Angels Along for the Ride
Angels Along for the Ride Author Interview with J.D. Kamps, The
Foxhole Angel By Lisa M. Hendey
Do angels, war, religious debate and emotionally charged young
men mix? In The Foxhole Angel by J.D. Kamps they combine to an
effect that is both thought provoking and gripping - fiction
that will keep you both entertained and pondering important
faith issues.
Joe Kamps and his wife Julie are the parents of six children,
ranging in age from thirty to 13. Kamps, a cradle Catholic,
admits to at times questioning his own commitment to his faith.
"Although I am a cradle Catholic, I initially submitted to my
ongoing conversion at approximately age 24. The mass was
especially boring to me growing up - I secretly envied the
clever people who came in late or snuck out the door during
communion," shares Kamps. "After my conversion, it was night and
day; the mass became a living, breathing organism to me,
settling into the center of my faith as my understanding of its
mysteries grew. My newfound beliefs added richness to my life I
hadn't known before, so I was content. I was rudely shocked in
my discovery that God wasn't done with me yet - there was, and
is, so much more to learn. Before my conversion, I was proud of
my Catholicism, much as one would be proud of his ethnic
heritage or political affiliation. However, pride has no place
in Christianity, as God keeps beating into my head. That pride
was taken away from me. I came to experience a sense of purpose
in my chosen faith, but also a sense of sadness as I realize its
responsibilities and the anger it invokes in so many."
The Foxhole Angel is inspired largely by the wartime experiences
of Kamps' own father, who served in World War II. The book is a
combination of many soldiers' actual experiences and "a little
journalistic license". Not typically a reader of this type of
fiction, I was surprised by how involved I quickly became in the
characters of the novel and their interplay. Kamps' inclusion of
the men's guardian angels is a natural fit to me - don't our own
daily lives point to multiple instances of the intervention of
the divine? My own life certainly provides me ample certitude on
this fact.
In order to prepare to write his book, Kamps relied upon his own
personal interest in Church history coupled with inspiration
from a series of homilies by his pastor, Father William Gould. "
I had all kinds of help for The Foxhole Angel," states Kamps. "I
read lots of books and cruised the internet with abandon, but
nothing beat talking to its participants. Both Dad and Dutch
Wilhelm, a twice-decorated rifle company hero from the Battle of
the Bulge, were of invaluable assistance."
I had the opportunity to interview Joe Kamps and am pleased to
share his thoughts on his book, his own faith, and, of course,
the angels.
Q: Please briefly summarize the plot of your book.
A: The story revolves around WWII draftee Jimmy Donovan, a
likable, devout, married Irish Catholic and father-to-be. His
private hatred of Protestants comes from his Catholic pride and
a childhood clash with the KKK. He and Pete Calvert, his
charismatic but bigoted southern friend, are shipped into the
hell of D-Day + 1, the Battle of the Bulge, and wherever else
his country needed him to fight. Joining them in these
assignments are their guardian angels, whose purpose is to
jealously guard their charges through all appointed times.
Jimmy, who wouldn't hurt a fly, surprisingly exhibits an
aptitude for killing. Pete Calvert, whose proficiency exceeds
his friend's, originally volunteers for the army with an itchy
trigger finger, anxious to blow the hated Nazis to "Hell and
beyond." Pete despises the Germans, but not so much as he
loathes fellow infantryman Will Jackson, a hard working,
staunchly moral, highly educated French-African whose skin tone
enrages the Southerner. These soldiers' angels protect them
through all manners of peril to fight another day, it seems --
but in reality, God has further plans for these soldiers. Q:
What is the message you would hope to spread through The Foxhole
Angel?
A: Each person on this earth is of equal importance to God - He
loves us -- our love for Him is shown by our compassion for
others. Life is hard and we need to be reminded of this maxim.
