Guantanamo Bay: chaplain speaks out on media portrayal
Conditions at Guantanamo Bay have not been accurately portrayed by the media - according to
the former active duty US Army Chaplain.Major Michael Merrill (pictured, far right; photo by Rudi Williams) has been telling Premier Radio about his time ministering to the prisoners and staff of Guantanamo Bay. The American Baptist minister said that conditions in the camp were not as the media had described.
"I am probably biased," Merrill comments, "I believe that the news media doesn't tell the whole story, they really don't emphasise that the International Red Cross are there around the clock. It is important to remember that the International Red Cross are the watchdog for the humane treatment of prisoners.
"As an Army Chaplain, my role is very different to that of the average soldiers. You are a peacemaker and don't carry a weapon. I have to ensure that I am there for service members and that everyone is offered pastoral care and ministry."
Over the past 12 years, Merrill has ministered in five prisons and two hospitals as a chaplain. In this time, he served both British and American soldiers in Kuwait and Iraq in what later became the largest attended service in the Middle East.
Merrill told Premier Radio: "As the Chaplain of the Arifjan Gospel Service I saw some amazing things. Our group started out with 35 service members and within three to four months, it was averaging a congregation of between 400 and 700 per service. Every week, 80% of the congregation were different because they were on military missions, but still the numbers remained high. Over 4,600 decisions were made for God during a 12-month time period. We were fortunate enough to be able to meet together as very diverse group of people all intent on worshipping God."
When asked by Premier's HomeRun Presenter Cindy Kent how he saw this growth, he replied: "The secret is prayer. If we study any significant spiritual awakening in England or America in the last 300 years, the root of the awakening is praying."
"We established prayer meetings in the morning, lunch-time and before the services. Of course conflicts arose as in any church community, but as we focused on the important things, we witnessed unity grow up from this group".
