July 26, 2004
Story by Mary D. Karcher
The Leatherneck
Photo: Navy CDR Bill Devine prayed for a fallen Marine from 2d Bn, 4th Marines at Camp Hurricane Point, Iraq. When a Marine falls, Devine said, fellow Marines have a solemnity in their eyes that reflects concern for the Marine's family, frustration at enemy tactics and an absolute commitment for their mission. (Photo by Cpl Paula M. Fitzgerald)
"By his patient, sympathetic labors with the men, day in, day out, and through many a night, every chaplain I know contributed immeasurably to the moral courage of our fighting men. None of the effort appears in the statistics. Most of it was necessarily secret between pastor and his confidant. It is for that toil in the cause both of God and country that I honor the Chaplain most." - Fleet Admiral Chester W. Nimitz, USN May 1946
"They don't give a damn whom they shoot, do they, Chaplain?" - Gen Lemuel C. Shepherd, USMC While visiting Chaplain Connie Griffin, who had just been wounded during the Korean War
Somewhere in Iraq, Marines attempt to sleep in a crowded room inside a building in the middle of a field. Earlier in the day the building had been mortared. With walls on only two sides, the elements invade: biting sand fleas, heat and a tempestuous sandstorm. Sleep is hard to come by. At 2:30 a.m., a young Marine coming off watch leans over the wakeful chaplain and asks if he would pray for his grandmother, who had just died. Prayer is one comfort the Marines have in plentiful supply thanks to the devoted chaplains who tirelessly care for Marines and their spiritual needs wherever and whenever they arise.
Currently, 263 Navy chaplains serve with the Marine Corps around the world. They are celebrating Mass from the back of a humvee at Camp Habbaniyah, Iraq; preaching under a mango tree in Port-au-Prince, Haiti; coordinating a reunion brief for families at Twentynine Palms, Calif.; counseling Marines aboard an amphibious ship on deployment; and praying with the wounded Marines who have returned to the National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda, Md. Ask them about their ministry with Marines, and they smile and begin to describe what it is about Marines that feeds a chaplain's heart.
Some chaplains say it's Marines' discipline, their selflessness, their bravery. Others remark about their bonds with each other, their brotherhood. Another comment singles out the optimism and sense of humor Marines have even when faced with hardship. Assessing Marines' humility, Commander Bill D. Devine, chaplain for First Marine Division, said Marines "stand tall before others, but humble before God."
From the academic environment of the Naval Chaplains School in Newport, R.I., comes an erudite explanation: "The Marine Corps has an intense spirituality about itself, and it's deep within its [warrior] ethos. They are very aware of that and take it seriously. So with the Marine Corps, it is very easy [for the chaplain] to touch that spiritual side of self." That explanation comes from a man who has experienced life as both a Marine and a chaplain, CDR Michael W. Langston, Advanced Course training officer.
Maybe it's simply because "Marines love their chaplains," as a chaplain serving with Marines in Iraq writes in an e-mail. No matter how it is described, the relationship between Marines and chaplains is clearly a special bond that strengthens those who serve in the Marine Corps.
CALLED TO SERVE
"A spiritually fit sailor or Marine is our job, and we take it very seriously," said Rear Admiral Robert F. Burt, the 15th Chaplain of the Marine Corps. After enlisting in the Navy in 1970 and seeing the impact a chaplain made on the sailors serving in an aircraft carrier, RDML Burt decided to earn his divinity degree, and now, 34 years later, has the responsibility of leading chaplains who serve with Marines.
"Marines are special," he said. And with the Marines' high priority on fitness, education and training, being a chaplain requires an incredible commitment to discipline. RDML Burt explained that chaplains must be flexible, inspirational and motivational in order to foster trust and respect. "There is no door on the ship the chaplain should not be able to open."
Many chaplains identify a certain moment in their life when they felt a calling to join the Navy's Chaplain Corps. Lieutenant Commander William "Dan" Stallard likens it to the prophetic calling of Isaiah who, while grieving the death of King Uzziah, is asked by the Lord, "Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?" and Isaiah responds, "Here am I. Send me."
In fact, the seal of the Navy Chaplain Corps includes a banner with the words Vocati Ad Servitium, or "Called to Serve." For those who are called, the journey is, in some ways, quite different from the civilian version of religious calling.
