Good thoughts, and the nature of the insurgent conflict in Iraq and Afghan certainly will dictate the timing of trips by a chaplain. However, there are very few convoys that wouldn’t be sufficient security for a battalion chaplain and his assistant. In fact, the Chaplain Assistant is a bodyguard and is not a religious person. He would enhance the security of the convoy.
I’m interested in more facts in this case. It’s too easy to sensationalize some chaplain’s complaint that he’s being picked on. It’s much harder to try to understand the responsibilities and complexities of providing ministry to troops spread over a broad area.
Thank you for your insight here Chaplain. Having been in command myself as well as a battalion adjutant prior to that, and working closely with chaplains to provide religious coverage for the troops that were my responsibility, I immediately thought something was not quite right with the information provided in this article. We shall see I suppose.
For what it is worth, I always had a great appreciation for the contributions of the chaplaincy to our young men and women in uniform. Most people don’t realize the extent of the workload the average chaplain takes on in performing his or her duties. Just like other men and women who “sign up”, there are much easier ways to live out one’s calling but they choose to serve our troops and our nation.
Chaplain,
I’m reminded of the episode of M*A*S*H when Col. Potter arrives, and upon meeting Fr. Mulcahey asks, “do you do Methodist?”
Our Chaplain was out on patrol all the time. It made our CSM worry like a mother-hen, but leaders need to post out front, and a Chaplain is a leader. Our guy, and the other two on the FOB were busy 24 hours a day from counseling a scared trooper, assisting with casualties in the Aid Station, and praying over the dead...in addition to services, and getting to sleep once in a while. Wouldn’t have traded him for the world.
The hardest thing to find in Iraq when we were there was a Catholic Chaplain. There aren’t enough left in the army. They were moved all over the battlefield to meet the demand for Communion.
There has to be more to this story.
Regards,