready to take a shower in the one-hour block allocated and suddenly discover you're out of shampoo, the PX may be miles distant and locked tight. What a treat to be able to drop in and grab a small tube or bottle of something.

This is the kind of place that Lieutenant Colonel (Chaplain) Peter Baktis runs in the once-opulent minor palace that houses the 18th MPs. But Chaplain Pete has added a twist: he serves the best coffee in town!

Baktis, a Brooklyn, NY native, has been in the Army for 17-plus years and has long recognized how much soldiers appreciate a good cup of coffee. He has arranged a large room adjacent to his actual office space as a lounge and gathering place for the soldiers. Though Pete inherited the original space from predecessors twice removed, he has continually upgraded and improved it.

Today it most resembles a family den or a neighborhood coffee house. A trio of sofas arranged in an ensemble with a low coffee table between them are placed near bookshelves loaded with books, magazines, and other reading material. The back wall is mostly shelf space laden with essentials: coffee, tea assortments, sweeteners, and the like.

Large translucent windows let in lots of light - the office has a southern exposure - and out the door a few steps away is a broad veranda with picnic tables and chairs overlooking a vast lake complex that Saddam built as a focal point for his several palaces. While this one is considered a 'minor' palace, said to have housed one of Saddam's wives, it offers a splendid view of the water and affords a place where soldiers go to smoke a cigarette or cigar, chat with friends, and unwind with a cup of the chaplain's excellent coffee.

Even here they are never far away from the war. Pairs of Blackhawk helicopters regularly land and take off from two nearby helo pads, the roar of high performance aircraft using Baghdad International Airport intrude in the silence, and rockets fired haphazardly from distant Sadr City impact with dismal frequency. But for a moment, at least, it is almost possible for soldiers to relax for a minute with coffee and conversation, and imagine themselves back in the friendly surroundings of their home towns.

Back inside the lounge, a large, stained glass cross decorates one window. On the adjacent one a sign is posted on the window stating proudly "He" Brews Cafe, above which is the emblem of the 18th MP Brigade, two yellow battle axes opposed superimposed on a black and green field. Behind the emblem are the crossed pistols signifying the Military Police branch of the Army. Nearby a table holds very modern coffee-making machines that Pete and his assistant use to make the brew.

The machines were donated by a parish in Kansas City, Missouri, when they learned that the headquarters had no food preparation capacity and that soldiers had to go to a distant dining facility (DFAC or 'dee-fak' in today's military-speak) just to get a cup of joe. "I suspect that they cost a couple of thousand dollars," Baktis says softly, "and the soldiers really do appreciate the donation." Tall and lean, he towers over the machines as he goes through the morning routine, pouring in pitchers of water, loading filters and coffee, and starting the process.

Though Baktis is of Lithuanian origin and is ordained as an Eastern Orthodox priest, he, as all military chaplains, runs an all-denominations operation. "My job here isn't to convert anyone," he states. "We want to offer the soldiers a quiet place to take breaks, converse, have discussion groups, and just unwind."

The chaplain, perhaps more than any other person in the brigade, is most attuned to the morale and mental state of the soldiers. "Lots of these soldiers have post traumatic stress syndrome in one degree or another," he notes. "It's to be expected with any war, and with the kind of combat we have now, it can be more subtle in its manifestations, but it's there nevertheless." Baktis intends for "He" Brews to be a place to help alleviate that stress, even if only in a small way. "Everything we can do to ease the strain on the soldiers will have a positive outcome," he assures me.

One traditional comfort item for Americans is coffee. "We receive a lot of donated coffee," Pete tells me. "In fact, everything we get is donated. Several Starbucks stores around the U.S. have donated coffee to us, and the soldiers genuinely appreciate it." Shelves are stuffed with bags of Starbucks and Dunkin' Doughnuts coffee as well as from major manufacturers such as Folgers and Maxwell House. Teas include those produced by Lipton, Tetley, Good Earth, and other makers, and range from standard through herbal and include specialty teas such as Earl Grey. "We receive donations not only from stores and organizations but from concerned individuals. Last month alone I sent out 38 thank-you notes."

After the hot brew emerges from the coffee-making machines, the chaplain decants it into large, thermos-bottle type dispensers. "It stays better this way and doesn't get bitter," he explained. Typically he will make two separate brews. "One is always the strong stuff," he says, walking me through the process. "First will be a darker, more robust roast coffee. Then I'll usually add a flavored blend."

Above the array of coffee-making machines and thermos jugs, a white board is affixed to the wall. A paper in plastic protector permanently-posted to the left of the board explains the system: "HEBREWS Menu. Pot 1 - strong. Pot 2 - medium or flavored. The Flavors Change Weekly!!!! Enjoy Your Coffee." On the white board will be listed the two daily blends and today's date - with indicators "left" and "right" - correlating to placement of the thermos jugs. He uses an erasable marker to write in just what the users will be having. At the top of the board is hand-lettered "He" Brews Cafe, and under that a passage, perhaps from the Bible, sometimes from an inspirational writer.

Today's message, 10 May 2008, reads: "Self discipline is when your conscience tells you to do something and you don't talk back. W.H. Hope"

But as Baktis freely admits, "He" Brews is about more than the coffee. "This is all about soldiers' welfare," he explains. "We've undergone a difficult transition here, from kinetic warfare to reconstruction. How to we change that mindset in soldiers who have been shot at or IEDed?" he asks rhetorically.

"Soldiers are making the mental transition but it can be a slow process. We've gone from large forward operating bases (FOBs) to smaller Combat Outposts (COPs) and as a consequence, they are closer to the Iraqi people and see more immediate results of their efforts. This change in operational focus has helped greatly reshape their personal view of the battlefield."