Those who answer the call are willing to accept the rigors of military life. Chaplains live and work where the Marines do, which enables them to share some very unique activities, such as eating MREs (meals, ready to eat), running with Marines during PT or physical training, going out on hikes shouldering a heavy backpack, and sleeping outside in every conceivable kind of weather. In Iraq, chaplains travel by various modes to administer the sacraments or counsel Marines: a humvee armed with a .50-caliber machine gun, a 7-ton truck lined with sandbags, or what is affectionately called the "holy helo."
While noncombatants, the chaplains nevertheless lead a dangerous life as they minister to those in operational environments. Just as Lieutenant Vincent R. Capodanno, USN, Chaplain Corps, sacrificed his life ministering to Marines during the Vietnam War in September 1967, chaplains today understand and accept that death may be the result of their dedication. For his actions, LT Capodanno was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor.
Chaplains interact in a very pluralistic religious environment. The military supports members of many faith groups. Consequently, the Chaplain Corps consists of clergy from many religions. Chaplains welcome this interaction between faiths. "The whole sense of cooperative ministry takes people out of that parochial mindset and turns them into chaplains. It deepens your faith," asserted CDR Michael E. Dory from the Naval Chaplains School.
Chaplains would be unable to meet the needs of many faith groups without the help of a special group of people called religious program specialists (RPs). Religious Program Specialist First Class Randall W. Hoffman of the Naval Chaplains School said RPs perform most of the administrative, management and supply tasks necessary to serve persons of all faiths. They receive considerable training in recognizing the spiritual needs, holidays, dietary needs and burial rites of various religions. Most importantly, as combatants, they are responsible for protecting chaplains so they can carry out their ministerial duties.
RP3 Edmond P. Garrett IV, the RP for CDR Devine, is responsible for transporting and setting up the altar for Mass in varied locations in Iraq. "We have done services in a broken-down train, palaces, schools, anywhere there are Marines. We have even done services while the Marines on the roof of the building were engaged in a firefight," Garrett explained.
CHAPLAINS IN TRAINING
For the men and women who serve in the Chaplain Corps, the job is challenging, and the training is rigorous. Those called to serve must first complete a post-baccalaureate graduate degree in theological studies, meet their respective faith group's ecclesiastical endorsement requirements and complete the Naval Chaplains Basic Training at the Naval Chaplains School in Newport.
The program aims to educate and train new chaplains and chaplain candidates to be junior naval officers and chaplains in the Navy, Marine Corps and Coast Guard. LCDR Stallard said the students are schooled in both the military and ministerial side of being a chaplain through four courses: the Naval Chaplain Basic Course, the Division Officer Capstone, the Amphibious/Expeditionary Course and the TEAMS (Tools, Empowerment and Ministry Skills) Course. They learn leadership and survival skills, hone their professional skills as clergy, and explore moral and ethical foundations for ministry in the sea services.
Gunnery Sergeant Steven E. Collier, a former drill instructor at Marine Corps Recruit Depot, Parris Island, S.C., is responsible for molding the chaplains into military professionals by the completion of the 10-week Basic Chaplain Training. He teaches the basics of military bearing, discipline, proper wearing of uniforms, salutes, drill and ceremony. Additionally, Collier coordinates the Amphibious Expeditionary Course wherein students learn about combat operations, convoy operations, mines, land navigation and nuclear, biological and chemical protective masks. The students also go on numerous conditioning hikes and participate in courses for endurance and leadership.
After studying the challenges of combat in Iraq, GySgt Collier added to the curriculum sleep and food deprivation, and training about the deadly improvised explosive devices. This training is crucial, as more than half the students from the winter class went to Iraq. A recent class recognized Collier's impact when they created their motto: "Gunny trained, God approved."
PREPARED FOR BATTLE: BODY AND SPIRIT
The Marine Corps also offers a 17-day program at Camp Lejeune, N.C., for chaplains who will serve with the operating forces. CREST, the Chaplain and Religious Program Specialist Expeditionary Skills Training, further encompasses field skills, combat ministry and Marine Corps orientation.
When LT Brian D. Weigelt attended CREST in 2003 as a Navy reservist, he learned about land navigation, patrolling, mass casualty ministry, field worship and surviving in the field. Weigelt said the course gave him "the most practical knowledge and training in relation to working with the Marine Corps" and confirmed for him that it was time to volunteer for active duty.
In January 2004, Weigelt began his first tour of duty. By mid-February his unit, 2d Battalion, Fourth Marine Regiment, left for Iraq. From a battlefield perspective, he said although schooling was important, "The time I spent in Parish Ministry probably best prepared me for the actual ministry-relating to people in crisis situations, learning how to help them through the long haul." Crisis situations abound in warfare, especially with the Marines of 2/4, a unit that suffered 21 killed and 130 wounded in a three-month time frame in Iraq.
