March 11, 2002
Survivor of 'Black Hawk Down' now a chaplain
___LOUISVILLE, Ky. (BP)--Jeff Struecker never asked to be famous. Two days in Mogadishu, Somalia, though, forever changed his life.
___Those two days--Oct. 3-4, 1993--began as a peacekeeping mission but ended in a firefight that left 18 American soldiers dead.
___Somalis dragged the bodies of dead soldiers through the streets, and Americans witnessed it all on the evening news.
___Struecker was there, recovering the bodies of his fallen comrades and rescuing his fellow soldiers.
CAPT. MIKE SHELLMAN, a chaplain with the 2nd Battalion, 187th Infantry Regiment, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) helps comfort a soldier who was hit with shrapnel in Sirkankel March 3 as U.S.-led troops prepared a fierce mountain assault on entrenched al Qaeda and Taliban forces in Afghanistan. Hundreds of military chaplains of various faiths are involved with the troops both in Afghanistan and in other locations where soldiers are involved in the war on terrorism.
___The events are those days are portrayed in the new box-office hit "Black Hawk Down." Brian Van Holt plays Struecker's character.
___Struecker, a graduate of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Ky., now serves as chaplain for an Army field artillery battalion in the 82nd Airborne stationed at Fort Bragg, N.C.
___Due to interest generated by the new movie and by a corresponding cable-TV documentary on the History Channel, Struecker has conducted more than 20 interviews with media outlets, including ABC's "Good Morning America."
___During each interview, Struecker shares his faith in Jesus Christ, explaining what brought him through the battle.
___"I tell people that I had a strong faith when I went there, but God really strengthened it while I was there and now I have a belief that transcends death," he said. "Really, it's a peace that God gave me that most soldiers didn't have."
___After the battle in Mogadishu, Struecker discovered many of his fellow soldiers were searching for answers. The on-site chaplain, though, had none, and did little to assist the soldiers' spiritual needs, he said.
___That experience was part of his preparation for full-time ministry, he believes. Strucker now serves as pastor to 500 soldiers and their families.
___The Baptist minister has been pleasantly surprised with the media coverage he has received. He initially feared reporters would edit out references to his faith. However, that has not been the case. The History Channel documentary even includes a comment from Struecker about him praying.
___Struecker finds similar opportunities to express his faith in conversation with the soliders at Fort Bragg.
___"I've had the privilege to stand before my men while the U.S. is conducting offensive actions against the Taliban in Afghanistan," Struecker said. "And I could say, 'Listen, this could be you, and it could be soon. And if you are not sure of your eternal destiny, then we need to talk.' It gave me the opportunity to share my faith. Since then, I've seen dozens of my soldiers come to Christ.
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