Chaplain Emilio Marrero, Jr.
FaithWalk Publishing

A Quiet Reality, subtitled A Chaplain’s Journey into Babylon, Iraq, with the I Marine Expeditionary Force, is not just another war story.  A Quiet Reality is unique both for the perspective it lends — a chaplain to US Marines during the invasion of Iraq — and the story it tells — the interaction of the US military with the historic site of Babylon, Iraq.

Chaplain Marrero’s story isn’t told in pure narrative.  Rather, each chapter follows an almost sermon-like style, with a well-told narrative followed by a more deliberate explanation and analysis, with a concluding faith-based story or analogy.  In each case, no matter how dramatic the tale, Chaplain Marrero is able to articulate the “quiet reality” of his experiences. It is a formula that works very well.

The crux of the story is Chaplain Marrero’s work with local Iraqis and US Marines to protect and explore the historic site of Babylon, which was located next to the I MEF camp.  Through a significant initiative on Chaplain Marrero’s part, the ruins of the ancient palace of Nebuchadnezzar would eventually be included within the protective lines of the Marine camp.  With his coordination, members of the military — and even US congressmen — would eventually be taken on tours of the ruins.  Local Iraqis would be employed in the ruins and take advantage of the opportunity to open a market to sell their wares to the visiting Americans.  Ultimately, Chaplain Marrero was key to the orderly handover of the site to the Iraqi Ministry of Culture.

Notably, Chaplain Marrero provides outstanding explanations and perspectives on the roles and purposes of military chaplains.  For example, in counseling a junior chaplain who refused to leave his tent (he wanted to “preach, not go to war”), Chaplain Marrero says

I attempted to pastorally respond and yet remind him of our unusual role so I retorted with, “If you don’t walk with them, live with them, and suffer with them, then with what credible authority can you come to share with them?”

Our relevancy as clergy, in uniform and out of uniform, is rooted in that we have walked with the people and having endured with them.  In that journey with our people we can then point to places and times where God intersects with us in the journey…Even to those who profess no religious belief chaplains hope to serve as a reminder of that which is moral and ethical in our society.

The chaplain also provides an interesting explanation of the integration of the chaplaincy within the Navy, where chaplains are essentially assigned to commands, which differs slightly from the other services, where chaplains are generally assigned to individual units.

A Quiet Reality is well-written, and the occasional typo or verbose narrative is easily overlooked.  The story does largely focus on Marrero’s role as a staff chaplain, meaning there are few references to leading individual religious services or other chaplain roles like counseling, though Chaplain Marrero continued to fulfill those duties.  Still, the unique perspective and excellent content make A Quiet Reality well worth the read.

A Quiet Reality is Recommended and is available at Amazon. (This site is an Amazon Associate and may earn from qualifying purchases made through Amazon referrals.)

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