As a chaplain in the 82nd Airborne, the Southern Seminary graduate is participating in “Operation Enduring Freedom,” the United States’ post-9/11 attempt to purge the planet of terror.

But Struecker’s most difficult fight is against another foe – not against Osama bin Laden, not against terrorists, not against flesh and blood, but against the spiritual forces in the heavenly places. It is this battle, Struecker says, that is the most urgent and the most dangerous, despite the obvious peril of the nation’s “War on Terror.”

“My greatest challenge is the urgency of the Gospel,” he said in an interview from the frontlines of the battle in Afghanistan. “I could tell you about the burden that I personally feel for the success of their (the soldiers’) mission so that September 11 will never happen anywhere in the world ever again. I could tell you of the burden that I feel for the speed of their success so that they can be reunited with their families once again.”

“But mostly I could tell you about the burden that I feel for the souls of these men and women.” Struecker is responsible for more than 1,000 men and women in a dozen different units. Unlike some chaplains, he is actually sent out with the soldiers – eating, sleeping, and sharing tents with the soldiers assigned to him. Struecker said he had not slept in his own cot for weeks.

Each day, Struecker speaks with men and women who may not be around the next day, the next hour. In battle, the thin line between this world and eternity is evident to everyone. This means each conversation Struecker has could be his last opportunity to share Christ.

“They live in the enemy’s back yard,” Struecker said. “… They live in a constant state of readiness that tomorrow may be their last day on earth. And most of them – 70 to 80 percent in my opinion – do not know where they will spend eternity.” But, not only is there a lack of acceptance of the Gospel, many do not even know the basics of Christianity.

“Many of them have never heard the Gospel before because they have never stepped foot in the door of any church before,” Struecker said. “They don’t know John 3:16 because they don’t know who John is and why he has his own book in the Bible. They also have no idea of who Jesus Christ is and why He is calling them to a new life.”

Yet, despite the overwhelming task, Struecker is seeing many soldiers come to Christ. Indeed, the possibility of death provides for attentive ears.

“I have seen more men’s lives changed by Jesus Christ in this Islamic state than back in the U.S. in the past month,” Struecker explained.

Struecker recalls several illustrative stories. On one occasion, he was meeting with several men who survived and explosive device that detonated five feet from their vehicle. Miraculously, they all survived the attack.

“I looked them each in the eye and said, “God has given you another day of life. But suppose you didn’t make it through that attack. Suppose you were killed instantly the minute that device detonated next to your vehicle. Do you know where you would spend eternity?”” Struecker recalled.

In another instance, Struecker had several men come to his tent before leaving on a mission. These men had spent all night thinking that they might not make it back alive.

“They wanted to know how they can have peace with God and what I call “bullet proof faith,”” Struecker said. “I had the privilege of seeing three of them come to Christ in 24 hours. Since then other men have come to Christ – one of which was an avowed atheist and another Jewish.”

Since Struecker is on the field with the soldiers, he experiences the same danger as they. But, as with many of God’s emissaries in perilous places, Struecker is driven not by a desire for personal safety, but by a passion for the Gospel. “Since becoming a chaplain, I have never felt concerned for my own personal safety when we march across a hostile objective because I am consumed with the desire to see these men and women transformed before their lives are demanded of them,” he said.