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thedrifter
03-15-07, 06:37 AM
Ammo-box altars and bottled-water baptisms
The life of a military chaplain in Iraq

March 15, 2007
By Rick Ducat Staff writer

Finding God can be difficult amid the carnage of Iraq's war-torn deserts, and the Rev. John Hannigan didn't have anything fancy.

The chapel was a dusty tent. The altar was a battered ammo box atop an olive drab cot. Baptisms were conducted with bottled water over a garbage can so not to waste the precious liquid.

"You would just use anything you could get your hands on," the 56-year-old Catholic Marine Corps chaplain said.

Hannigan, originally from Chicago's South Side, returned from his second tour of Iraq in January. He was the sole Catholic chaplain serving more than 20,000 members of the Army, Navy and Marines stationed at 52 camps in Iraq.

Since his return, Hannigan has visited St. Anthony's in Frankfort, St. Joseph's in Glenwood, St. Paul's in Chicago Heights and Infant Jesus of Prague in Flossmoor.

He spoke to children at several schools about life in Iraq and how he thinks faith helps people in combat zones.

"I talked about how in a sense, we are in a combat zone right here in the U.S. in a different way," he said. "Know your values, have the courage and the wisdom and the strength to stand up for what you believe in, and stand up for what is right."

Hannigan was born in the Englewood neighborhood. He became a priest at age 26 after attending Quigley Preparatory Seminary in the Chicago Archdiocese.

"I always wanted to be a Marine and a priest, but I wanted to be a priest more so," he said.

Hannigan has served as a priest in several south suburban parishes, including St. Mary's in Riverdale, St. Jude's in South Holland, St. James in Sauk Village, St. Agnes in Chicago Heights and St. Julie Billiart in Tinley Park.

But in 1990, Hannigan decided it was time to enlist.

"I just got to the point where I went, 'If I'm going to do so, it's time to do so,' " he said. "It's a great, priestly ministry."

Hannigan said this is because many soldiers in combat zones especially need spiritual guidance or simply someone to talk to.

"You're with people who, up until this point, maybe thought they were airtight, watertight, invincible, and now they're seeing their buddies get killed and wounded," he said. "Now all of a sudden they see death face-to-face, so it makes them start thinking about the life after this life and religion."

Hannigan said even some nonreligious soldiers felt better when he was nearby.

"You get to that point where they're crossing the wire (base perimeter) and a guy like that would say to you, 'I'm glad you're going with us,' " he said.

Hannigan rose to the rank of Navy commander and has served as a chaplain in Djibouti; Okinawa, Japan; and across the United States. His first tour of Iraq began in February 2005 and lasted seven months. His second tour lasted a full year.

Hannigan's last tour put him in the Al Anbar province in western Iraq.

Widely regarded as one of the most dangerous places in Iraq, Al Anbar is roughly the size of South Carolina. It is northwest of Baghdad and west of the Euphrates River.

Hannigan was based in Camp Ripper in the Al Asad region of Al Anbar. He said Ripper is so named because troops constantly are "ripping" through it -- all soldiers must report to the camp for briefings whether they're entering or leaving the area.

"It's kind of like the front desk at a hotel," he said.

On the road

Hannigan's typical day usually began at 5 a.m. with a briefing of the latest news, dangers and enemy activity. Afterward, he'd gather his clothes, supplies for Mass and other gear for journeys to camps.

Hannigan said he traveled the entire length and breadth of Al Anbar via helicopters and road convoys every four to five weeks, causing his commanding officer to joke that he was "the most widely traveled man in the province."

"It's very desolate ... it's just all sand and rock," he said. "Between November and March, it rained ... maybe 10 times, and each time it was like 10 or 15 minutes."

Temperatures also fluctuated wildly, soaring above 120 degrees during the day and plummeting to below 30 degrees at night.

Hannigan jokingly refers to Iraq's scorching heat as "sweater weather" compared with his time in Africa.

