In A Table in the Presence, Chaplain Lt. Carey Cash delivers a powerful firsthand account of how the 1st Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment (or 1/5 Marines) experienced God's presence amidst the chaos and carnage of war. The thousand-strong Fightin' Fifth was the first ground combat force to roll across the border into Iraq in March 2003, saw the first man killed in action by the enemy, and fought what many believe to be the most decisive battle in the taking of downtown Baghdad. Cash tells a story of courage, strength, and inspiration as he weaves the prayers which sustained and strengthened his Marines with the vivid and sobering images and sounds of war.In the 40 days leading up to the war, the Marines waited in the northern desert of Kuwait, restless and wondering if the war would ever begin. Iraqi Scud missile scares had become a way of life for the battalion, and there was no shortage of rumors about fierce enemy forces awaiting them in Iraq. Cash asserts that even in the face of such enemies and uncertainty, all other battle preparations paled in comparison to the soldiers' need for God:
After all the training, all the physical conditioning hikes, all the strategy sessions, all the intelligence briefs, all the live-fire rifle ranges, it had come to this - a decisive moment and a sincere prayer. We stood together in a circle, asking God for help, for strength, and for courage. A hunger for God and for spiritual resolution swept through the camp as the men realized their mission; indeed, the removal of a murderous dictator and the liberation of an oppressed people were no small tasks. Day and night Chaplain Cash talked with young Marines about life, death, salvation, heaven, hell, forgiveness, broken relationships, and learning to trust again.
Just two weeks before the ground battle began, Chaplain Cash baptized 49 Marines and Sailors. He says the spiritual desires of the Marines became more acute as they prepared for war:
It has always been in places of barrenness and isolation, where the heart of man begins to perceive that which, in the midst of his fast-paced life, he never could....[H]is needs become simplified and yet more urgent; his ears become more sensitive and able to hear those gentle songs of heaven beginning to resonate in his soul. He looks out on the vast but beautiful night sky filled with thousands of brilliant stars, and he is reminded of a Creator. And in this all-consuming quiet, he is confronted with his own emptiness, his own spiritual poverty. Cash claims that the spiritual soundness of our warriors is as important as their mental and physical fortitude. For in God, Cash writes, they find the strength, wisdom, decisiveness, and courage needed to do their jobs. When asked, God gives both clarity of thought and inner peace to men as another protective layer of armor on the battlefield.
Cash includes dozens of the many hundreds of letters his battalion received from Americans praying for them to have courage and strength on the battlefield. These prayers from strangers affected and inspired his men, encouraging the soldiers to see God's power as He answered these prayers. Although Cash's gripping narrative brings to light the horror and reality of war, it also includes the quiet moments after combat in which Marines spontaneously gathered to give thanks to God for sustaining them through battle.
Cash's dramatic writing captures the fear, honor and courage of the 1/5 Marines. As the Marines come face-to-face with rocket-wielding enemies, heavy gunfire, and what sometimes seems certain defeat, readers are left breathless and God's omnipresence is affirmed. In one instance, an RPG fired at pointblank range literally dodged a Marine who stood just yards away, locked in the enemy's sights. Chaplain Cash includes countless testimonies of Marines escaping sure injury and death. In doing so, he makes a compelling argument that the primary reason for so few injuries and deaths in his battalion was the Divine protection of the Almighty.
Readers will come to know and even love the brave men of the Fightin' Fifth. In the epilogue Cash respectfully and movingly honors those men who fell on the battlefield, and offers his thoughts on why some of his men did not come home. It is a section of the book that deserves contemplation and revisiting.
While reading about how active God has been in protecting American soldiers, it is absolutely offensive to remember the many lawsuits and other attempts to remove God from our military schools.
A Table in the Presence leaves no question as to the importance of prayer and the sustaining power of God's love. Cash's testimony about the 1/5 Marines pays tribute to God, honors our troops, and will surely uplift and inspire his readers.
Emily Cochran is a freelance writer in Washington, D.C.
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