Photo by John Chew, Directorate of Information Management Chaplain (Maj. Gen.) Douglas Carver

Hope is the ìexpectation, anticipation and belief that help is one the way,î said Maj. Gen. Douglas L. Carver, the U.S. Army chief of chaplains since last year.

ìHope is confident assurance of the goodness of God,î he added.

Carver, who began his career as a field artilleryman, said Easter is about hope. ìPerhaps the first Easter witnesses did not have hope on their minds and in their hearts. They went to anoint a dead body, but when they went to the tomb theirs and our lives had been changed.

ìWhat happened at that garden tomb was the fact that death had been conquered,î Carver continued. ìThe door of eternity had been opened and hope was born.

ìHope springs from the heart,î Carver said, adding that most people hope for happy endings. ìWe expect justice, and we hope for long and lasting peace. The world at this moment is looking for hope, change, help, solution, remedy, an answer to our problems. We hope for a stable economy, a clean environment, a cure for all diseases, an end to war and victory over terror and evil.î

Carver said the first place to find hope is in a relationship with God.

Other ìunlikelyî places hope can be found are in Arlington Cemetery and at Walter Reed Army Medical Center, ìwhere people come for their bodies, souls and spirits to be repaired.î

Carver pointed to patients like Army veteran Melissa Stockwell, who left leg was blown off by a roadside bomb in Baghdad. She is now training to try out for this summerís Paralympic Games representing the United States in four swimming events. During a recent interview she said, ìIíve done more without a leg than I ever did with two.î

ìWhat a statement of hope,î Carver said.

He spoke of Gunnery Sgt. William ìSpankyî Gibson, shot by a sniper in May 2006 had his leg amputated above the knee. Following his amputation, Gibson went on to compete in a number of competitive events and completed the Escape from Alcatraz swim last July. Heís now back in Iraq serving with the 1st Marine Expeditionary Force, the first above the knee amputee to deploy to a combat zone. He said, ìThereíre two roads in life I could have chosen. One, I could loathe myself and wallow in self-pity and never walk again, or I could be positive and believe that anything is possible.î

ìWhat words of hope,î Carver said.

Carver also spoke of Lt. Col. Greg Gadson, hit with an improvised explosive device in Baghdad last May resulting in the lost of his legs. Carver said he feels it was Gadson who motivated the New York Giants to their Super Bowl victory in February.

ìHe was called to give a pep talk before the Giants went into the playoffs.î He told the Giants concentrate on three things ó ìthe mission, belief in each other as a team, and never, ever giving up.î

ìWhat words of hope,î Carver said.

Carver, senior chaplain for V Corps and Combined Joint Task Force 7 in Germany and Iraq from 2002 through 2004, said hope can be found in Jesus, lives of people whoíve gone through issues, and in crisis. He said he found hope while in a concrete bunker while under heavy fire in Iraq nearly five years ago.

ìHope reminds us that we have a companion, friend, and a presence in our time of need,î he said. ìGod reminds us through his risen son Jesus Christ, that he will never leave or forsake us.î

Carver said while in Iraq he also spoke with an Iraqi woman who told him that her husband had been killed by Saddam Husseinís regime. Their property was taken from her, and she and her daughter were repeatedly beaten and abused. ìThey were left on the street, she said, constantly praying , not losing hope that God would send his angels to rescue them.

ìShe looked at me representing our servicemembers and said, ëYouíve come. The Angels of Mercy have come.í

ìNothing can separate us from the love and hope of God,î Carver said. This message should be shared among people, he added. ìWe must throw out the lifeline and tell [others] hope is on the way for them, especially when so many people are seeking goodness in the world.î

Carver said he was recently asked what role do chaplains have in the military, and he responded, ìWe are messengers and agents of hope in the midst of a chaotic and destructive environment.

ìEaster is about hope,î he added. ìHope goes beyond this life. Because Jesus lives, we can face tomorrow. Because he lives, all fear is gone. Christ has risen. Christ has risen. He lives.î