Chaplain Corps (United States Army)

Last updated

United States Army
Chaplain Corps
Seal of the United States Army Chaplain Corps.png
United States Army Chaplain Corps
Branch Plaque
Active29 July 1775 – present
CountryFlag of the United States.svg  United States of America
Branch United States Department of the Army Seal.svg United States Army
Type Corps
Role Military Chaplaincy
Size2,700
Motto(s)"Pro Deo et Patria"
(Latin: For God and Country)
ColorsBlack
Engagements American Revolutionary War
American Civil War
Spanish–American War
World War I
World War II
Korean War
Vietnam War
Gulf War
Somali Civil War
Kosovo War
War in Afghanistan
Iraq War
Website Official Website
Commanders
CCH CH (MG) William Green Jr.
DCCH CH (BG) Jack Stumme
Notable
commanders
CH (COL) John T. Axton
CH (MG) William R. Arnold
CH (MG) Francis L. Sampson
CH (MG) Kermit D. Johnson
CH (MG) Patrick J. Hessian
CH (MG) Gaylord T. Gunhus
Insignia
Branch Insignias ChristChaplainBC.gif USarmychinsigjew.gif USarmychinsigmus.gif USarmychinsigbud.gif US Army Hindu Faith Branch Insignia.png USA - Chaplain Assistant 2.png Chaplain Candidate Branch Insignia.png
Distinctive unit insignia
USArmyChapCorRegInsignia.png

The United States Army Chaplain Corps (USACC) consists of ordained clergy of multiple faiths who are commissioned Army officers serving as military chaplains as well as enlisted soldiers who serve as assistants. Their purpose is to offer religious church services, counseling, and moral support to the armed forces, whether in peacetime or at war.

Contents

U.S. Army Institute for Religious Leadership

See footnotes [1] [2]

The U.S. Army Institute for Religious Leadership (USAIRL) is part of the Armed Forces Chaplaincy Center (AFCC), which also includes the Air Force Chaplain Service Institute (AFCSI) and the U.S. Naval Chaplaincy School and Center (NCSC). The three schools are co-located at Fort Jackson, in Columbia, S.C. [3]

In 2005, the Base Realignment and Closure Commission decided to put all military ministry training at the same location. While it was authorized, funding was not part of the BRAC, and the Air Force departed Ft Jackson in 2012, currently leaving only the Army and Navy at the Armed Forces Chaplaincy Center. [3]

The purpose of the AFCC was to have closer cooperation among the three chaplain corps and to share instruction and training. While that was the goal, the core curricula were maintained by the three service schools and a joint program of instruction (POI) was never created. [3]

The U.S. Army Chaplain School was approved on 9 February 1918. Its first session began on 3 March 1918, at Fort Monroe, Virginia. [4] Chaplain (MAJ) Aldred A. Pruden, who developed the plan for the school, was named the first commandant of the school. [4] It subsequently moved to Camp Zachary Taylor (Kentucky), Camp Grant (Illinois), Fort Leavenworth (Kansas), Fort Benjamin Harrison (Indiana), Harvard University (Massachusetts), Fort Devens (Mass.), Fort Oglethorpe (Georgia), Carlisle Barracks (Pennsylvania), Fort Slocum (New York) (1951–62), Fort Hamilton (N.Y.) (1962–74), Fort Wadsworth (N.Y.) (1974–79), and Fort Monmouth (New Jersey) (1979–95). [4]

Noncombatant status

Chaplain Candidate

Due to a revision of DA PAM 611-21 (Military Occupational Classification and Structure) Effective 1 October 2013, Chaplain Candidates, previously belonging to the Staff Specialist Branch until ordination have worn the Staff Specialist insignia in lieu of religious denomination insignia. The transition from the Staff Specialist Branch to the Chaplain Branch left the candidates without an authorized branch insignia. Responding to the need, Chief of Chaplains Chaplain (Major General) Donald L. Rutherford submitted a request for collar insignia which was approved by HQDA, G-1 on 23 February 2012. The design for the collar insignia was authorized on 18 June 2012. [5]

Religious Affairs Specialist or NCO

Specialty insignia

For FAQs regarding uniforms and insignia, see footnote [6]

Chiefs of Army Chaplains

The Chief of Chaplains of the United States Army is the head of the Army Chaplaincy. The position was created to better organize the corps. The current Chief of Chaplains is Chaplain (Major General) William Green, Jr., who became the United States Army's 26th Chief of Chaplains on 5 December 2023. [7]

Army bases chaplaincy

See footnotes [8] [9] For a link to the chaplaincy at each of the bases listed below, see general footnote [10] and the footnote following each base