"It got to be 158 degrees (in Djibouti)," he said. "The birds would fall out of the sky dead. I saw that twice."

Hannigan's gear in Iraq certainly didn't help him keep cool, either. A flak jacket, helmet and fire-retardant gloves and clothing were necessary even on the hottest days because of the constant threat of suicide bombers, improvised explosive devices and other dangers.

Hannigan said soldiers often would walk alongside convoys looking for tripwires.

Hannigan said IEDs are "very much so" the worst things troops must face, and he had several brushes with them.

While riding in a Bradley fighting vehicle one night, Hannigan said, a pressure plate IED destroyed the steering, brakes and hydraulics.

Hannigan and the rest of the crew had no choice but to wait inside the crippled vehicle while other soldiers ensured the area was clear.

"It was nice to know that our buddies were out there," he said.

Another time, Hannigan was inside a seven-ton truck whose driver managed to stop a mere 8 inches away from detonating a 120 millimeter propane tank IED.

"The driver just had good eyesight, and God was with us," Hannigan said.

In spite of the dangers they face, Hannigan said, chaplains do not carry weapons.

But even though he was unarmed in Iraq, Hannigan said he rarely felt vulnerable.

"I always had either a sailor or a Marine accompany me wherever I went, and his main job was to protect me," he said. "I had Marines ... and all these heavy weapons around me, so I felt pretty secure."

The front lines

After successfully navigating the dangerous roadways, Hannigan said troops in the camps he visited would spread word of his arrival.

"Many times, the non-Catholics would say 'I'll pinch hit for you at the guard post or go on patrol for you,' and Catholics did vice-versa with the Protestants," he said.

After conducting services, Hannigan said he would eat with troops and visit those who were off-duty or at guard posts.

Hannigan said he often encountered soldiers he knew from prior service.

"It gave me a good feeling inside, every now and then I'd meet up with a Marine, ... they'd say, 'You were my chaplain in boot camp,' or 'You were my chaplain in Okinawa.' "

One young Marine's memories went back even further: Hannigan had baptized him 20 years earlier at St. Mary's Church in Riverdale.

Hannigan said this type of visibility on the front lines often results in a strong connection between chaplains and soldiers.

"(The chaplain is) with them the whole nine yards," he said. "He knows the hardships and trials and the dangers. He's been flying with them, eating, sleeping in the same quarters, being in the same surroundings."

Once during an attack in which rocket-propelled grenades were flying over a camp, Hannigan stopped to give his troops "a one-minute communion service."

"They heard me talk about having faith and the importance of God as we go into a combat zone. To actually see the chaplain in the combat zone with them, I think that was very powerful to them and certainly to me."

Hannigan said he also counseled soldiers struggling with the conflict between their religious beliefs and the fact that they had killed people.

"Marines would come up to me, and they would want to go to confession, even though they had just gotten off patrol and were super tired," he said. "They would feel that even though they were doing the right thing, it was very sensitive that they had to kill people."

And the deaths of Hannigan's own men were all too frequent. During Hannigan's last tour, 73 soldiers in his unit were killed and more than 600 were wounded.

In spite of these casualties, Hannigan believes the United States is winning the war. He said Iraqi police and soldiers are doing a good job, in spite of some corruption.

"Some guys would do a stellar job, and others were in it just for the money," he said.

Back at home

Hannigan returned to a military base in Twentynine Palms, Calif., earlier this month.

He said it is possible but uncertain whether he will return for a third tour of Iraq.

"With the way the world situation is, we could very easily be coming back from leave ... and I'll be told I'm moving back to Iraq or somewhere else in the world," he said.

To donate to Hannigan's Helpers, a group that sends religious items, food and other items to troops, call 70 922-1186.

Hannigan also coordinates shipments of goods through the Knights of Columbus. To donate through this group, call (630) 242-3134.

Rick Ducat may be reached at

rducat@starnewspapers.com

or (70 802-8847.

Ellie