Chaplain Matthew G. Prince

Resources for Spiritual Care	Field Communion Set

A Letter from Mrs. Prince dated March 3, 2007

Dear friends in Christ,

Many of you know that Matt is now a Navy Chaplain serving with the Marines.  He deploys the end of April and will be gone 7 months.  I am asking for your prayers
for our family, for those he serves, for Matt and for our country.  We are at war.  Maybe your life has not been affected by this war.  Maybe it has.    

I write this email to ask you to support our troops in any way possible.  Perhaps one way is to send care packages to the Marines.  Please ask God to guide your decision to do this.  However, Matt promises to pass out any items that he receives from you.  Below you'll find a mailing address for Iraq as well as a list of some items that may help you with a care package.  

I googled soldier's care package and got a hit.  This list may help.

Chips Ahoy cookies, individual packages.
(Big bags often fill with dust if not eaten right away.)
Other kinds of cookies!!
Pasta and sauce
Spices
Smoked oysters and sardines
Squeeze butter
Pringles chips
individually wrapped licorice
Microwave popcorn
Ramen noodles
Macaroni & cheese
Olives, pickles, peppers
(lots of bubble wrap around these items)
Cereal bars
Microwave pasta that doesn't need refrigeration
Hot cocoa mix
Soup mix
M&M's
DVD's
Koozies to keep water bottles and cans cool.
Newspapers
Magazines
AA batteries
D batteries  
  
Air freshener, stick-ups, Fabreeze
Holiday decorations
Holiday cards
Address book with names & addresses
Canned air to blow dust out of electronics
Stress relief squeeze balls
Sewing kit
Lysol wipes / wet wipes
Poker chips
Board games
Shoe laces for gym shoes and boots
Green T-shirts
Boot socks - green
Underwear
Hand warmers
Inflatable seat cushions
Razors
Ink pens
Word Puzzle books
Icy/hot patches
Air activated heat wraps for sore muscles
Foot spa
Microwaveable plates and bowls, paper plates
Foot powder
Vitamins
Paperback books

Mojave Viper Training - April 9, 2007

Follow this link to see the training Matt has been going through in preparation for deployment to Iraq.

    (Link no longer active)

Late April, 2007

I deploy to Iraq tomorrow.  I wanted to write and tell you.  Please pray for me and my family.

Your friend, Matt

Chaplain Prince in Iraq.

I am in Iraq now.  I got here about 2 hours ago.  I am at [this first] base [for a short time].  We then board helicopters and go to 
the next base .  Then we get into vehicles and drive to our final base.  Our base [marines] is located near an army base as well.  I was 
up all night traveling.  I have been sick now since I left.  I went to the doctor last night and they gave me an IV.  I have a viral infection which 
has made me lactose intolerant for several days.  No dairy for me for 4 days.

 I do see God at work here.  I have had many opportunities to talk to the Marines about God.

A Few Days Later

I am now in my home base.  I am completely safe.  I live in a palace (the floors are tile and the walls are concrete and marble) and have 
a room to myself with a computer and internet access.  The chaplain here that I am replacing is Lutheran (ELCA) and has been really kind 
to me. Tell people (if they want to send care packages) that the real need here is school supplies for Iraqi children.

A Few More Days Later

I talked to my CO about the school supplies and he wants them but he does not want anything religious on the supplies or anything else that 
we pass out.  Also tell those who send me packages to put like items in the same box and to write what is in the packages on a note and put 
it inside the box.  This will help us sort the boxes.  For example have a box of all school supplies and another box of other items.  Don't mix 
the boxes and put cookies and food and school supplies together.  It just makes less work for us to sort through the boxes.

Thank you!  God bless.     Matt            (return to 'School Supplies for Iraqi Children')

First "Working" Sunday

Today was an interesting day.  I got up and did my usual routine of running, taking a shower and eating.  Then I had morning service.  
Afterwards I went out to one of our FOB's (Forward Operating Bases) to hold service.  We got a good look at the city, which is in ruins.  
There is no running water in the building [marine barracks] and often the generator fails.  [There is] success that is going on between Iraqi 
and US troops and this FOB [is] that model. 

