Army Chaplains Represent Holy in Times of War, Peace

October 25, 2002
A UMNS Feature
By Kathy L. Gilbert

It's dark at 5 a.m. The oppressive heat of a South Carolina summer day hasn't hit yet, but it will.

The 60-plus men and women enrolled in the Army Chaplain Officer Basic Course on this August morning are running, doing push-ups, sit-ups and flutter kicks and shouting, "We like it! We love it! We want some more of it! Make it hurt, drill sergeant, make it hurt!" And from 5 to 6 a.m., he does.

United Methodist pastors line up next to Catholic priests, Jewish rabbis, Muslim imams and other chaplains-in-training representing more than 20 faith groups. Everyone looks alike in the PT (physical training) gear – black gym shorts and gray T-shirts. They range in age from early their 20s to early 60s. They are assembled on a grassy field, obeying the commands of Sgt. 1st Class James S. Stewart.

These men and women have been called by God to serve as "representatives of the holy," often in the most unholy of places. Their congregation consists of soldiers and Army families.

Many come to the Army Chaplain Officer Basic Course with no military experience. These men and women go from being leaders of congregations to being told when to eat and sleep and how to dress. They come in not knowing how to put their boots on, and in 12 weeks they are trained to be Army officers.

"We take the cream of the crop, the best, and they come here and we tell them, ‘Don't take any initiative, do what we tell you to do.' The first thing they have to learn is how the Army does things," says Chaplain Maj. Jo Ann Mann, an instructor at the Fort Jackson U.S. Army Chaplain Center and School.

Dressed in green and gray camouflage they look just like any other soldiers, but with a big difference: Instead of a gun by their side, they wear emblems of their faith on their collars. And they will not be carrying weapons on the battlefield.

Chaplains are trained to "perform or provide, cooperate without compromise, and do anything for the good of the solider," says Chaplain Col. Samuel J.T. Boone, deputy commander of the center and school.

Chaplains perform or provide religious services for their troops. If a soldier's need falls outside the realm of the chaplain's particular faith group, appropriate religious leadership is found.

During Desert Storm, Baptist chaplains dug a foxhole in the middle of the desert, filled it with water and baptized soldiers.

In the Gulf War, a rabbi was put on a ship and sent out to sea so Jewish soldiers could come in boats to celebrate Passover.

In Kosovo and Bosnia, Muslim soldiers were able to observe their holy days with appropriate leadership.

Chaplains are the ones handed personal letters, wedding rings and last wishes to convey to family members. Chaplains bless helicopters before takeoff for the battlefield. Chaplains must be tactically and technically proficient. And chaplains are trained to help people die.

"Out in the battlefield, chaplains become the most valuable player," says Chaplain Lt. Col. Charles Howell, chief of officer training at the school.

"Burying the dead is the heart and soul of Army chaplaincy," says Chaplain Maj. Peter A. Baktis, while teaching a class on military funerals.

At the Fort Jackson center and school, the mission is: "To train newly accessioned active- duty National Guard and Army Reserve chaplains and chaplain candidates in their initial course of combat-focused, critical-task-driven training to prepare them for ministry at battalion level."

Pastors, preachers, priests, rabbis, imams and others work side by side. They learn combat survival and how to serve as special staff officers. They train in 41 chaplain-specific critical tasks and are equipped for deployment.

Five chaplains in last summer's course last summer were United Methodists.

‘A sense of call'

Chaplain Capt. Edward H. Franklin Jr., an ordained elder in the South Carolina Annual (regional) Conference, has a quick and easy smile. In a room full of fellow chaplains, you hear his laughter and sense the ease with which he relates to people. He is a natural leader who is reverent when talking about his beliefs and love for the United Methodist Church and the Army.

"God has instilled within me a sense of call to serve as an Army chaplain and to truly make a difference in the lives of soldiers and their families as they endeavor to serve our country," he says.

The Army and the church are intertwined in his life. He is the son of a United Methodist pastor, and like a lot of children of pastors, never thought he would go into the ministry. He served as an officer with 3/37 Armor (a tank battalion) in the 1st Infantry Division in Desert Storm. After leaving the Army, he pursued a civilian career before beginning the discernment process for ministry. He was ordained a deacon in 1996 and an elder in 1998. He served Walnut Grove United Methodist Church in Roebuck, S.C., for four years before answering the call to return to the Army as a chaplain.

"I have people ask me ‘why are you leaving the ministry?' I am not leaving the ministry," he emphasizes. "Army chaplaincy is a valid and much-needed ministry. People in the pews, the pulpit and the (bishop's) cabinet need to hear that."

