Happy 234th Birthday Army Chaplains Corps!
Posted by Guest. Filed in Active Duty, Chaplains, Information, National Guard, News, Reserves, Spouses |
“All leaders care for Soldiers. Chaplains are leaders too, with a mission to support the commander and serve the Soldier.”
- Chaplain (Col.) Gary Moore, Fort Stewart’s installation chaplain
Barely six weeks after the Continental Congress established the Army and the first branch of the Army, the infantry, a second branch was established upon orders by General George Washington, according to Chaplain (Col.) Gary Moore, Fort Stewart’s installation chaplain.
The Army Chaplains Corps was established July 29, 1775 and for 234 years, approximately 25,000 Army Chaplains have served more than 25 million Soldiers and family Members, living up to the motto on its branch insignia, “Pro Deo et Patria,” which means, “For God and Country.”
“George Washington said, ‘We need chaplains,’” said Chap. Moore, who hails from the mountain country of eastern Tennessee. “Washington was concerned about both the morale and morals of the Soldiers and believed the Army should provide paid religious leaders to meet Soldiers’ spiritual needs.”
From military installations to deployed combat units and from service schools to military hospitals, Army chaplains and chaplain assistants have performed their ministries in the most religiously diverse organization in the world.
Always present with their Soldiers in war and in peace, Army chaplains have served in more than 270 major wars and combat engagements. Some 400 Army chaplains have laid down their lives in battle. Six have been awarded the Medal of Honor. Their love of God, country and the American Soldier has been a beacon of light and a message of hope for all those who have served our nation.
Currently, over 2,700 chaplains are serving the total Army representing over 130 different religious organizations. Over 1,000 chaplains and chaplain assistants are mobilized or deployed in support of contingency operations throughout the world.
Photo courtesy US Army: Chaplain Glenvil Gregory (at right) of Newark, N.J., 1st battalion, 108th Field artillery chaplain, and SSG Chris Paulhamas (second from right), a chaplain’s assistant, lead a general Protestant service July 25 at Fire Base Mayhem, Camp Taji, Iraq. The Soldiers of Battery B, 1-108th, 56th Stryker Brigade Combat Team taking part in the service are, from left: SPC Sean Keefer of Waynesboro, Pa.; SPC Ryan Koehler of Oil City, Pa.; SPC Jared Divittorio of Pittsburgh; and SGT Brad Hefflefinger (with guitar) of Indiana, Pa.
Go to Military OneSource for information on the mission of military chaplaincy, qualifications of chaplains, how to contact a chaplain and much more. The Warriors Sanctuary blog “Links” page also has information on these topics.
To read more about the worship experiences at Camp Taji, click here.
For more information about the Army Chaplaincy, click here.
Tags: Army Chaplaincy, Chaplain, role of chaplain