Like many of his fellow officers and soldiers, the 50-year old Baktis has been down this road before. "I was here in 2003 as part of the Iraqi Historical Group." This was a Coalition-sponsored, ad-hoc unit put together with the mission of assembling data on the war. "Because of that experience I can bring a longer term perspective to what is happening today." He has been able to see through the planning and execution phase up to the liberation of Baghdad.

More than many, Chaplin Baktis brings with him a broader historical perspective. He folds his long frame into a battered office chair and gestures sparingly but intensely with his hands. "It's difficult for the American public to understand an Arabic-Iraqi world view," he says. "You have to at least be aware of modern history, specifically the aftermath of the Treaty of Versailles, that carved up the region without regard to ethnicities or religions, just so that the European victors could parcel out spheres on influence in the territories once owned by the defunct Ottoman Empire. Knowing basic facts such as these - and many more - expands a cultural awareness and makes implementation of stability operations more effective. Among our soldiers these kinds of awareness have grown remarkably and they are now much more effective in carrying out a difficult mission."

While Baktis applauds "the wonderful support" the soldiers receive from a "good portion" of the American people, he still is concerned. "The magnitude of the sacrifices of the soldiers and their families are not fully appreciated by the American people. After all, we are looking at fewer than 1% of our entire population carrying this burden alone. I'm absolutely amazed and astonished that we have people volunteering repeatedly to deploy, knowing that they are going to be sent into combat in Iraq and Afghanistan."

The chaplain firmly rejects the notion that this is an Army of the underclass. "These soldiers did not join because they needed jobs or were poorly educated but for far more personal, intense reasons. Why we have privates here with masters degrees! Many of them enlisted post-911 and they knew full well what they were getting into. And they volunteered to serve nevertheless. They are a most impressive group of individuals."

While he acknowledges occasional racial or sexist friction, he says that these are issues that the Army in large part has overcome. "We have that kind of stuff infrequently, what you might expect from any large organization that draws across the board from society." He smiles, "You and your colleagues fought those kinds of battles twenty years ago. Because of the work you did then we are far better off now."

When speaking of a "fully integrated" military in today's terms he means amalgamation of the Regular Army and the Reserve force and National Guard units. "The way we are fighting this war is especially difficult for the National Guard units," he says. "Some made more money than they are making on active duty - some considerably more. The financial burden on their families is real. But they bring skill sets and perspectives with them that we could never train for in the Army."

He quickly lists professions like attorneys, policemen, schoolteachers, craftsmen, accountants, and others as adding enormously to the capacity of the force to conduct counterinsurgency. "They are smart, learn quickly, and have grown and matured. But," he continues, "Multiple deployments are taking their toll." 

Baktis is concerned about the length of the frequency and length of deployments. "Soldiers are told that they will have a year back home and then are yanked back because of unforeseen contingencies. They can deal with the 15-month deployment cycle they are now serving - although it is a very long time for all of us - but what bothers them is the uncertainty."

Most of the deployment stress comes "not from the 15 months, but from the uncertainty that it could be longer. Tour extensions bring out the most stress. Surprise extensions are insidious and breed mistrust: that they're not being told the truth by their leadership. All of them are suspicious that they will be extended."

Even the Chaplain Corps is visibly stressed by the situation. "We're the go-to people for soldiers with stress and that's how it is supposed to be," Pete says. "But who takes care of the caregivers?" As have many of the brigade, he left family - a wife and mother - back in Germany when the 18th MP Brigade deployed. He has a 24-year old daughter back in New York. "We're talking in some cases about young officers, chaplain captains for example, who have two deployments in three years average. In most instances they are alone in the unit. They don't have anyone to unload on and it adds to their individual stress."

He is quick to add that this is a situation that puts a strain on the whole force. "The constant family separations, the indiscriminate indirect fire attacks, it all adds up. We're not so much worried about losing our own lives, but what effect this might have on our children who might lose a father or mother, husband or wife. We have a sense of guilt that our choice - to serve our country - may have inflicted unwanted pain on our families." And, he notes, "This is absolutely worse for the Guard and Reservists. After all, we on active duty at least get to keep our families in government housing with all the support facilities."

Because of the trauma on the Guard and Reserve families, many of them now seek out churches to attend on military posts or with a high percentage of military families in attendance. "Civilians," he notes, "don't understand their situation. The human element of war is what most people forget. There is a loss on innocence among the soldiers, and this is what I mourn."

Nevertheless there are positive moments. "I see a joy in soldiers in the little things that they see and do. He accompanied a squad working to train the emerging "Sons of Iraq" members. "All of them were excited that I was going with them, that I recognized the good they were doing. It was a big energy boost."

Baktis recounted a story from the previous Thanksgiving. "The sergeant major and I brought dinner down to a small group of soldiers at Salman Pak. It was a very dangerous place. "They appreciated that we would take the risk to be with them for the holiday." No long afterwards, on Christmas, he went to an isolated Joint Security Site at Ussifiahyah. "It was a barren, lonely place. We put on full battle-rattle, rode through desolate streets with barefoot Iraqi kids to get there. We did a Christmas liturgy and sat around a small fire just talking. It was the most peaceful, beautiful Christmas experience I ever experienced. For me it put things into perspective: just how much do you need, and what to you really need, to be happy?"

Bad Air - Cigars at FOB Rustamiyah Colonel John Bogdon has a few thoughts on why the air is so bad around FOB Rustamiyah, and it "ain't" the cigars.	The Face of War: Women in Combat Though it may still be controversial, Military Police women are potentially engaged in the fight every time a convoy rolls outside the wire. Hear the stories of several MPs in Iraq.	Who is That Masked Man? Despite their intimidating appearance, Interpreters are unarmed and rely completely on soldiers to protect them.
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