Palmer returned to his unit in time to conduct Easter worship. But in the aftermath of those intense days, details and correspondence revealed a more complex story—one that apparently had taken its toll on Palmer and soldiers of the Army’s 2nd Battalion. A New England Town Meeting e-mail from the synod office indicated that Palmer had been providing support to soldiers who witnessed an Iraqi boy deliberately shot and killed while riding his bicycle. It was discovered that the boy was unarmed. The e-mail says the alleged incident involved two soldiers of Palmer’s brigade. Palmer apparently went up the chain of command to ensure an appropriate investigation into the shooting. Synod Bishop Margaret Payne requested prayers among Glenn’s ministerial colleagues for Palmer, his wife, Pam, their two children, and the battalion. She encouraged “a ‘wait and see’ attitude until the whole truth is known” and indicated Palmer is “working with the military to address his concerns.” An investigation of the shooting death of an unarmed Iraqi boy is ongoing, says Maj. Pete Mitchell of U.S. Central Command Public Affairs at McDill Air Force Base in Florida.
It wouldn’t be unusual—in fact, it would be standard operating procedure—for a chaplain who has heard something disturbing from soldiers to report it to the commanding officer, says Ivan Ives, ELCA interim executive assistant for federal chaplaincies.

Weeks later, in a follow up story in the Lutheran magazine, Palmer was quoted as saying, "I was able to minister to the two soldiers who witnessed the incident and reported it me," Palmer said. "I assured them ... that they did the hard, right thing. One soldier chose to get out of the Army and the other, a career ... officer of 14 years, is still angry and upset about the whole incident and its aftermath." He says he prays all involved in the Karbala shooting will be "touched by God's grace" so there will be "confession, repentance and healing."

                    Julie Sevig, David L. Miller and Elizabeth Hunter contributed to this article.

Well things are pretty much the same over here. Deadly. Had "last rites" with another young man last week. He was the victim of an RPG attack. Not a pretty sight. I had nigthmare for a few nights after, which is typical for me after "last rites". Usually passes in a few days. We have lost 5 soldiers and had 70 wounded so far. So much has changed since we arrived in Bagdahd. I used to take soldiers out to Restaurants and for ice cream but no more. Daily our life is punctuated by AK-47 fire, Mortar attacks, RPG's (Rocket propelled grenades) and the most frightening IED's (Improvised Explosive Devices) that I have seen cost my friends their arms, eyes and ear drums. It is nasty stuff. We were attacked twice last night alone by mortars. In the past 11 days 37 soldiers have died. For every 1 killed there are 7 wounded. Life here is a crap shoot of hoping "today is not my day". So much for "progress" huh?? Our soldiers don’t see and feel the "progress". The attacks have increased and we feel like "sitting ducks". We haven't lost anyone to those mythical WMD's (Weapons of Mass Destruction) yet. A friend of mine is our chemical officer. He says "There aren't any. There weren't any."

There are good things happening. Today we took soccer balls to local schools and visited a Youth Center that the US is rebuilding. We are helping rebuild schools and hospitals. The problem is that those same people we are helping are often the ones who may be attacking us. One never really knows who is friend and foe. Even the kids who wave at us will throw rocks at us. I had a rock hit the windshield of the Humvee I was driving while I was going 55mph. The kid who threw it was about 12 years old. Another few inches and I would have been hurt seriously. We are into our 9th month and now being told that we will be leaving "sometime" in February. No hard dates yet. The Re-deployment planning has been planned about as well as the rest of Operation Iraqi Freedom. Needless to say being away from home for a full year doesn't do much for morale. In the midst of this very difficult situation our soldeirs serve honorably, do their duty, hope they or their buddies don't die at the hand of a random unseen enemy and are doing all they can to help the Iraqi people You should be proud of the men and women who serve over here.

As for me I stay positive for the soldiers. I go where they go and do what they do. I lead Bible studies, worship and prayer Breakfasts. I do a lot of counseling and I have conducted 250 Combat Stress Debriefings. Most of us will be here for a full year without a day off and it wears people out. I teach them how to practice self care and how to appreciate the good things in life, i.e. God and the relationships God has given them. Being so close to death causes one to slow down and re-evaluate and re-examine what is truly important. I encourage them to be more forgiving and gentle men when they return home, to be Tender Warriors. Many of them have lost their wives due to infidelity and I journey with them through that pain. I also teach them healthy Reunion skills….