This is part of a series shared ecumenically with members to whom I was assigned; the goal was to start conversation and deep thought, and many of these messages led to great conversations.
Bullets, Beans, Bandages, and Training
Original Publication Date: 13 June 2025
If you checked the news this morning you saw that Israel struck Iran last night and is bracing for a counterstrike. From a chaplain/spiritual standpoint I’m addressing this because I had five conversations in the squadron yesterday when this was just a rumor, and a couple more this morning; if seven of us are thinking about this, that’s a trend, and worth addressing. All of those conversations touched on preparedness, uncertainty for the future, and personal responsibility.
Being Air Commandos, you are more aware than the average Airman or American that the world is a dangerous and unstable place. It’d be easy to sit in our cozy corner of New Mexico and ignore that there are people in the world would do great harm to others if given the chance, but if we ignored those signs, we wouldn’t prepare for the challenges of the future, and we’d lose.
When hostilities commence, LRS likes to say, “We can send you more bullets, beans, and bandages.” But what they can’t send you is more training or preparedness; what you have available on the day you need it is what you’ve got. I had a Command Chief whose motto was, “Stay Ready to Be Ready!” Every time I heard her say that, I was reminded of one of Aesop’s Fables, called “The Wild Boar and the Fox”. Because the copyright ran out about two-and-a-half millennia ago, here it is in full:
A Wild Boar was sharpening his tusks busily against the stump of a tree, when a Fox happened by. Now the Fox was always looking for a chance to make fun of his neighbors. So he made a great show of looking anxiously about, as in fear of some hidden enemy. But the Boar kept right on with his work.
“Why are you doing that?” asked the Fox at last with a grin. “There isn’t any danger that I can see.”
“True enough,” replied the Boar, “but when danger does come there will not be time for such work as this. My weapons will have to be ready for use then, or I shall suffer for it.”
Preparedness for war is the best guarantee of peace. (Source/Translation by the Library of Congress)
When I initially think of staying ready I think of maintaining our base, our CV-22s and MQ-9s, our tools, our upgrade training, and keeping our readiness trackers green. While important, that is just a piece of our mission and life. There is so much more to prepare for and grow into to get ready for the challenges that lay ahead. I gave a brief recently to a group of deployers and I mentioned that I trusted that they were well trained to do the job the Air Force assigned to them. One NCO in the audience beamed at this statement. But then I mentioned that I was less convinced they were all ready to spiritually face the challenges ahead; I don’t know why, but that NCOs countenance fell.
How about you? Are you ready if you’re called upon tomorrow? How are you preparing yourself spiritually today so you can face challenges tomorrow? Is your perseverance honed? Are your tusks sharp?
I’ve asked NDI for a “Hope Scanner”, something that can non-destructively measure how spiritually fit you are. It would make my job a lot easier, but so far they haven’t delivered, so we’ve got to self-analyze.
I’d like to encourage you today to consider what you believe about where you came from, why you’re here, and what happens after you die. For First Amendment reasons it’s not right for me to impose any answers, but studies have shown if you can answer those questions, no matter your answers, and you’re involved in a community, then all of your spiritual fitness measurements will increase (There’s much more to the studies than that, but that’s the gist). When it comes to war, we don’t want a fair fight; we want the best equipment, the best training, the best support, and the best chance of coming home physically intact. I want you to equally improve your chances of coming home spiritually intact with no regrets, and for you to bring home your Wingmen in the same great shape.
A battlefield chaplain can potentially help you do that, just like a CV-22 can save the day by bringing in the Bullets, Beans, and Bandages in the heat of the moment; but you’ll be in a much better place if you can figure it out now before you need it. Standing by if I or SrA Darst can help!
“Stay Ready to Be Ready!” ~ CMSgt (R) Rochelle Hemingway
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