Promise Keepers
Whew! Yesterday I set up a National Guard booth at a promise keepers convention in Massachusetts. It was called Iron Sharpens Iron, and a whole day of talks was scheduled for men that day. For those of you unfamiliar with Promise Keepers, they are an organization of males from many denominations of Christianity who get together to talk about how to be better, stronger, more effective role-models for their children, and better husbands to their wives. I think the idea was that in this day and age, when so many men are raised without fathers, and they don't have any role models to follow themselves, they find strength talking to each other in order go get their perspective back. It's rather admirable, really.
Talk about feeling like the odd man out! :D Hundreds and hundreds of men in the building, and I was only one of about 5 females there. And me in military uniform! My whole purpose was trying chaplains: young men (or women) who had a masters degree in divinity without being too old for military service. I talked myself hoarse. But there were so many amazing people there who had served our country in times past. I held the hand of one 80-year-old WWII vet who had seen a woman blown to bits aboard his ship in the pacific. They had been in a hospital ship when it was attacked, blowing out a whole bulkhead and killing people in one of the hospital rooms. He wept recalling it, and I tried to comfort him.
There were also some young men who wanted to inquire about enlisting. I make no bones about it, and I tell them the truth about the potential for deployment. I myself do not get paid for people coming into the Guard. I'd rather have people who come to service with their eyes wide open rather than have them come in for an unpleasant surprise later. I believe very strongly in what we do. But it has to be a calling that you come to willingly and for the right reasons.
It was a loooooong day, and I didn't get very many interested people. But that's okay. It was fun, and it was wonderful talking to these folks. I'd gladly do this again next year.
Talk about feeling like the odd man out! :D Hundreds and hundreds of men in the building, and I was only one of about 5 females there. And me in military uniform! My whole purpose was trying chaplains: young men (or women) who had a masters degree in divinity without being too old for military service. I talked myself hoarse. But there were so many amazing people there who had served our country in times past. I held the hand of one 80-year-old WWII vet who had seen a woman blown to bits aboard his ship in the pacific. They had been in a hospital ship when it was attacked, blowing out a whole bulkhead and killing people in one of the hospital rooms. He wept recalling it, and I tried to comfort him.
There were also some young men who wanted to inquire about enlisting. I make no bones about it, and I tell them the truth about the potential for deployment. I myself do not get paid for people coming into the Guard. I'd rather have people who come to service with their eyes wide open rather than have them come in for an unpleasant surprise later. I believe very strongly in what we do. But it has to be a calling that you come to willingly and for the right reasons.
It was a loooooong day, and I didn't get very many interested people. But that's okay. It was fun, and it was wonderful talking to these folks. I'd gladly do this again next year.