CH Piontkowski in Iraq
Written by Spc. Zane Craig
Sunday, 02 January 2011 23:20
JOINT BASE BALAD, Iraq - With the candles lighted on the altar, making the gold crucifix nearby shine, a transformation took place as a soldier in the Army Combat Uniform dons his vestments; first the white alb, then the stole, and finally the purple chasuble, becoming a priest of the Roman Catholic Church.
Lt. Col. Richard Piontkowski, deputy command chaplain with the 103rd Sustainment Command (Expeditionary), and a Grand Island, Neb., native, is one of nine Roman Catholic chaplains in Iraq ministering to the spiritual needs of more than 10,000 Catholic service members in Iraq.
In addition to the dual role of soldier and priest, Piontkowski serves in two roles as deputy command chaplain: as an administrative role that can be filled by any chaplain of his rank, and as pastor to all the Catholics in his sector, a spiritual role that can only be filled by an ordained priest.
“Part of being the deputy command chaplain is that you’re pastor to all the soldiers, no matter what their belief system is,” said Piontkowski. “Whoever comes in, for whatever reason, that’s your soldier.”
Piontkowski said that his main concern as a Catholic pastor is for the soldiers in his care to receive the sacraments.
There are two other priests stationed at Joint Base Balad, Iraq: one in the Air Force and one in the Army, equaling approximately one third of all the priests in Iraq. This concentration allows them to take turns traveling to remote bases that lack a full-time priest to say mass and administer the sacraments.
Piontkowski and Master Sgt. Kevin Zavala, master chaplain assistant with the 103rd ESC, and a Necedah, Wis., native, traveled to Contingency Operating Base Speicher, which has a large population of active Catholics but no resident priest, to lead the Christmas celebration.
“It’s good for all of us to be able to go to Mass because even if we can’t be with our families this year, we can celebrate with our military family here,” said Sgt. 1st Class. Willy Anderson, support operations non-commissioned officer-in-charge with the 394th Combat Sustainment Support Battalion, 103rd ESC, and a Dodge, Neb., native.
Piontkowski said attending Mass to celebrate Christmas during a deployment is like a little bit of home, something familiar and comforting. Approximately 100 service members and civilian contractors attended Mass at Liberty Chapel on Christmas Eve.
“It really helps to keep things in perspective; it’s a very calming influence,” he said. “It reminds them of times they were home with their families. Even if this year they can’t be with their families bodily, spiritually they can be.”
At home in the civilian world, Piontkowski is rector of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary Cathedral in Grand Island, Neb. Flexibility is the most important lesson he learned at the Cathedral that has helped him on his deployment so far, he said. Although this is his first overseas deployment, he was activated in 2004-2005 with the 89thRegional Readinees Command of Wichita, Kan., to deal with pre and post mobilization issues.
“I’m enjoying the deployment,” said Piontkowski. “It’s a good opportunity for me to help people and to learn a lot. “
He added that his judgment of an area is by people, never by place, and that the people he has met here, service members and locals, mostly interpreters and religious leaders have been great people.
“I’ve learned how I react to explosions, for one, and I’ve learned how this culture, which is so related to biblical times, how they look at history, including historical events occurring now, in such a non-Western way,” he said.
In addition to other duties, chaplains receive referrals from unit leadership of soldiers dealing with combat stress and other mental health challenges.
“I want someone dealing with suicidal ideation to see a mental health professional,” said Piontkowski. “I think as chaplains, we are more like first aid in these situations, but we are a bit more ubiquitous than combat stress specialists,” he said.
Nevertheless, as an experienced priest, there are few personal problems here Piontkowski hasn’t dealt with in his parishioners back home.
“My advice to soldiers here is, while you’re brushing up on your battle skills, it’s not a bad idea to brush up on your spiritual skills as well,” he said.
Despite the challenges of ministering to a congregation of thousands spread over an area as large as California, Piontkowski maintains an upbeat, jovial attitude and balances his many roles to effectively serve the soldiers entrusted to his care.
From an on-base perspective, I never knew of any Catholic school or religious education programs. You could attend mass in the base chapel, but it was non-denominational structure. I believe military families had to send their kids off-base for CCD or Catholic school.
It's also been my experience that ex-military chaplains are among the most patriotic and outspoken clergy. The only sermon I've ever heard targetting socialism specifically was delivered by an ex-Army priest.