Samantha in the hospital, Day 1

Samantha was admitted to Children's Hospital Wisconsin in Milwaukee yesterday afternoon around 2:00pm. It is fairly normal for a Cystic Fibrosis (CF) patient to need a hospital stay periodically to kill off all the things that are making life difficult for her lungs and let her body heal. Alicia and I have been hoping for a few days that they would admit her, but the local hospital in Lake Forest, IL was sure they could handle it locally. That was frustrating, but doesn't belong in this post.

Alicia was a champ. Listen, she's a mom who knows what's up and knows how to take care of her kids. Friday morning Sam was in respiratory distress and not getting better. Alicia basically told the medical staff that we were taking Sam to Milwaukee. By the time we checked in, her O2 stats were 91 (and would fall to 89 within a few hours) and her pfts were in the 40s. She made the right call.

Sam's CF doctor said that she was very nervous for Sam and her staff were on it from the minute we got to the hospital. I just love watching a team in "go" mode. Whether if its on a ship or in a hospital, a team on the move is impressive. Sam was in her own isolation room by 3:00 pm and had a PICC line shortly after that.

Once she got settled in, Alicia and Tim played some games with her to help ease the tension. All did great.

Then it came time to do the first of what will be many breathing treatments. Here are some pictures. We had a great child specialist come in with art supplies. Sam really liked her and liked getting to put things together. Yet another reason we're grateful for the medical staff.

After she was through with the nubulized pulmozyme, the respiratory therapist started her on oxygen because of her low O2 stats.

And poor Hannah, who went almost nine hours without a nap, was a trooper as well and had a wonderful attitude all day. Here she is however, starting to really fade towards the end of visiting hours. She's so precious!

All in all, it was a successful day. We wanted Sam to be admitted for treatment, and she was. It was so good to see the doctors respond in a positive way. Hannah was asleep before we got out of the parking lot and slept the whole way home and most of the night.

I'll update you on Day 2 tonight! Thanks for praying! Keep them coming!

The Military Sexual Assault Problem

You don't have to be a Christian to be disturbed at the recent testimony in the House regarding the military's sexual assault problem. Rape is real, it really happens inside the military, and in organizations that tout core values such as the Navy's Honor, Courage, and Commitment, it's unthinkable.

And yet it happens. Too often.

According to recent reports (Click Here), there are some 38 attacks on males a day and 33 attacks on females. I didn't watch Mr. Lewis' testimony at yesterday's meeting, but I have heard his testimony before and it's powerful. He's down to earth, humble, and sincere. I suggest you listen to it as well.

As I said earlier, you don't have to be a Christian to be disappointed in the sexual assault numbers. Further, you don't have to be a Christian in order to want to do something. However, I would suggest that if you are a Christian and don't want to do something about it, then you're missing the point of your faith. We don't ignore problems. We fix them.

While none of my Sailors has ever had to bring charges on someone, I have had to help a few students that received training by my sailors get started in the reporting process. It's a small part to play, but I did it. More than what I've done, however, I applaud those who are believers and Sexual Assault Prevention and Response (SAPR) Advocates. Again, you don't have to be a Christian to want this to stop, but I am very proud of those who are Christians and are doing something active to achieve this end.

Rape is absolutely counter to everything the military teaches. I have absolutely zero tolerance or sympathy for those who are convicted of an assault. It's just pathetic, and I'm glad guys like Lewis are bringing it to the forefront with his testimony before Congress. 

A Post Chaplain World?

It would be difficult to imagine, but someday, I believe the US military will be without chaplains, at least in the traditional sense. Now, I also assume that the overall church situation in America will, over time, begin to crumble. From an escatological point of view, it has to in order to see prophecies come true. However, I also assume this larger breakdown because I just see some empirical information that suggests it is headed that way. That is a matter for a different post. Back to the subject at hand:

Traditionally, chaplains perform regular religious services in their faith background, ensure that other faiths have the means and ability to perform their services, provide counsel to the command in matters regarding faith and crew morale, and, perhaps most frequently, provide counseling services to crew members. This is a bit simplified, but in general, it's accurate.

As faith slowly takes a back seat to a growing new reality in America, I suspect that the counseling services will take a greater role while the traditional religious services role will diminish. Already, because of manning concerns, smaller ships frequently (some always) go without a chaplain.

Yet service members on those ships, and in this future Navy that I foresee coming, hold services to maintain a core nucleus of the faith on most ships. It will not be true on every ship, or every command, but in some ships, believers will always gather. So do I see a post-chaplain Navy coming? Yes. Am I worried about it? No.