Wichita ? It was a sweet homecoming this month for the Rev. Dave Fulton.

Fulton, pastor of St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in Wichita, returned in early December after serving six months as a chaplain in Iraq.

“I have been waiting to say ‘Good morning’ to this group for some time,” Fulton told his congregation on his first Sunday service since coming home.

“I have heard ‘Welcome home’ a lot recently, and it is such a nice thing to hear after all the heat and the dust,” he said.

Fulton, 58, left the U.S. for the Middle East in early June to serve as a chaplain with the U.S. Air Force Red Horse Squadron, civil engineering units that do heavy construction work such as building roads and fixing runways.

He had three primary duties: Help meet the religious and spiritual needs of military personnel; advise commanders on moral and ethical issues; and counsel people about personal matters, such as family issues.

In six months, he estimated he logged about 11,000 miles, traveling to bases in Iraq, Afghanistan and Qatar.

“I would say the most significant thing was just being impressed with what’s going on, what we are actually accomplishing over there,” he said. “That’s the story that’s not being told.”

For example, he said American troops are helping the citizens of Iraq and Afghanistan build infrastructure and teaching them about democracy. One of his more pleasant experiences was helping distribute school supplies, shoes and clothing for families in northern Iraq.

The Rev. Dave Fulton greets parishioners earlier this month at St. Paul's Lutheran Church in Wichita. Fulton just returned from a six-month stint in Iraq, where he served as a chaplain in the U.S. Air Force Red Horse Squadron.

He said the most unpleasant part of his experience was attending the funerals of fallen military members, though none from the Red Horse Squadron were injured in combat.

“That was hard,” he said.

Also hard, he said, was being away from his congregation.

“When I was over there, it seemed like I would never get home,” he said.

Not much has changed since he’s been gone, Fulton said. A few more people have joined the congregation.

“In a lot of ways, it feels like I’ve never left,” he said.

Fulton shared with his congregation the one day in Iraq he felt the ache of wanting to come home.

“For me, it was Thanksgiving,” he said. “I remember one woman behind me in line who ate alone because she said Thanksgiving was about family, and her family wasn’t with her.

“The experience of homecoming is a great fulfillment of an absence within.”

Now that he’s home, Fulton said he is inspired to do more to promote inter-faith dialogue, since he believes the way to peace in Iraq is through the religious community.

“It was one of those elements that was always there, but now it’s become emphasized,” he said. “I see the real need for inter-faith collaboration.”