Joint-base chaplaincy

Field Service (unfinished oil) by James Pollock, U. S. Army Vietnam Combat Artists Team IV (CAT IV 1967) VietnamCombatArtCAT04JamesPollockFieldService.jpg
Field Service (unfinished oil) by James Pollock, U. S. Army Vietnam Combat Artists Team IV (CAT IV 1967)
Chaplain Martain's Bible by Stephen H. Sheldon, U. S. Army Vietnam Combat Artists Team III (CAT III 1967) VietnamCombatArtCAT03StephenHSheldonChaplainMartinsBible.jpg
Chaplain Martain's Bible by Stephen H. Sheldon, U. S. Army Vietnam Combat Artists Team III (CAT III 1967)
A Roman Catholic army chaplain celebrating a Mass for Union soldiers and officers during the American Civil War (1861-1865). American Civil War Chaplain.JPG
A Roman Catholic army chaplain celebrating a Mass for Union soldiers and officers during the American Civil War (1861–1865).

U.S. Military Academy chaplaincy

Chapels

For all six USMA chapels, see footnote [25]

Chaplains

See footnote [26]

Cadet Prayer

See footnote [27] [ clarification needed ]

Museum

For USA Civil War chaplains, see footnote [28] For historic photographs of Army chaplains in World War I, World War II, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War, see footnote [29]

The U.S. Army Chaplain Museum is located at Fort Jackson, South Carolina. [30] It was established on 14 August 1957, at the then–United States Army Chaplain School at Fort Slocum, New York. It was dedicated on 10 February 1958, by Chaplain (MG) Patrick J. Ryan, Chief of Chaplains. [31]

"The Four Chaplains"

When the troop-transport ship Dorchester was torpedoed during World War II, four Army chaplains ministered to the soldiers and sailors on the sinking ship, gave up their life jackets, and sacrificed their lives when the ship sank. [32] Those chaplains – known as "The Four Chaplains" – were Lt. George L. Fox, Methodist; Lt. Alexander D. Goode, Jewish; Lt. John P. Washington, Roman Catholic; and Lt. Clark V. Poling, Dutch Reformed.

Other notable chaplains

Hymn

See also

Army chaplains at the Tomb of the Unknowns, in Arlington National Cemetery. Army Chaplains at Tomb of Unknown Soldier.jpg
Army chaplains at the Tomb of the Unknowns, in Arlington National Cemetery.

