What do We Know?
I do not know a lot about the history of the United States military chaplains in the five services; perhaps I know more than some. I myself (along with my wife) became seriously interested in pursuing the path of an Army chaplain job back in 2004, provoked because my faith sent out a letter (an email) with a request for 200 more Latter-day Saint chaplains to sign up, as our US forces were heavily engaged in Afghanistan and Iraq at the time, and the leadership saw a need. My wife and I pushed the issue with an Army recruiter, made calls and emails to other recruiters in other states, but it turns out that the Army was not willing to provide enough paid education to become the part, so it did not happen. I even was looking at the opportunity, education and all, as recently as 2013, but that did not pan out either. It has been a few years since 2004 (13 years later); I have met with a few US chaplains since then, some formally and some less so. I have some impressions about them that may or not inform others about their roles, their place in the military and life.
One thing that struck me lately about the role of military chaplains was an article about US service people and the constant problem of suicide, those in service and veterans, those who served honorably and left, those damaged by horrors and privations, those who have hit their last rungs on the rope after serving their country in uniform. One person who became depressed and took his own life was affected when a chaplain that he knew was killed by an Improvised Explosive Device in a vehicle in Iraq, which had a worsening effect on his own mental strength. No one knows all the reasons why people take their own lives, but apparently this soldier of little admitted faith in God was deeply affected by the loss of someone who did, in this case a paid professional soldier of the cloth. No chaplain realistically ever thought that this would be the effect of their service, I imagine. But it happened.
If anything, a chaplain and their role is to help all service people's morale; it does not include having suicides occur because of the chaplain's ill fate. When it backfires, when a chaplain cannot stave off these collective or individual traumas and dilemmas, when soldiers or Marines or others do kill themselves, I think many wonder about the efficacy of the function of such an officer "of the cloth". Paid clergy, not a combat duty. Is this an effective military position at all?
I have spoken with multiple soldiers and other service people about chaplains over the years, and some have negative impressions-- they see an officer in such a capacity as frivolous or unnecessary. Almost as if a religious-based officer were "in the way" of those doing the "real work" of the Army. I understand that perspective. Some people in the Army, for example, see military intelligence soldiers and professionals as incidental to the conflicts at hand, that they are merely window dressing or worse, in the way as an impediment of the real fight. Military intelligence soldiers carry weapons but do not engage in combat unless first fighting is directed against them, normally, similar to the Standard Operating Procedure of chaplains. Of course, most military people who know anything about war and combat operations know very well that military intelligence is key to winning any fight. Let the debates ever rage on. Point is, the significance of any profession or roll is debatable. And thus, chaplains.
What do Chaplains Do?
On a personal level, chaplains have been helpful to me. There have been a few times of distress where a chaplain was there to help; I know that the chaplain in question did their job in aiding me, usually with father and family duties that the Big Army was intruding on, or that I felt was unfair to me as an individual. Besides some professional help rendered, I am a social animal; I enjoy learning and interacting with people, so I have benefited with chaplain classes and conversations, as well as the ecclesiastical duties that they have at times performed while I was around, for me and other soldiers, offering a message or sermon of hope and consolation. They conduct religious services that are part of normal life to many, and perhaps offer a new avenue of access to those who have not been in touch with organized religion before. Which can be life-enhancing.
Chaplains are supposed to be an extra level of support for the military to call on, to help the rank and file members of the military to have a balance of faith and morale, a steady voice of reason and hope in a business that can be brutal. Historically, many Americans have been very religious and therefore the presence of a chaplain allows the private or enlisted soldier to have a modicum of some normalcy, which can be hard to find at many bases, duty stations, or in the fighting fronts or fields around the world.
Chaplains of all faiths are a friendly and non-threatening face (or are supposed to be) of an officer who has authority, who will not condemn you, and has some rights to privacy and discretion regarding your personal problems. He or she is there to help you, to show you that someone cares while the whole world you are surrounded by seems to be jumping down your throat. The mere presence of a chaplain is to suggest that there is help for emotional times, a counselor in need, a built in friend. However, in recent decades religious practice has declined among regular soldiers and Marines, seamen and airmen. Perhaps the presence of a chaplain seems odder or even provocative to many of the younger Millenials of the 21st century; perhaps the religious faith chaplain of the 1950s would be better served by a secular psychological counselor, a health professional trained without the formal religious antecedents. To an ever growing secular world this makes sense. I could see that.
