Chaplains. Please share your favorite stories of Chaplains in military service throughout history.

2015-02-05T12:53:03-05:00

There are so many lawsuits these days regarding denominations, religious practices, or the inclusion of religious services in general within the military community. Through it all, The military Chaplain stands ready to provide comfort to the service members, no matter what name they call God. I never miss an opportunity to share the story of the 4 Chaplains from WWII. There is a chapel on Fort Lewis, WA (JBLM) dedicated to their memory. Thank you, Chaplains, for all that you do for us. You are so worried about our well being that your own is often overlooked. Regardless of your faith, the below tribute is not for your preferred religion, but for your tireless efforts. God Bless You All.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yjt9Nzn3Kks

WWII Chaplains.wmv

World War 2 photos of United States Army Chaplains serving the flocks entrusted to them in a times and places of conflict.

Response by PO3 Private RallyPoint Member made Feb 5 at 2015 12:58 PM

2015-02-05T12:58:17-05:00

I've always admired the story of chaplain Joseph T. O'Callahan.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_T._O%27Callahan

Response by CPT Richard Riley made Feb 5 at 2015 1:49 PM

2015-02-05T13:49:49-05:00

This is a good one for history SFC Mark Merino & I sort of beat you to it posting two days ago :) - https://www.rallypoint.com/answers/in-honor-of-four-chalpains-day but I still grant you it's a great find! Not that I'm saying anything ...

In honor of Four Chalpains Day | RallyPoint

You may not see much news about it, but today is Four Chaplains Day. On Feb. 3, 1943 a German U-boat sunk the U.S.A.T. Dorchester in the arctic waters between Newfoundland and Greenland. During the panic four Army chaplains, all of different faiths, joined together to organize and calm the crew, sacrificing their own lives so that others would survive. Witnesses say that as the ship sank they saw the four men of faith praying together on deck....

Response by SPC James Mcneil made Feb 5 at 2015 2:49 PM

2015-02-05T14:49:41-05:00

Picture it. Kuwait in 2003. We were talking about establishing a bible study once we were in Iraq. There were about a dozen of us there, and the chaplain came along to hear us talking about logistics. We were discussing something about how to make sure everyone had a bible since some people may not have brought theirs.
The chaplain asked us to step outside and gave us a lesson. In the lesson he reminded us that "just across the border" were people that wanted to kill us just because we were American. He said, "The main thing that's going to keep you safe is this faith you're talking about. Now how serious is your faith?"

I owe him a huge debt of gratitude for asking that very hard question.

Response by SFC Mark Merino made Feb 5 at 2015 3:21 PM

2015-02-05T15:21:33-05:00

Thanks to LCDR Jaron Matlow for sharing another MOH Chaplain; this example is from the Vietnam War. Semper Fi!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vincent_R._Capodanno

Vincent R. Capodanno - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Servant of God Vincent Robert Capodanno (February 13, 1929 – September 4, 1967) was a United States Navy Roman Catholic chaplain and a posthumous recipient of America's highest military decoration— the Medal of Honor — for actions during the Vietnam War.