JOINT BASE BALAD, Iraq - The Air Force Theater Hospital here looks and sounds like any other hospital in a major U.S. city. Doctors, nurses and other medics move along and treat various patients while an overhead announcement calls for a doctor.
Wounds start to mend here. Some are easy to see, while others hide below the surface. A unique team at Joint Base Balad specializes in healing wounds so deep they can damage the very spirit.
Chaplain (Maj.) Wendell Rome and Staff Sgt. Terry Mueth, a chaplain assistant, are both assigned to the 332nd Air Expeditionary Wing and stop and talk to patients and medics alike offering prayer, comfort or even just a shoulder to cry on. They walk the floors of the hospital unafraid and determined to help anyone that needs it.
The hospital here is the equivalent of a level-one trauma center stateside. With a daily average of more than 100 patients treated for various medical problems, the hospital boasts a 98 percent survival rate for U.S. servicemembers injured in combat.
To support these patients, two religious support teams work at the hospital 24 hours a day. In addition to Chaplain Rome and Sergeant Mueth covering the day shift, Chaplain (Capt.) James Patterson from Lackland Air Force Base, Texas, and Senior Airman Thomas Myers Jr., a chaplain assistant from Malmstrom AFB, Mont., fill the night shift. Together, they make their presence known through the hospital and associated operations.
"When I think of warrior care, I think of three aspects," said Chaplain Rome, a National Guard member deployed from Des Moines, Iowa. "There is physical, mental and spiritual pain, and that is why we are here."
Chaplain Rome starts his day by sharing an inspirational thought at the morning's staff meeting. Then he and Sergeant Mueth, who is deployed from Little Rock AFB, Ark., attend morning rounds, during which they visit and sometimes pray with patients.
"We will pray with any servicemember who may be injured," Chaplain Rome said. "They may need us to go to them, hold their hands and pray."
The religious support team accommodates everyone's religious needs, Chaplain Rome said. Outside their office one can find different translations of the Bible, the Quran in -- English and Arabic -- and a Book of Mormon.
"We help people repair themselves," said Chaplain Rome, a native of New Orleans. "It encourages them and helps get them through injury and recovery."
"I have only witnessed from afar while the Chaplain administers to the injured and sick" said Lt. Col. (Dr.) Carlos Esquivel, a 332nd Expeditionary Medical Operations Squadron ear, nose and throat surgeon. "The expression the patients have during and after the process speaks only of peace and thankfulness that the Chaplain was there at their bedside."
"It's necessary to have a chaplain here for a patient's well-being" said Capt. (Dr.) Dave Hume of the 332nd Expeditionary Aerospace Medical Squadron. "A patient who is spiritual heals faster with the help of the chaplains."
When a trauma patient arrives at the hospital, the religious support team responds alongside the other care givers.
The religious support team does more than help patients; they also spend a lot of time with the hospital staff, counseling them on subjects such as combat stress and marriage and family issues.
"They have excellent consulting services, ranging from relationships, marriage or spiritual questions," said Dr. Esquivel, who deployed from Lackland AFB, Texas. "I have participated in a 10-step program for spiritual growth in my daily life to include marriage and family. The program has made the deployment here more rewarding. I am very grateful to have the chaplain staff here at the hospital."
"Taking care of the staff is critical," Chaplain Rome said. "In particular, after we lose a patient everyone is emotionally exhausted. That is when we provide them an avenue of support and encouragement."
In order for the medics to breathe, reflect and to say goodbye, a detail is immediately formed at the side of the departed. It is a reverent and respectful service for the departed servicemember during which the staff, friends and others who wish to attend honor the ultimate sacrifice of the warrior. The chaplain leads the detail. A flag is placed on the body and a team of six moves the remains to a holding facility in preparation for transport back to the warrior's home.
"The chaplain sets the tone for the detail in accordance with the servicemember's religion," Chaplain Rome said.
While the chaplain is busy during the detail, the chaplain's assistant observes the staff, looking for those who might need a little bit more care.
"We are the chaplain's eyes and ears," said Sergeant Mueth, a native of Collinsville, Ill.
As medics hand out medicine and change bandages to help with healing, the chaplain and his assistant make their rounds to the staff.
Chaplain Rome and Sergeant Mueth deliver goods that people and charities in the United States have donated. They give out items such as jars of apple cobbler, phone cards and quilts.
"The donations come from various people who want to help out the effort here," Sergeant Mueth said. "They support us by giving donations to help us feel better."
"Where we fit into warrior care is critical," Chaplain Rome said. "The most important part of a person is his spirituality."