Matt

May 2007 Newsletter

Chaplain’s Corner

May 2007

Chaplain Prince

Chaplain Matthew Prince currently serves with 3^rd Battalion 7^th Marines in Ramadi , Iraq .  Chaplain Prince is an ordained 
minister in the Lutheran Church Mo Synod. As a chaplain he is in charge of the spiritual well being of about 1200 Marines/Sailors.

Saddam Hussein’s palace now serves as battalion headquarters

View of Ramadi

The duty of a chaplain is to provide for the spiritual needs of those who share your beliefs, facilitate to make sure the needs of people of 
other faith backgrounds are being met and finally, to care for all people.  Chaplain Prince holds Christian worship opportunities when and 
where he is able as he visits Marines in several different locations.

A Marine outpost in the city (The green tarps are to protect against snipers.)

Prayer Requests:

• Safety for all service members
• Chaplain Prince’s family – especially Susan who is pregnant with their 2^nd child and is due one month before Matt is scheduled to return.
• For lives to be touched by God’s Spirit in a place of terror and war.  He alone can bring peace.

More May 2007 Correspondence

I went outside the wire today to four different locations to see my Marines.  Some of the living conditions are pretty tough for the guys but they never complain.  One location only eats bologna or MRE's (Meals ready to eat).  Imagine bologna for lunch for seven months.  One location has no showers.  One location has a full septic tank so you go in a bag and then at night they burn the human waste.  My RP is doing a good job taking care of me.  The amazing story here is that the Iraqi people pushed the bad guys out of the city about two months ago and since that time it has been somewhat peaceful. I hope it stays that way all of our deployment. What happened was that the insurgents killed a local leader and left his body to rot.  (Muslims believe that the body is to be buried in a certain amount of days in order to go to heaven.)  Also, the insurgents were forcing the citizens to conform to radical Islam.  So, after these actions, the local Iraqis who had been supporting them turned on the insurgents and began helping us.  It was a revolutionary change.  The city has gone from the worst part of Iraq for coalition troops to the model of success for everyone to follow.  It still is a war zone though. And every time I go out of the wire I pray, kiss pictures of my family and thank God for life.

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I had an interesting day yesterday. I got up and did my usual routine of running, working out, and then getting ready. After that I walked down 
to the the command center to see if I could catch a ride out to see my Marines. I do this quite often. Transportation here is not easy. When 
you go out of the wire (off base) you have to travel in a convoy. Also, you always have to ask permission to leave one base, stay in constant 
radio contact with all the vehicles in your convoy as well as the command. Then when you reach your destination you have to call on the radio 
so they'll let you in. So in other words, a ten minute drive could take an hour here. Anyway, I went to three different locations and held services. 
Before we left though for one location we had to hold at the gate (which means you are not cleared to leave) for three hours until a IED which 
was reported was blown up by the guys who blow up the roadside bombs. We traveled safely to all locations and I talked to the Marines, 
passed out Psalm 91 bandanas, and held Protestant Worship. At our final location, while I was inside doing service the base took three shots. 
No one was harmed. This however is quite calm to last year when my battalion was being engaged 70% of the time when the left the wire. I 
left my base for the three different locations at 10:30 am and got home at 10:30 pm. All the locations are within minutes of each other but to 
get anywhere here it always takes time and there is always a lot of waiting.

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Yes it does get hot in all the gear. It has been getting into the upper 80's here. It will get a lot hotter. We still are at the end of the rainy season 
so it cools down at night. In fact it is raining right now as I write this email. Some of the places where the Marines stay flood when it rains hard. Fortunately it has only rained once since we have been here (tonight). I was in a staff meeting for 3 hours and got some good info. The 
battalion is asking for 3 Polaroid cameras with film so the Iraqi police and the Marines can take pictures while on patrol, soccer balls and 
candy for the children and flour (5 lb bag) and rice for families. We also need a
electric air pump and the needle that goes into the balls in order to inflate the soccer balls that we already have. God bless -

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The Iraqi people have really taken ownership here in Ramadi. The violence is down and the Iraqi police are doing most of the patrols. The 
CO wants to start a children's soccer league here with uniforms for different teams. We plan to design the shirts and then send a copy of that 
design back to the States, have the shirts made and then have the uniforms sent to us.

