Feature 1: Bryan Returns from Deployment

Science teacher and local outdoor guru Christopher Bryan recently returned from his second year-long deployment tour for the United States Army all throughout the Middle East. He traveled through Kuwait, Syria, Saudi Arabia, Afghanistan, Iran, Iraq, Dubai and the UAE. He served as a chaplain for his soldiers overseas. The role of a chaplain is a very important one, as Mr. Bryan was in charge of taking care of the morale and spiritual well-being of all of the soldiers deployed with him and their families. Mr. Bryan’s soldiers also come from very different backgrounds or religious groups. Regardless of this, Mr. Bryan’s job remains the same. He has to make sure that there is no discrimination of any sort happening among his troops.

Leaving the States was hard for Mr. Bryan, and likely equally as difficult for his wife, Seabury English teacher Cris Bryan. “It’s hard to take care of the jobs for two people when you are only one person,” says Mrs. Bryan. “But I was able to get into a routine faster because I knew what to expect. We’re a military family. This is what we do. Not excited about it, but we have done it before so we can do it again.”

Mrs. Bryan also touched on the fact that it removes a good bit of stress having a soldier overseas in the modern era because of communication. She says that they had daily communication via Facetime or text, and a small window of time in which they were both awake. Despite this, Mrs. Bryan says that it is always difficult having a loved one overseas. “It was hard knowing that he was in a dangerous situation,” says Mrs. Bryan. Though the second deployment was easier, Mrs. Bryan says, it still takes an adjustment. “The transition of him coming back home has been easier this time because we know not to have really high expectations about our lives being exactly like they were before he left because that is just not realistic,” says Mrs. Bryan. “We’ve been having some grace for each other. I don’t expect him to do everything he was doing before and he doesn’t expect me to do everything I was doing before.”

Mr. Bryan made his first appearance at Seabury in a year the Monday before last, and was welcomed back with a standing ovation. Mr. Bryan brings back with him a memory rich with the experiences of his trip, but at the same time, he says he missed the culture of Seabury, his friends and family and his supportive church community. He says, “The hardest part about being away is missing out on the simple events of daily life...but there is no way to revisit the smaller things: the everyday ups and downs of living. I missed walking through life with all of you just as you missed it with me.”

Recounting the most memorable parts of his deployment in the Middle East, Mr. Bryan remembers everything from encounters with locals to being in the shadow of the tallest building in the world. To name a few, Mr. Bryan says, “Flying in a helicopter above the palaces, palm groves, and the Tigris River in Baghdad, waiting for herds of camels to cross the road in Kuwait, taking my Soldiers to see Roman ruins at Jerash and the baptism site of Jesus in Jordan and the hospitality of the Jordanian people, where strangers on the street invited us to share their meal at the end of the last day of Ramadan.”

With these breathtaking experiences comes the fact that he and his soldiers were not always in the safest position. He says, “We traveled through some dangerous territory, and came within sight of the front line in Syria. Driving on the highways was probably the most dangerous thing we did on a regular basis.” Mr. Bryan describes his soldiers as “some of the most talented and selfless people I have ever known.” This ended up being the most rewarding part of the experience for Mr. Bryan. He says, “My favorite part of the whole experience was caring for my soldiers, being present during their triumphs and struggles, praying with and for them and making sure they each had the opportunity and freedom to worship according to their faith.” If you ask him, he will be able to tell you much more than this story can. Welcome back Mr. Bryan!

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