Conclusion
From the times that I have been around chaplains it has been good; I have been taught by some about Islam in an official instructional capacity, or I have been part of their Bible or other liturgical services; I have felt that they have played a good role in the well being for me in conversations and associations. But this from a guy who originally considered joining the military to be a chaplain. So maybe call me an easy audience, some reaffirming preaching to the choir. Although to others, a bigger majority of the military that I have been around in the 21st century during years of deployment and combat, I would probably say they have received not so much benefit, for many I know. Some may surprise me and tell of past times of consolation from such officers.
Have chaplains made a difference for the better in the military? For me, yes. For the overall effort? I hope so. This is a non-conclusive assessment, and I also must say that even when I have been employed in temporary military duties, I do not see chaplains for many periods of time, therefore it seems that maybe they are not reaching all that they could or should. Maybe there is an overall lack, as was communicated by my church back in 2004.
We all know there is no magic solution to lack of resources, there is always limited personnel when it comes to facing danger, both physical and moral like in cases of war. Peacemakers among war-makers, there is no easy answer to the correct combination.
Perhaps none of it makes much sense, and some servicemen use parts of their military time to justify their melancholy and anger to reach the untenable conclusion of self-destruction. Perhaps life and conflict lead to such uneasy developments. I don't know.
At the end of the day, if a chaplain can lift the spirits of fellow soldiers who are suffering, can simply offer a moment of respite to those who are overwhelmed or miserable, can perhaps provide a taste of divine grace or mercy, perhaps that is the only thing that any warrior who feels the weight of death and loss, and isolation or alienation, and the endless pounding of fruitless acts can hope for.
And the cause marches on, God in it or not. Someone is watching, someone cares and wishes to uplift and console, whether you believe it or not.
I do not know a lot about the history of the United States military chaplains in the five services; perhaps I know more than some. I myself (along with my wife) became seriously interested in pursuing the path of an Army chaplain job back in 2004, provoked because my faith sent out a letter (an email) with a request for 200 more Latter-day Saint chaplains to sign up, as our US forces were heavily engaged in Afghanistan and Iraq at the time, and the leadership saw a need. My wife and I pushed the issue with an Army recruiter, made calls and emails to other recruiters in other states, but it turns out that the Army was not willing to provide enough paid education to become the part, so it did not happen. I even was looking at the opportunity, education and all, as recently as 2013, but that did not pan out either. It has been a few years since 2004 (13 years later); I have met with a few US chaplains since then, some formally and some less so. I have some impressions about them that may or not inform others about their roles, their place in the military and life.
One thing that struck me lately about the role of military chaplains was an article about US service people and the constant problem of suicide, those in service and veterans, those who served honorably and left, those damaged by horrors and privations, those who have hit their last rungs on the rope after serving their country in uniform. One person who became depressed and took his own life was affected when a chaplain that he knew was killed by an Improvised Explosive Device in a vehicle in Iraq, which had a worsening effect on his own mental strength. No one knows all the reasons why people take their own lives, but apparently this soldier of little admitted faith in God was deeply affected by the loss of someone who did, in this case a paid professional soldier of the cloth. No chaplain realistically ever thought that this would be the effect of their service, I imagine. But it happened.
If anything, a chaplain and their role is to help all service people's morale; it does not include having suicides occur because of the chaplain's ill fate. When it backfires, when a chaplain cannot stave off these collective or individual traumas and dilemmas, when soldiers or Marines or others do kill themselves, I think many wonder about the efficacy of the function of such an officer "of the cloth". Paid clergy, not a combat duty. Is this an effective military position at all?