Is there anyone out there that would like to fund this project? We would need 25 uniforms per team. There will be 10 to 12 teams. Each team 
will have different colored uniform with a different design. There would be numbers on the back of each uniform. We would provide the design, 
then the congregation would get the uniforms made in the States and ship us the uniforms.

Let me know if there is an interest. Thanks, Matt

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There was a reporter here doing a story on the Catholic Priest that comes to do mass for my Marines. I see the priest every week and make 
all of his travel arrangements when he is with my battalion. Reading about him may give you a glimpse into my world. If you click on the audio 
portion you will hear my Marines and me singing "How Great Thou Art." 

    (Link no longer active)

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Today, I conducted Protestant Worship at my base for the Marines.  Since we were celebrating Pentecost, I preached on the tower of Babel and the frustration of working with people you don't understand.  I linked that to the Marines working with the Iraqis.  Then I used Acts and Pentecost to show how God brought unity.  We have the Ultimate translator with us.  In the afternoon I had opportunity to tour another base where they hold currently over 100 detainees. 

Chaplain Prince conducting field services.	Office/Quarters

June Correspondence

We had a golf day here for the Marines. I put up a sign that read: "The Chaplain invites you to hit golf balls into the Euphrates River to relieve deployment stress." It was a great success.  Saddam's old palace in the background.

July 2007 Newsletter

Chaplain’s Corner

July 2007

America ’s Finest

When Marines hear the words Iwo Jima, Guadalcanal, or Tripoli they are filled with emotion, stand a bit taller and are connected to the past.  Marines today draw strength, honor, and courage from the actions of those who have come before them.  And not only that, but Marines today think of those actions not only as the deeds of the men who were physically present but claim those deeds and actions as a part of themselves.  Future Marines will claim the actions of Marines who serve today in places such as Iraq and Afghanistan and from those actions draw strength, courage and honor.  That is to say that a Marines’ identity is wrapped up in the history of all those who have ever served.

Marines/Iraqis breaking bread

We as Christian people do the same with our past.  Our identity is in the past as well as the future.  In the New Testament we are told that God has adopted us as his children.  And so the history of the Children of Israel is not only their history, but it belongs to us as well.  And we draw strength from that past.  We draw courage from that past.  We take honor in that past.

In the Marine Corps, there is a motto, Semper Fidelis, Always Faithful.  Yet, if Marines are truly honest, we know that they are not always faithful in their relationships.  But that can never be said of God.  He is always faithful!

On patrol w/children in Ar Ramadi

Just look at his actions in the past.  God faithfully delivered his people out of Egypt with the ten plagues.  And when they came to the Red Sea and Pharaoh’s army was pursuing them God parted the sea and allowed them to walk on dry ground.  God was Semper Fidelis then.  And when Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego were thrown into the fiery furnace, God sent a holy angel to protect them from the intense heat.  Semper Fidelis - once again.  And when Daniel was in the lion’s den, our faithful God rescued him by closing the mouths of the hungry lions.  Yes, God was faithful in the past. 

Iraqi Boys writing in English

And God is faithful now.  He is faithful to you.  Just think about it.  Has there ever been a day in your life that gravity didn’t work?  Has there ever been a day that the sun didn’t come up?  You may not have seen it one day but it still rose!  Has there ever been a day that you didn’t have enough air to breathe? 

Iraqi Children playing soccer

God is faithful.  He was so in the past, he is today and God will be tomorrow.  This comforts us.  That same faithful God is the God who is with the Marine on post and sends his holy angels to surround him.  That same faithful God goes with the Marine and Sailor every time they go on patrol.  That same Semper Fidelis God is with the families back home who wait and pray eagerly anticipating the return of their loved one.

Yes, the Marine Corps has a proud history and the Marines today add to it daily.  Yet, we as Christian people have a past just as honored and rich.  And because our God is Semper Fidelis our future will be just as bright!