Footnotes

  1. Army Chaplain Corps: Chaplain Basic Officer Leadership Course Archived 6 January 2010 at the Wayback Machine . GoArmy.com. Retrieved 4 March 2010.
  2. Training Directorate Archived 29 March 2010 at the Wayback Machine . (United States Army Chaplaincy official homepage). Retrieved 4 March 2010.
  3. 1 2 3 "First Group of Navy Chaplains Graduate from NSCS Fort Jackson". Navy.mil (USN official website), 11/10/2009. By Steve Vanderwerff, Naval Education and Training Command Public Affairs. Retrieved 3 December 2009.
  4. 1 2 3 Chaplaincy History & Museum: History of Chaplain Corps Archived 31 March 2010 at the Wayback Machine . US Army Chaplain Corps (United States Army Chaplaincy official homepage). Retrieved 4 March 2010.
  5. "Chaplain Candidate". Archived from the original on 6 June 2014. Retrieved 3 June 2014.
  6. Chaplaincy History & Museum: FAQ's Archived 31 March 2010 at the Wayback Machine (United States Army Chaplaincy official homepage). Retrieved 5 March 2010.
  7. "Chief of Chaplains". www.army.mil. 20 December 2023. Retrieved 26 March 2024.
  8. Wise, Jeremy (Army Flier Staff) (18 February 2010). "Fort Rucker officials break ground on new post chapel". Army.mil. Retrieved 5 March 2010.
  9. Schuette, Rob (Fort McCoy Public Affairs) (12 January 2010). "Fort McCoy chapels get major makeovers". Army.mil. Retrieved 5 March 2010.
  10. Go to Office of the USMA Chaplain and click on "Links" in left-hand column. USMA website. Retrieved 4 March 2010.
  11. At Fort Carson official website, go to "Services" and click on "Chaplain". For photos of the five chapels, then click on "Chapels at Fort Carson". Retrieved 2011-08-19.
  12. Fort Gordon Chaplain & Ministry Team Archived 14 August 2011 at the Wayback Machine . Fort Gordon Garrison official website. Retrieved 2011-08-19.
  13. Home page Archived 3 September 2011 at the Wayback Machine . Fort Polk Command Chaplain Office official website. Retrieved 2011-08-19.
  14. Fort Polk Chapels Archived 1 October 2011 at the Wayback Machine . Fort Polk Command Chaplain Office official website. Retrieved 2011-08-19.
  15. Office of the Senior Chaplain Archived 19 October 2011 at the Wayback Machine . Fort Knox official website. Retrieved 2011-08-19.
  16. Command Chaplain. U.S. Army Combined Arms Center (CAC) official website. Retrieved 2011-08-19.
  17. Religious Services Archived 7 February 2011 at the Wayback Machine . Fort Monroe official website. Retrieved 2011-08-19.
  18. Religious Support. Fort Sill official website. Retrieved 2011-08-19.
  19. Fort Sill Chapels. Fort Sill official website. Retrieved 2011-08-19.
  20. Joint Base Lewis-McChord Chaplaincy Archived 10 July 2006 at the Wayback Machine official website. Retrieved 2011-08-19.
  21. Fort Dix Command Chaplain Section Archived 5 August 2011 at the Wayback Machine (including Soldiers Chapel and Dix Chapel). Army Support Activity–Dix (ASA-Dix) official website. Retrieved 2011-08-19.
  22. JB Chapel Schedule Archived 21 February 2011 at the Wayback Machine (and contact information) (McGuire Chapel, North Chapel, Dix Chapel, Chapel of the Air). JB MDL Chapel official website. Retrieved 2011-08-19.
  23. Home page Archived 8 February 2012 at the Wayback Machine . JB MDL Chapel official website. Retrieved 2011-08-19.
  24. JB MDL Chapels Archived 9 July 2011 at the Wayback Machine . JB MDL official website. Retrieved 2011-08-19.
  25. Go to Office of the USMA Chaplain and click on "Chapels" in left-hand column. USMA official website. Retrieved 23 December 2009.
  26. Go to Office of the USMA Chaplain and click on "Chaplains" in left-hand column. USMA official website. Retrieved 23 December 2009.
  27. Go to Office of the USMA Chaplain and click on "Cadet Prayer" in left-hand column. USMA official website. Retrieved 23 December 2009.
  28. "USA Chaplains". The National Civil War Chaplains Museum . Retrieved 20 October 2011.
  29. Chaplaincy History & Museum: Historic Photos Archived 29 March 2010 at the Wayback Machine (World War I, World War II, Korean War, Vietnam War). US Army Chaplain Corps (United States Army Chaplaincy official homepage). Retrieved 5 March 2010.
  30. "Fort Jackson's U.S. Army Chaplain Museum". Chaplain Regimental Museum Association. Retrieved 2 December 2014.
  31. Chaplaincy History & Museum: History Archived 31 March 2010 at the Wayback Machine (United States Army Chaplaincy official homepage). Retrieved 4 March 2010.
  32. The Four Chaplains Memorial Foundation. Retrieved 1 December 2009.
  33. Shepherd, Raymond F. On Wings of the Wind. pp. 62–64.
  34. At the following webpage, scroll down to "Captain Herman G. Felhoelter • Korean War • 1914-1950". Centner, Pat. "No Greater Love: A Memorial Day Salute to Military Chaplains". American Family Association. Archived from the original on 25 April 2012. Retrieved 6 November 2011. A Catholic priest from Washington state, Chaplain Herman Felhoelter had been assigned to the U.S. Army's 19th Infantry Regiment. ... Four days before his death, he had written his mother: 'Don't worry, Mother. God's will be done. I feel so good to know the power of your prayers accompanying me. ... I am happy in the thought that I can help some souls who need help. ...'
  35. "Chaplain (Brig. Gen.) Augustus F. Gearhard".
  36. Capt. Goetz joined the Chaplain Corps in 2000. Before that, he was pastor of the First Baptist Church in White, South Dakota. https://www.facebook.com/notes/1st-brigade-4th-infantry-division/raider-brigade-remembers-iron-knights-chaplain-cpt-dale-goetz/434322338186 "Army: Chaplain is 1st killed in action since '70: Captain based at Fort Carson, Colo., had hitched ride on supply convoy". NBC News. 2 September 2010. Retrieved 2 September 2010.
  37. www.whitehouse.gov
  38. Stewart, Jocelyn Y. (4 July 2007). "Abraham J. Klausner, 92; rabbi was an advocate for Holocaust survivors". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 4 July 2007.
  39. O'Conner, Thomas H. "Breaking the religious barrier", The Boston Globe , Boston, 10 May 2004.
  40. "INTRODUCTION OF CAPTAIN JEFF STRUECKER AS GUEST CHAPLAIN -- (House of Representatives - July 23, 2002)". The Library of Congress. Archived from the original on 14 April 2020. Retrieved 22 December 2014.
  41. "Pratima Dharm is US Army's first Hindu chaplain". Hindustan Times. 4 June 2011. Retrieved 13 November 2021.
  42. Beatty, John David (31 December 2020). "Rev. George Bartlett Wood". The Archives of the Episcopal Diocese of Northern Indiana . Archived from the original on 15 December 2021. Retrieved 14 December 2021. With the outbreak of World War II, Wood entered the chaplain school at Fort Benjamin Harrison near Indianapolis. He later volunteered for parachute duty and was attached initially to the 505th Parachute Infantry Regiment, by-passing the usual school for parachutists, and then was sent to Fort Bragg to join the 82nd Airborne Division. An elite military unit, the 82nd was deployed to North Africa and then became part of the invasion of Sicily in 1943. He later dropped behind enemy lines in Salerno and participated in the allied march to Naples. He was then sent to England for additional training and took part in the D-Day invasion in 1944, parachuting into Ste. Mere Eglise in Normandy. He took part in a fourth combat jump in Holland and was the only chaplain to make four jumps in the war.
  43. Mrozek, Steven J. (15 June 2000). 82nd Airborne Division . Turner Publishing Company. p. 191. ISBN   978-1563113642. LCCN   97060398. OCLC   52963023. OL   704174M.