I have spoken with multiple soldiers and other service people about chaplains over the years, and some have negative impressions-- they see an officer in such a capacity as frivolous or unnecessary. Almost as if a religious-based officer were "in the way" of those doing the "real work" of the Army. I understand that perspective. Some people in the Army, for example, see military intelligence soldiers and professionals as incidental to the conflicts at hand, that they are merely window dressing or worse, in the way as an impediment of the real fight. Military intelligence soldiers carry weapons but do not engage in combat unless first fighting is directed against them, normally, similar to the Standard Operating Procedure of chaplains. Of course, most military people who know anything about war and combat operations know very well that military intelligence is key to winning any fight. Let the debates ever rage on. Point is, the significance of any profession or roll is debatable. And thus, chaplains.
What do Chaplains Do?
On a personal level, chaplains have been helpful to me. There have been a few times of distress where a chaplain was there to help; I know that the chaplain in question did their job in aiding me, usually with father and family duties that the Big Army was intruding on, or that I felt was unfair to me as an individual. Besides some professional help rendered, I am a social animal; I enjoy learning and interacting with people, so I have benefited with chaplain classes and conversations, as well as the ecclesiastical duties that they have at times performed while I was around, for me and other soldiers, offering a message or sermon of hope and consolation. They conduct religious services that are part of normal life to many, and perhaps offer a new avenue of access to those who have not been in touch with organized religion before. Which can be life-enhancing.
Chaplains are supposed to be an extra level of support for the military to call on, to help the rank and file members of the military to have a balance of faith and morale, a steady voice of reason and hope in a business that can be brutal. Historically, many Americans have been very religious and therefore the presence of a chaplain allows the private or enlisted soldier to have a modicum of some normalcy, which can be hard to find at many bases, duty stations, or in the fighting fronts or fields around the world.
Chaplains of all faiths are a friendly and non-threatening face (or are supposed to be) of an officer who has authority, who will not condemn you, and has some rights to privacy and discretion regarding your personal problems. He or she is there to help you, to show you that someone cares while the whole world you are surrounded by seems to be jumping down your throat. The mere presence of a chaplain is to suggest that there is help for emotional times, a counselor in need, a built in friend. However, in recent decades religious practice has declined among regular soldiers and Marines, seamen and airmen. Perhaps the presence of a chaplain seems odder or even provocative to many of the younger Millenials of the 21st century; perhaps the religious faith chaplain of the 1950s would be better served by a secular psychological counselor, a health professional trained without the formal religious antecedents. To an ever growing secular world this makes sense. I could see that.
Conclusion
From the times that I have been around chaplains it has been good; I have been taught by some about Islam in an official instructional capacity, or I have been part of their Bible or other liturgical services; I have felt that they have played a good role in the well being for me in conversations and associations. But this from a guy who originally considered joining the military to be a chaplain. So maybe call me an easy audience, some reaffirming preaching to the choir. Although to others, a bigger majority of the military that I have been around in the 21st century during years of deployment and combat, I would probably say they have received not so much benefit, for many I know. Some may surprise me and tell of past times of consolation from such officers.
Have chaplains made a difference for the better in the military? For me, yes. For the overall effort? I hope so. This is a non-conclusive assessment, and I also must say that even when I have been employed in temporary military duties, I do not see chaplains for many periods of time, therefore it seems that maybe they are not reaching all that they could or should. Maybe there is an overall lack, as was communicated by my church back in 2004.
We all know there is no magic solution to lack of resources, there is always limited personnel when it comes to facing danger, both physical and moral like in cases of war. Peacemakers among war-makers, there is no easy answer to the correct combination.
Perhaps none of it makes much sense, and some servicemen use parts of their military time to justify their melancholy and anger to reach the untenable conclusion of self-destruction. Perhaps life and conflict lead to such uneasy developments. I don't know.
At the end of the day, if a chaplain can lift the spirits of fellow soldiers who are suffering, can simply offer a moment of respite to those who are overwhelmed or miserable, can perhaps provide a taste of divine grace or mercy, perhaps that is the only thing that any warrior who feels the weight of death and loss, and isolation or alienation, and the endless pounding of fruitless acts can hope for.
And the cause marches on, God in it or not. Someone is watching, someone cares and wishes to uplift and console, whether you believe it or not.
I wanted more out of this but it was okay.
ReplyDeleteI want more money, too, but that is okay. Getting by.
ReplyDelete