Local corner store

Prayer Requests:

• Chaplain Prince’s family – especially Hannah who misses daddy and has been acting out to express herself.
• For the Iraqi children who have known nothing but war, death and destruction all of their lives.
• For the continued partnership between Iraqi /Coalition Forces.
• For the new city council of Ar Ramadi and all leaders.

An Iraqi couple entering a checkpoint to get into the city of Ar Ramadi

July Correspondence

I went out to visit my guys yesterday like I always do.  I went to one of the Iraqi Police stations where there are also my Marines and some US Army.  Anyway, the Marines had gotten two lambs and a goat from the Iraqis.  They were out behind the station building a fence and then making some shade with some netting.  I jumped in to help.  For a moment it felt as if I was home in Indiana . The Marines plan to have a feast the week before we come home.

August 2007 Newsletter

Chaplain’s Corner

August 2007

In the shade of a 7 ton waiting on a ride
(It can get as hot as 120 degrees here)

My seven month deployment is now half way finished.  To me, a runner, that means that I have reached the turn around point.  You see, before hitting that turn around with every step I went further away from the finish line, from where I want to be.  But at the halfway point, I turned around and now I am headed home.  With every step, with every breath I draw closer to the finish.  

New Life

These words are words that I have shared these past few weeks with my Marines and Sailors in order to encourage them.  I also remind them that we are still only half way finished.  You have to run just as far back as you went out and at the end there is a sprint. 

If you look at the deployment as climbing a mountain, it means that I have reached the summit.  Of course, there is a sense of accomplishment in that moment.  Yet now, I have to go down.  The same amount of effort or perhaps more is what is needed to complete the mission and to go home.  My hope and my faith remind me daily of you at home who wait at the finish. 

Marines in worship

And although the race is long, ministry challenging, and transportation to and from places at times frustrating, I am truly privileged to see God at work in the lives of these Marines/Sailors.  Weekly, I lead several Bible studies/confirmation classes, counsel five to eight people, and visit ten to twelve locations providing a service for seventy or eighty people.

Please Pray For:

·         God to strengthen me with the runner’s “second wind.”

School Supplies for Iraqi Children

Beginning in the month of July, the congregations from Peace Lutheran Church and Zion Lutheran Church in Seymour, Indiana, started collecting school supplies to be sent to Chaplain Prince for distribution in Ramadi in response to correspondence with Chaplain Prince in late April (see above).  On July 30th, the collected supplies were gathered and kits made.  38 kits were made which included: scissors, 12-inch rulers with metric markings, pencils, pencil sharpeners, erasers, colored pencils, notebook paper, composition books, folders, and pencil bags.

	Members from Zion and  Peace assemble completed kits

The first shipment of kits was made on July 31.  Chaplain Prince received them on August 15th, not bad for a box weighing just over 50 lbs. Hats off to the United States Military Post Office and the USPS!!  

The school supplies collection effort continues as both Immanuel Lutheran School in Seymour and St. Peter's Lutheran School in Columbus are also collecting supplies.  This campaign is scheduled to wrap up at the end of September.

US News and World Report Article

1^st Brigade, 3^rd Infantry Division

Media Update

6 August 2007

Iraq 's Less-Mean Streets

By Stephanie Gaskell, US News and World Report

Once the most dangerous place in Iraq , the self-proclaimed capital of the Sunni insurgency, Ramadi has become a bustling, largely peaceful city where residents are starting to repair the damage of nearly four years of heavy fighting.

The dramatic transformation here and in much of western Anbar province is the result of the local Sunni tribal leaders' decision to cooperate with U.S. forces against the Sunni terrorist group al Qaeda in Iraq. So while violence rages in and around Baghdad , U.S. soldiers and marines are heartened by such simple sights as a man out washing his car. "Now there's a sign of hope," says Marine Capt. Marcus Mainz. "If a guy is worried about getting killed, he's not going to wash his car."

Awakening.

A Bush administration eager to show progress now points to Ramadi, which has undergone an extraordinary change in the past three months. While real, this "Anbar Awakening" may be unsustainable unless the Shiite-led Iraqi government advances political reconciliation. One danger sign: Six cabinet ministers from the main Sunni political bloc quit the government last week to protest inaction by the Shiite leadership.