All the chaplains serving in combat operations respond to Marines' questions about life and death. Marines struggle with the moral issues of war, and many question how the sentiments of war can coexist with their religious faith.
The question of war and religion is close to former "recon" Marine and chaplain CDR Jeffrey H. Seiler's heart, as both of his sons are serving their country. Benjamin J. Seiler is a Marine veteran currently serving with the North Carolina National Guard in northern Iraq. His brother, Erik P. Seiler, serves with 3d Bn, 8th Marines and just returned from Haiti. CDR Seiler said it is important to tell Marines "that they are honoring themselves, their families, the Corps and their country by serving. They are not violating their relationship with God, but rather are sacrificing for others so they may live free and without fear, and that God is with them."
CHAPLAINS, COMMANDERS AND MARINES
From day one in Chaplains School, chaplains learn that the religious program belongs to the commanding officer of the unit. Most commanders realize the vital contributions a chaplain makes to the morale of his Marines, and they entrust chaplains to monitor the spiritual pulse of the men and women in the command.
Ideally, Marines will feel free to confide in their chaplain and the chaplain can communicate general concerns to the commander. Since the chaplain is not in the chain of command and is required to maintain confidentiality with the Marines, he or she is often privy to the emotions and issues of the troops.
During Operation Iraqi Freedom I, Father Devine served as chaplain for Regimental Combat Team 7, a unit consisting of more than 6,300 Marines and 500 British soldiers. Their commander, Colonel Steven Hummer, remarked that Devine's "battlefield circulation was incredible" as he talked to Marines, held Mass and traveled to the component parts of the RCT. Devine said the commander facilitates his mission by giving him resources and the freedom to move with the troops. This accessibility enabled Fr. Devine to "take a barometer reading of attitude, morale, understanding and focus"-all of which are important to a commander.
Chaplains learn that the most effective way to make that Marine connection is through what they call a "ministry of presence" in which a chaplain is present everywhere, from the chow hall to PT, from the squad bay to the firing range. All the while, the chaplain sows the seeds of trust. Through familiarity, eventually the Marines welcome the chaplain, sharing their thoughts and the events of their lives.
ON THE HOMEFRONT
CDR Devine said the Marines often talk about their families. The snapshots they show him of wives, children or girlfriends often have become worn, torn and sweat-streaked from being carried in a pocket or a helmet. Some Marines use the Bible their grandfather had in World War II or their father carried in Vietnam. Family ties offer strength, hope and rejuvenation. But concern for a family's welfare back home can be difficult because the Marine can do little to solve problems from afar.
Fortunately, chaplains on Marine bases minister to the families who await their return. During OIF I, Captain John S. Lineback, USN, Chaplain Corps, headed up efforts to support the families of RCT-7 at Twentynine Palms. Chaplains are an important pillar of support for the Key Volunteer program, a spousal information network that offers unit news, relief agency information and moral support during a deployment. Key Volunteer advisor Sheri Hummer described Chaplain Lineback as a "tremendous asset" to the program by providing family counseling, attending unit get-togethers and Key Volunteer meetings, presenting a program to the Key Volunteer senior leadership that provided care to the caregivers, and conducting a reunion brief to prepare spouses for the Marines' return.
CAPT Lineback also visited wounded Marines, talked to school personnel in schools that had students whose brothers had died, and performed memorial services. The challenge of supporting the families, according to Lineback, usually is "not the individual hills one climbs, but the cumulative effect of everything. Things just add up." He added, "Sometimes we remember the times we spend holding the hand of a dying or injured Marine or consoling a distraught spouse as a significant event. But those aren't the greatest challenges; those are sacred events, and we are blessed to be in those sacred places and to take off our shoes on holy ground."
THE FAITHFUL
What makes a good chaplain? Chaplains respond: caring, trust, presence, listening ears, and a deep love for our country, our God, and the people he has called. All chaplains know, however, that without faith, none of the other skills really matter. "It all begins with faith, first and foremost," said CDR Devine. "Faith bolsters, reinforces a Marine's soul and gives meaning to his life."
Every chaplain mentioned the importance of maintaining his own daily personal spiritual discipline so he could minister to others. RDML Burt cited prayer as the critical source of inspiration for chaplains, explaining in terms of his own Christian framework that even Jesus had to "withdraw, go pray, energize." After all, RDML Burt said, "Faith is an everyday event."
© 2004 Leatherneck Magazine. All rights reserved.
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