The Lord is tough at times; tougher'n all heck, but sometimes
I'm tough on my children, too. I love them more than I love my
own life - I can't even fathom how much more God loves us and
how he looks after everyone on the planet. This is the path each
one of us needs to follow in order to find true happiness, and
in order to love, we must attempt first to understand. God
doesn't allow us to hide from ourselves, either. Not forever,
anyway. All of us find places to hide from God, even though most
of us are willing to follow God -- up to a point. In other
words, we will seek after him if as parents, it doesn't
interfere with what we want to give to our children, or if in
our business lives, it doesn't come between us and what we want
to earn, or as pastors, if it doesn't affect the happiness of
our congregations. Sooner or later we will confront what is ugly
and false in our lives -- either in this world, or the next.
Q: Let's talk about Guardian Angels for a moment - how did the
angels become such a central part of the message of your story?
Why is their presence in the story so important?
A: Oh boy, where do I start? First of all, I'm a big believer in
angels. We all run into them from time to time without knowing
it, and when one sees an angel, one sees the Almighty. Angels
among us remind us that God is among us, and the thought of
individual angels ministering to each of us effectively drives
that point home - I mean, after all... who sent 'em to begin
with!? One other thought: in most books and films the afterlife
is depicted as a step down from this life. When someone dies we
claim piously at funerals that "he's in a better place" but we
sure don't pursue Heaven like we believe in it. During WWII a
soldier thought of it often. Sixty million people died in that
conflict; too many of its victims were so very young. Were their
lives wasted? Were they cheated by the Almighty? Of course not.
The best is yet to come! They become angels themselves and are
filled with purpose and power. What could be better? We should
only mourn the dead by missing them, not mourn them as though
something terrible has happened to them. Q: Did you make a
conscious decision to make their human emotions so tangible?
A: Yes. In order to make heaven appealing to people, they must
have the idea of purpose and enjoyment of that purpose. That's
why the angels smile - even when they shouldn't. I don't see
Heaven as a dreary existence.
Q: Please say a few words about the gripping scene between Jimmy
and Martin - I found the dialogue in that chapter to be both
very interesting and very tension filled. Christians can get
carried away by doctrine. We want so badly to be right - to be
uniquely right - that kindness takes a back seat to our
competitive natures. I have seen too many instances of
God-fearing people discussing Him, then arguing about Him, and
finally cursing the other person. Done it myself. We need to
love for the sake of God. We can't allow ourselves to lose sight
of that directive. In reading about medieval Catholicism and the
Reformation, I think that's exactly what happened. We needed
reform in the worst way and should have listened to Luther and
his fellow reformers; it was so sinful not to. Vatican II is a
stark reminder of our lack of charity in that era, as six of
seven Augsburg Confession demands were finally met in the 1960s.
We must remember though, the reformers needed us as much as we
needed them. They had their shortcomings, too. I must say that
Luther was no saint himself; he passionately hated Jews, he
called for the deaths of scores of the oppressed and
downtrodden, and had a well-earned reputation for religious
intolerance. Sadly, both sides seemed to put Christ on the back
burner, I'm afraid, for the sake of power and / or ego. Jimmy's
and Martin's conversation was a re-enactment of that time. It
was also God's repair for it.
Q: How does your personal faith reconcile with the version of
the afterlife you portray in this book?
Father John Legerski, former pastor of St. George's, was another
huge influence. It is his desire for the world to be saved --
spend a few minutes with him and it will quickly become evident
he sees each one of his spiritual children as an important
individual. I have six children of my own, and as you can guess,
all of them are of the utmost importance to me. How much more
God loves us! We are His progeny, and dysfunctional of a family
as we are, He will never forsake any of us. Although the
Catholic Church certainly has no lock on Jesus, our church is
where His message of Salvation originated. If we truly see this
we need to lead Christianity in love of God and in charitable
understanding of one another.
Q: How can readers who are interested in this book obtain a copy
of the book?
The Foxhole Angel may be purchased at any Spokane area Hastings,
Auntie's bookstore, or Kaufers in Spokane. Our website,
www.thefoxholeangel.com, will be up and running within a few
weeks. Amazon.com should have it available within a few weeks,
as well. For right now, mail orders are through
www.auntiesbooks.com Lisa M. Hendey is a mother of two sons,
webmaster of numerous web sites, including
http://www.catholicmom.com and http://www.christiancoloring.com,
and an avid reader of Catholic literature. Visit her at
http://www.lisahendey.com for more information.