Further reading

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fort Dix</span> Census-designated place in New Jersey, United States

Fort Dix, the common name for the Army Support Activity (ASA) located at Joint Base McGuire–Dix–Lakehurst, is a United States Army post. It is located 16.1 miles (25.9 km) south-southeast of Trenton, New Jersey. Fort Dix is under the jurisdiction of the Air Force Air Mobility Command. As of the 2020 U.S. census, Fort Dix census-designated place (CDP) had a total population of 7,716, of which 5,951 were in New Hanover Township, 1,765 were in Pemberton Township, and none were in Springfield Township.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chaplain</span> Spiritual representative attached to a secular institution

A chaplain is, traditionally, a cleric, or a lay representative of a religious tradition, attached to a secular institution, or a private chapel. The term chaplaincy refers to the chapel, facility or department in which one or more chaplains carry out their role.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Awards and decorations of the United States Armed Forces</span> Military awards and decorations of the US

The awards and decorations of the United States Armed Forces include various medals, service ribbons, ribbon devices, and specific badges which recognize military service and personal accomplishments of members of the U.S. Armed Forces. Such awards are a means to outwardly display the highlights of a service member's career.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">United States Navy Chaplain Corps</span> Staff corps and military chaplain arm of the United States Navy

The United States Navy Chaplain Corps is the body of military chaplains of the United States Navy who are commissioned naval officers. Their principal purpose is "to promote the spiritual, religious, moral, and personal well-being of the members of the Department of the Navy", which includes the Navy and the United States Marine Corps. Additionally, the Chaplain Corps provides chaplains to the United States Coast Guard.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Military chaplain</span> Ministers to military personnel

A military chaplain ministers to military personnel and, in most cases, their families and civilians working for the military. In some cases, they will also work with local civilians within a military area of operations.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">20th Engineer Brigade (United States)</span> Military unit

The 20th Engineer Brigade is a combat engineer brigade assigned to the XVIII Airborne Corps of the United States Army stationed at Fort Liberty. Although the brigade was identified as an airborne unit, not all of its subordinate units were airborne qualified—despite the airborne tab as part of the unit patch. Soldiers of the 20th Engineer Brigade provide various supportive duties to other Army units, including construction, engineering, and mechanical work on other Army projects.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Army Medical Department (United States)</span> U.S. Armys primary healthcare organization

The Army Medical Department of the U.S. Army (AMEDD), formerly known as the Army Medical Service (AMS), encompasses the Army's six medical Special Branches. It was established as the "Army Hospital" in July 1775 to coordinate the medical care required by the Continental Army during the Revolutionary War. The AMEDD is led by the Surgeon General of the U.S. Army, a lieutenant general.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Military Intelligence Corps (United States Army)</span> U.S. Armys branch for military intelligence

The Military Intelligence Corps is the intelligence branch of the United States Army. The primary mission of military intelligence in the U.S. Army is to provide timely, relevant, accurate, and synchronized intelligence and electronic warfare support to tactical, operational and strategic-level commanders. The Army's intelligence components produce intelligence both for Army use and for sharing across the national intelligence community.

