Posted on Mar 17, 2015
What is the best thing a Chaplain has ever done for you?
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I am an Active Duty Army Chaplain. I want to be the best I can be. I truly care about people of all backgrounds and faiths - and those who profess no religion. I am Christian but I adhere also to the Chaplains directives in AR 1-65.
Help a guy out. What is one thing a Chaplain did in your life that was a positive? I want to be an effective, caring Chaplain and hearing from others how other Chaplains helped gives me a better understanding . If you had no positive experience with a Chaplain , that's ok. Feel free to be honest. But remember my mission here. To gain insight on how I can become an ever better Chaplain. This is not an open invitation to bash Chaplains. Currently, the media likes to highlight the few Chaplains acting with questionable motives or taste. You never hear of the vast majority of goodChaplains making differences in peoples' lives. But I want to hear that. So, here is your chance to tell me about your Chaplain and what worked for you. Thank you !
Help a guy out. What is one thing a Chaplain did in your life that was a positive? I want to be an effective, caring Chaplain and hearing from others how other Chaplains helped gives me a better understanding . If you had no positive experience with a Chaplain , that's ok. Feel free to be honest. But remember my mission here. To gain insight on how I can become an ever better Chaplain. This is not an open invitation to bash Chaplains. Currently, the media likes to highlight the few Chaplains acting with questionable motives or taste. You never hear of the vast majority of goodChaplains making differences in peoples' lives. But I want to hear that. So, here is your chance to tell me about your Chaplain and what worked for you. Thank you !
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Posted 11 y ago
Responses: 35
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LTC (Join to see)
I completely agree with MAJ (Join to see). Also, this one time at Ranger School, the Chaplain gave us a whole loaf of bread for communion. Not to disrespect the sacrament, that was certainly merciful.
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Spend time with the troops, be 'one of the guys', make yourself available. The chaplains I have enjoyed getting to know the most were the ones that were willing to share their lives - like a friend. Even my husband who does not have a faith has only talked with 1 chaplain because he was hanging out with the troops and did not put his MOS or religion out front.
Thank you for seeking out ways to be a better chaplain. Good luck in your ministry.
Thank you for seeking out ways to be a better chaplain. Good luck in your ministry.
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The fact that our Chaplain (82nd) was always with us, always cheering us on, and more importantly always willing to sit down and talk 1-1 with me. Reminding that God had a plan, even if I didn't see it at the time.
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I have to hand it to MAJ (Join to see) ... the art of actually LISTENING to what someone says without judgement or bias is probably the most tremendous benefit chaplains have had with me.
You don't have to have a specific reason or catastrophic situation to talk to a chaplain. The most positive gains I've made were, in part, due to having a good listener to sound out to. Especially when you're far from home and away from family, that sounding board can be invaluable.
You don't have to have a specific reason or catastrophic situation to talk to a chaplain. The most positive gains I've made were, in part, due to having a good listener to sound out to. Especially when you're far from home and away from family, that sounding board can be invaluable.
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PO1 Tony Holland
Not strictly military, but pertinent: Following my freshman year at San Jose State I had a summer job job at Philmont Scout Ranch due to my membership in Alpha Phi Omega and my prior activity as a Boy Scout, Explorer and Junior Assistant Scoutmaster. I became friends with two older Jesuit Priests who were twin brothers on the camp staff. We used to have bull sessions on religion, philosophy and related subjects even though I was not a Catholic. One evening just after supper they asked me to meet them in their office on a night that I would usually have gone to town with some buddies. As I sat down somewhat perplexed, they said that my dad had suffered a heart attack ( my family was still in Japan at the time ). They patched a call through to Fort Collins, CO where I was connected to an Autovon line to the Tachikawa AFB Hospital. Thinking I would probably be speaking to a nurse or doctor, I was completely blown away when my dad answered the phone himself.
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Each chaplain that I've served with seemed to have the knack of getting down to Joe's level and talk one on one. Very seldom did rank ever come into play, other than simple courtesy and show of respect. I was raised in the Church of God, but my time in the Army opened my eyes to other religions and radically changed my point of view. Even though I no longer subscribe to any one religion, I have always felt comfortable talking to any chaplain about any issues. My advice, take it or leave it, always be open to all and available at any time. Try to tailor discussions based on the beliefs of the individual, without automatically pushing faith on non-believers.
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Chaplains are extremely busy, (at least the ones that I've come across) so the best thing a chaplain has done for me is take the time and just listen. Sometimes that's all we need right?
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I've had many great Chaplain's.... one of the best Chaplain's I had was when I was stationed in Bamberg, Germany back in the day. The Chaplain hosted a weekly (I think it was on Thursdays) quick prayer to guide us through our workouts and improve both physically & spiritually. Then all the unit's participants worked out at the gym together. He really made things personal relating to troops one on one. He was an awesome Chaplain & officer as well.
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Communication is very important. If you have office hours, try to be there. I know there are emergencies, but you need to be available whenever possible. I was a CA, and we went from unit to unit either individually -divide and conquer- or as a team, and spent time in an office so SMs could come talk with us. We tried to be available when high-stress activities were occurring, IE live fire multi-day field exercises.
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