Posted on Dec 7, 2015
Today I saw a chaplain with a long tab and a combat action badge. Is there a scenario where this is possible?
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There was an Army Chaplain that was Awarded the Medal Of Honor in Vietnam.
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My squadron PA dropped his packet after busting his jump physical. He reported to his first duty station as a 2LT with a CMB, Long Tab, Senior Jump Wings, and a chest full of medals, and a group SSI-FWTS for Desert Storm. He chose not to wear any of them until after proving his mettle as a battalion surgeon.
I've known a couple of Vietnam grunts who ETSed, and then years later, after seminary and ordination, returned to the Army as a chaplain. They routinely wore their combat patch (both incidentally Americal) and CIBs. When asked, both men were very gracious about addressing the obvious (and likely commonplace) confusion.
I've known a couple of Vietnam grunts who ETSed, and then years later, after seminary and ordination, returned to the Army as a chaplain. They routinely wore their combat patch (both incidentally Americal) and CIBs. When asked, both men were very gracious about addressing the obvious (and likely commonplace) confusion.
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My chaplain during my fist deployment wore a long tab and combat patch, before he got commissioned, he was a SF NCO, was authorized the tab and patch, he went thru the CQB training with us, giving pointers here and there, and said I'd it came down to it, he would pick up a weapon and fight to protect his soldiers, I'm not Christian, but that was the best damn chaplain I've ever had, and 15 years later I still have the utmost respect for him
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Becoming a chaplain takes years, you’ll very rarely see one under 30. That said, I’d say about 1/3 of them are prior enlisted.
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Not sure if others have posted it, but about ten years ago there was a Navy SEAL LT (Georgia Tech NROTC grad) who was injured in the course of his duties, felt the call from God to chaplaincy, became a Chaplain Candidate, somehow ended up in the GA Nat’l Guard and deployed to Iraq. SEAL to chaps, kinda crazy but happens!
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I know a chaplain with a CAB, he was prior enlisted, and earned it enlisted side.
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If he was in a vehicle transporting him and it was fire upon by the enemy everyone gets a CAB there is really no reason why to questioned or wounder how is a matter of knowing the regulation
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There’s this thing call commissioning as a chaplain. It’s like if a medic has a CIB. Doesn’t mean he didn’t reclass from 11B
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Many Chaplains were something else before they were a Chaplain, i.e. Prior Service.
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Like seeing a mustang with a good conduct you better be sure you are on solid ground when you make an accusation
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I had a combat action badge from my deployment as a 13B years before becoming a chaplain. I had a friend with a special forces combat patch from before he became a chaplain.
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Any Soldier who comes under fire can be put in for a CAB. I've also seen Chaplains who received awards, citations, etc. as Service Members BEFORE becoming a Chaplain.
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I might regret saying this, but here goes...the Army seems to spend an inordinate of time focusing on bling. As I've followed different comment feeds on RP, I see dialogues about CABs, combat patches, how to get this ribbon, this badge, this tab, etc. Instead of chasing shiny stuff, why not just get satisfaction from doing your job well and not worry about what you (or someone else) has on their chest?
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He may have been SF prior to becoming a Chaplain. I know very little about the CAB, but I don't see why a Chaplain would be exempt. Look at the Chaplains who received the MOH in Vietnam. I had the true pleasure to meet and be in the same command of a Full Navy Captain Chaplain, who wore a WW2 CIB, from Army service, and the Navy Combat Action Ribbon from Vietnam, which used to be equal to the CIB. He was a great guy, but no one...I mean no one gave him any BS. After the morning prayers, he grabbed his golf clubs and hit the beach, when not on the gun line.
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I served with a Chaplain for a number of years who was Airborne, Ranger and Pathfinder. He retired recently as a Brigadier General. He was a the "Real Deal"! Don't judge a book by its cover.
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When I was an instructor I saw a few Group chaplains come through just to get a tab. It use to piss me off as we are not ranger school. If you are not going to do what we do, then you don't have the right to wear the same tab we do. They do it to be allowed to stay in Special Operations. As sorry as I may think it is, its legit. He may have gone through the Q-course as a Chaplin.
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Look up Chaplain Struecker. Was prior enlisted and the same SGT Streucker as portrayed in Black Hawk Down, served as Infantryman in Somalia with Ranger Regt.
Not all Chaplains have always been Chaplains.
Not all Chaplains have always been Chaplains.
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When I was a contractor in Iraq we took a pounding at Camp Taji on 4 May, 2011 (I think, might have been 3 May though). Nobody fired one shot in defense, but every "Green Suiter" on the base at that time got the combat action award--it was reported to have been the worst attack in Iraq up to that point. I think this included all Chaplains, Medics, and Lawyers present--the three least likely to see combat. You know what they say--timing is everything...
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There is a chaplain that I had seen and he had the tab. When I spoke with his assistant he was a prior enlisted MSG before he had received his calling as a chaplain.
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