The Royal Australian Army Chaplains' Department (RAAChD) is an all-officer corps of the Australian Army that provides ordained clergy to minister to the personnel of the Australian Army. RAAChD chaplains belong to either one of several Christian churches, or to the Jewish faith. As of 2012, there are 67 serving regular chaplains (commonly known as 'padres') in the Australian Army. There are also 83 chaplains in the Australian Army Reserve.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">United States Air Force Chaplain Corps</span>

The Chaplain Corps of the United States Air Force (USAF) is composed of both clergy—commissioned officers who have been endorsed and ordained by a religious organization—and enlisted Religious Affairs. As military chaplains, their main purpose is to support the free exercise of religion by members of the military service, their dependents, and other authorized personnel. They also provide advice on spiritual, ethical, moral, and religious-accommodation issues to the leadership of the United States Department of Defense.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">F. Richard Spencer</span> American Roman Catholic bishop (born 1951)

Frank Richard Spencer is an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. Formerly a priest of the Archdiocese of Baltimore and a U.S. Army chaplain, he was appointed an auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese for the Military Services by Pope Benedict XVI on May 22, 2010.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">William Richard Arnold (bishop)</span> Chief of Chaplains of the United States Army

William Richard Arnold was an American Army officer and prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as the 5th Chief of Chaplains of the United States Army from 1937 to 1945 and Military Delegate of the Armed Forces from 1945 until his death in 1965.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chief of Chaplains of the United States Army</span> Chief supervising officer of the U.S. Army Chaplain Corps

The Chief of Chaplains of the United States Army (CCH) is the chief supervising officer of the U.S. Army Chaplain Corps.. From 1775 to 1920, chaplains were attached to separate units. The Office of the Chief of Chaplains was created by the National Defense Act of 1920 in order to better organize the Chaplaincy. Chaplain William Green Jr. is the current Chief of Chaplains.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chaplain of the United States Marine Corps</span> Position in the US Navy

The Chaplain of the United States Marine Corps (CHMC) is a position always filled by the officers serving as Deputy Chief of Chaplains of the United States Navy as a "dual hatted" billet since 2000. The CHMC oversees religious ministry in the Marine Corps which one Commandant of the Marine Corps defined as "a vital function which enhances the personal, family, and community readiness of our Marines, sailors, and their families. Chaplaincy supports the foundational principle of free exercise of religion and helps to enrich the spiritual, moral and ethical fabric of the military."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Buddhists in the United States military</span>

Buddhists make up a small percentage of the United States military, with a 2009 article stating that only 5,287 of 1.4 million military personnel identified themselves as Buddhists.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Religious symbolism in the United States military</span> Aspect of military life

Religious symbolism in the United States military includes the use of religious symbols for military chaplain insignia, uniforms, emblems, flags, and chapels; symbolic gestures, actions, and words used in military rituals and ceremonies; and religious symbols or designations used in areas such as headstones and markers in national cemeteries, and military ID tags.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Armed Forces Chaplaincy Center</span>

The Armed Forces Chaplaincy Center (AFCC) was the center for training of United States military chaplains, located at Fort Jackson, Columbia, South Carolina. Co-located on the AFCC campus were: the United States Army Chaplain Center and School, the United States Naval Chaplaincy School and Center, and the United States Air Force Chaplain Corps College. The Center included the "Joint Center of Excellence for Religious Training and Education."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">United States military chaplains</span>

United States military chaplains hold positions in the armed forces of the United States and are charged with conducting religious services and providing counseling for their adherents. As of 2011, there are about 2,900 chaplains in the Army, among the active duty, reserve, and National Guard components.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Insignia of chaplain schools in the United States military</span>

In addition to the three official Chaplain Corps seals for the army, navy, and air force, chaplaincies also have special seals and emblems for special schools and organizations for their chaplains, as well as a shared emblem for the "Armed Forces Chaplaincy Center" (AFCC), Fort Jackson, Columbia, South Carolina, where chaplains from all branches of the military receive their training. The original AFCC emblem had three symbols traditionally associated with learning and wisdom—a lamp, a torch and a book. A second emblem was developed by the Commandants and Commanding Officer of the three schools, in part so that it could be used on the reverse side of a two-sided AFCC challenge coin, with one symbol drawn from each of the army, navy, and Chaplain Corps emblems: a dove from the army emblem, cupped hands from the air force emblem, and an anchor from the navy emblem. In addition to using both emblems on the two sides of the AFCC coin, both designs were displayed in the AFCC lobby.