Still, the improved situation here comes as some relief to the U.S. military, which not long ago had counted an average of 10 to 15 attacks a day in Ramadi alone; now, there's about one attack a day, and no Americans have been reported killed in the city since mid-May (versus seven in July 2006). Elsewhere in Anbar, five Americans were killed in July, one more than in June but far fewer than the 19 in July 2006.

Abandoned buildings are being refurbished or torn down to make way for new ones. Schools and mosques get priority. "The terrorists tried to kill our education system," remarks local contractor Saad Hammad Al Sharki. "Without that, it makes it easier for the people of Ramadi to join them. So we had to fix the schools and the youth centers first."

The main marketplace is once again busy. Cars are still restricted, to pre-empt car bombs, so people rely on bicycles. Most residents have electricity for as much as 17 hours a day, and the city water system is running again. Sewer lines are being repaired. The government center, practically leveled by insurgent bombings, is open, and a Chamber of Commerce center is being built to help local businesses. The Justice Center is due to open soon to handle criminal cases against detainees. There are even plans to install solar-powered street lights and to plant trees in parks. "The rest of Iraq should look to Ramadi as an example of what can be done—not only for fighting the terrorists but for rebuilding the city," says Sheik Abdul Sattar al-Rishawi, who organized the Anbar Awakening after his father and three brothers were killed by al Qaeda in Iraq .

Stakeholders.

Residents' fear that terrorists would kill anyone who cooperated with American forces dissipated once U.S.-funded contracts were approved and no one was killed when the work began. It's all part of the military's "clear, hold, and build" strategy. "The third component [of that strategy] is to maintain stability because if not, that creates conditions where the insurgents can come back," says Col. John Charlton, commander of the 1st Brigade Combat Team of the Army's 3rd Infantry Division, which oversees Ramadi. "We created local councils [and] we route all the decisions through them. That builds stakeholders in the community."

Since April, more than $15 million worth of reconstruction projects have been completed here, mostly rubble removal. And there's another $50 million in projects ongoing, approved, or proposed. The Iraqi government has pledged $45 million but hasn't delivered much of it.

That's the sort of inaction that reinforces Sunni anger toward the government. "Funding from the Iraqi government is the one thing that's holding everything back," says Marine Lt. James Hanson. "It also discredits the Iraqi government because the people are looking to us for help, when they should be looking to their own government."  

St. Peter's Lutheran School Collects School Supplies for the Iraqi Children

St. Peter's Lutheran School in Columbus, IN. responded to the need in Iraq by collecting school supplies to be sent to Chaplain Prince for distribution in Ramadi.  The students brought in materials during the first three weeks of school.  All in all, these young Christians gathered enough supplies to assemble 75 complete kits to be shipped to Chaplain Prince.  In addition, their chapel offerings were also sent to Pastor Prince to use as he sees fit in his ministry.  What an awesome effort!!  Praise be to God, from whom all blessings flow.

School Supplies for Iraqi Children Effort Concludes

Thank you, Thank you, Thank you - Thank you for your contributions of school supplies for Iraqi children.  Through the combined efforts of Immanuel Lutheran School , Seymour,  Peace Lutheran Church , Seymour, St. Peters Lutheran School , Columbus , and Zion Lutheran Church , Seymour, a total of 181 complete supply kits along with over 100 pounds of extra and miscellaneous supplies have been sent to Chaplain Prince for distribution in Ramadi , Iraq .  Thank you for making a difference and showing your support for Pastor Prince, our military and the Iraqi people.

October Correspondence

Friends of 3/7,

The last day to mail packages to Iraq is October 10. Signs of homecoming!  Thanks for supporting us.

Respectfully,  Chaplain Prince

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I heard Aaron's installation was a great success. I am glad Peace finally has a pastor. I will be around IN., Dec 15 or so for two weeks. Maybe I'll see you then.  God bless, Matt

Chaplain Prince's Deployment Ends

I am back in the States and celebrated Thanksgiving with the family.  Matt

Supplies and Correspondence May Be Mailed To:

Chaplain Matthew Prince
H & S Co.
Unit 41575
FPO AP 96426-1575