Franklin is married and has three children, ages 9, 6 and 2. After his training, he began active duty at Fort Sill in Oklahoma. He has been on the front line before and doesn't really want to see war up close again. But he has no doubt about his call or his duty.

"A chaplain ministers to those who are fighting for our country," he says. "They are my family. If they are going, why not me?"

Still in ministry

Like Franklin, Chaplain 1st Lt. Ernest P. West Jr. has prior experience with the military. An ordained elder from the West Virginia Annual Conference, he served in his state's National Guard from 1987 to 1992. He was serving as pastor at Calvary United Methodist Church, Potomac Highlands District before joining the U.S. Army Chaplain Corps. He is now on active duty at Fort Campbell, Clarksville, Tenn.

He has also struggled with those who think he has left the ministry and he often feels his church does not understand his calling.

"It fills me with reverence to think about kids – 18, 19, 20 years old – willing to give their all, their lives for their country," says West, a tall, soft-spoken man. "It is a holy opportunity to share the Good News with them." He too emphasizes, "I didn't leave the church."

He has a 13-year-old son and a 6-year-old daughter.

Holding her own

2nd Lt. Jayme L. Kendall is the youngest of the group and the only woman. She has bright blue eyes and a soft smile. A seminary student at Asbury Theological Seminary in Wilmore, Ky. and a member of the West Michigan Conference, she holds her own in a setting that is not always accepting of women as pastors or soldiers. She is also the daughter of a United Methodist pastor who is an Army chaplain.

"I felt called into ministry while I was a freshman in college. I called home and told my dad I was changing my major and thinking about ministry, and he says, ‘Do you want to be a pastor?'

"At that time, I didn't even know women could be pastors," she says, laughing. Her father assured her she could be, and he led her through Scripture and talked to her about her call.

Her father also encouraged her to think about the military. She decided to enlist, and then she applied to be a chaplain assistant.

Chaplain assistants work with chaplains in a ministry unit team. They assist in preparing for religious services, perform administrative duties and bear arms. They protect the chaplain, who does not bear arms.

"I am really glad I have the experience as a chaplain assistant and in being part of a ministry unit team," Kendall says. "I know all the chaplains in Michigan and the assistants. It has really let me get experience and see if this is what I really want to do."

She feels the Lord's hand has been in everything she has done. She is in seminary and must graduate and serve as a pastor for three years before she can go into active duty as a chaplain.

Some chaplains at the training center are in denominations that do not ordain women as pastors. Because of their beliefs, they cannot participate in a worship service with a woman.

Mann explains how the Army accommodates those beliefs. "Some chaplains may not share a pulpit with other chaplains, because of their denomination's theology, but we share in performing and providing ministry together. We have two symbols on our collars. One is the cross (or faith group symbol) and the other is our rank, and that must be respected. We are officers and colleagues working together for the same goal."

Homeland security

Chaplain 1st Lt. Jeffrey S. Harper is in the National Guard and will return to his two-point charge in McComb, Ohio. He is an ordained elder from the West Ohio Conference.

Chaplain 1st Lt. Robert D. Crawford is a "weekend warrior" in the Army Reserves and an ordained elder in the North Georgia Conference.

"The difference between reserve and guard is that National Guard (personnel) are also under the authority of the governors of their respective states and can be mobilized to help with state disasters," Crawford explains. "They also are on the front of homeland security. The reserve is under the direct authority of the president (federal). We can be brought to active duty and be deployed in a conflict situation for up to two years."

Crawford has 18 years' experience as a parish pastor and is still a clergy member of the North Georgia Conference. However, he is taking time off to complete a master's degree in business at Georgia Tech University.

Called to this ministry

Franklin, West, Kendall, Harper and Crawford have answered a call from God to serve the church and the men and women in the U.S. Army. They will introduce soldiers to Christ, perform their weddings, baptize their children and preach their funerals.

"God has allowed me to serve both as a soldier and as a pastor as a means of preparing me for the challenge of being a chaplain," Franklin says. "During my time as a soldier, I learned the rigors and rewards of Army life both in peace and in war. God has prepared me to be a spiritual leader for today's military family."

Army chaplains are "representatives of the holy," wherever they are called to serve.

United Methodist News Service – The Chaplain Officer Basic Course is a 12-week program that prepares men and women to be U.S. Army chaplains. It is held at the Fort Jackson Army post in South Carolina twice a year – in the summer and winter. UMNS news writer Kathy Gilbert and news photographer Mike DuBose spent time with five United Methodists going through the course.