A Day in the Life: An O.C.A. priest-chaplain shares his ministry in Afghanistan

On Monday, April 6, 2009, just two days after his arrival at Bagram Air Field for his 10th duty tour in southwest Asia - this time to support the Orthodox Christian personnel in Afghanistan during the Lenten and Paschal seasons - the Very Rev. Alexander F.C. Webster, Chaplain (Colonel), U.S. Army Reserve, had the distinct honor of concelebrating with the Orthodox chaplain for the Romanian battalion religious and military honors for a Romanian soldier, Maj. Marcel Tiberiu Petre, killed in action while on a combat patrol.

In Father Alexander's own words, "The rites began with a Fallen Comrade Ceremony - a deliberate vehicle procession of the Romanian flag-draped casket on the main streets of Bagram Air Field from the mortuary to the Enduring Faith Chapel, with hundreds of U.S. and Coalition military and civilians standing at attention along the route, saluting."

At the chapel, the Rev. Bogdan Oancea, Romanian battalion chaplain, and Father Alexander concelebrated the Orthodox Wake Service before escorting the casket to the flight line.

"There we were joined by another Romanian Orthodox priest-chaplain, who had just arrived from Bucharest, for the Ramp Ceremony and to escort the fallen warrior back to Romania for the church funeral and burial," Father Alexander related.  "We chanted the Litany for the Dead over casket in the presence of a Romanian detachment and a U.S. contingent that included a number of general officers before the fallen warrior's remains were taken on board the aircraft for the solemn flight directly to Romania.

"It was at once sorrowful and joyous, inspirational and sobering - a testament to the true universality of our Orthodox faith throughout the world," Father Alexander added.

* from The Orthodox Church, Vol. 45/Nr. 2, Spring/Summer 2009

[As many of our readers may remember, Fr. Alexander Webster was the parish priest of our Episcopate's "Protection of the Mother of God" Church in Falls Church, Virginia, until he was promoted and needed to dedicate more time to his service as chaplain in the U.S. Army.]