Chaplain Corps (United States Army)
Encyclopedia
The Chaplain
Corps of the United States Army
consists of ordained clergy who are commissioned Army officers as well as enlisted soldiers who serve as assistants. Their purpose is to offer religious services
, counseling, and moral support
to the armed forces, whether in peacetime
or at war.
The U.S. Army Chaplain Center and School (USACHCS) 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.
In 2005, the Base Realignment and Closure Commission decided to put all military ministry training at the same location.
The purpose of the AFCC is to have closer cooperation among the three chaplain corps and to share instruction and training.
The U.S. Army Chaplain School was approved on 9 February 1918. Its first session began on 3 March 1918, at Fort Monroe
, Virginia. Chaplain (MAJ) Aldred A. Pruden, who developed the plan for the school, was named the first commandant of the school. 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).
who was sworn in on July 22, 2011.
The U.S. Army Chaplain Museum is located at Fort Jackson, South Carolina. 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.
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. 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.
Military chaplain
A military chaplain is a chaplain who ministers to soldiers, sailors, airmen, marines and other members of the military. In many countries, chaplains also minister to the family members of military personnel, to civilian noncombatants working for military organizations and to civilians within the...
Corps of the United States Army
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
consists of ordained clergy who are commissioned Army officers as well as enlisted soldiers who serve as assistants. Their purpose is to offer religious services
Church service
In Christianity, a church service is a term used to describe a formalized period of communal worship, often but not exclusively occurring on Sunday, or Saturday in the case of those churches practicing seventh-day Sabbatarianism. The church service is the gathering together of Christians to be...
, counseling, and moral support
Moral support
Moral support is a way of giving support to a person or cause, or to one side in a conflict, without making any contribution beyond the emotional or psychological value of the encouragement....
to the armed forces, whether in peacetime
Peacetime
In politics, peacetime is defined as any period of time where there are no violent conflicts occurring. For example, the time after World War II is considered peacetime in Western Europe and the United States....
or at war.
Army Chaplain Center and School
- See footnotes
The U.S. Army Chaplain Center and School (USACHCS) is part of the Armed Forces Chaplaincy Center
Armed Forces Chaplaincy Center
The Armed Forces Chaplaincy Center is the center for training of United States military chaplains, located at Fort Jackson, Columbia, South Carolina. Co-located on the AFCC campus are: the United States Army Chaplain Center and School, the United States Naval Chaplaincy School and Center, and...
(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.
In 2005, the Base Realignment and Closure Commission decided to put all military ministry training at the same location.
The purpose of the AFCC is to have closer cooperation among the three chaplain corps and to share instruction and training.
The U.S. Army Chaplain School was approved on 9 February 1918. Its first session began on 3 March 1918, at Fort Monroe
Fort Monroe
Fort Monroe was a military installation in Hampton, Virginia—at Old Point Comfort, the southern tip of the Virginia Peninsula...
, Virginia. Chaplain (MAJ) Aldred A. Pruden, who developed the plan for the school, was named the first commandant of the school. It subsequently moved to Camp Zachary Taylor
Camp Zachary Taylor
Camp Zachary Taylor was a military training camp in Louisville, Kentucky. It opened in 1917, to train soldiers for U.S. involvement in World War I, and was closed three years later. Its name live on as the Camp Taylor neighborhood of Louisville...
(Kentucky), Camp Grant (Illinois)
Camp Grant (Illinois)
For other uses see Camp Grant.Camp Grant was a U.S. Army facility located in the southern outskirts of Rockford, Illinois named in honor of General Ulysses S. Grant...
, Fort Leavenworth
Fort Leavenworth
Fort Leavenworth is a United States Army facility located in Leavenworth County, Kansas, immediately north of the city of Leavenworth in the upper northeast portion of the state. It is the oldest active United States Army post west of Washington, D.C. and has been in operation for over 180 years...
(Kansas), Fort Benjamin Harrison
Fort Benjamin Harrison
Fort Benjamin Harrison was a U.S. Army post located in suburban Lawrence, Indiana, northeast of Indianapolis. It is named for the 23rd United States President, Benjamin Harrison. Land was purchased in 1903, with the post being officially named for President Harrison in honor of Indianapolis being...
(Indiana), Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
(Massachusetts), Fort Devens
Fort Devens
Fort Devens is an active United States military installation in the towns of Ayer and Shirley, in Middlesex County and Harvard in Worcester County in the U.S. state of Massachusetts. It was named after jurist and Civil War general Charles Devens. The nearby Devens Reserve Forces Training Area is...
(Mass.), Fort Oglethorpe
Fort Oglethorpe
Fort Oglethorpe may refer to:*Fort Oglethorpe, Georgia, a town*Fort Oglethorpe , Army base founded in 1904*Fort Oglethorpe , a World War I military facility near the town of Fort Oglethorpe...
(Georgia), Carlisle Barracks
Carlisle Barracks
Carlisle Barracks is a United States Army facility located in Carlisle, Pennsylvania. It is part of the United States Army Training and Doctrine Command and is the site of the U.S. Army War College...
(Pennsylvania), Fort Slocum (New York) (1951–62), Fort Hamilton
Fort Hamilton
Historic Fort Hamilton is located in the southwestern corner of the New York City borough of Brooklyn surrounded by the communities of Bay Ridge, Dyker Heights, and Bensonhurst, and is one of several posts that are part of the region which is headquartered by the Military District of Washington...
(N.Y.) (1962–74), Fort Wadsworth
Fort Wadsworth
Fort Wadsworth is a former United States military installation on Staten Island in New York City, situated on The Narrows which divide New York Bay into Upper and Lower halves, a natural point for defense of the Upper Bay and Manhattan beyond. Prior to closing in 1994 it claimed to be the longest...
(N.Y.) (1974–79), and Fort Monmouth
Fort Monmouth
Fort Monmouth was an installation of the Department of the Army in Monmouth County, New Jersey. The post is surrounded by the communities of Eatontown, Tinton Falls and Oceanport, New Jersey, and is located about 5 miles from the Atlantic Ocean. The post covers nearly of land, from the Shrewsbury...
(New Jersey) (1979–95).
Specialty insignia
- See: United States military chaplain symbolsUnited States military chaplain symbolsReligious 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...
- For FAQs regarding uniforms and insignia, see footnote.
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 Major General Donald L. RutherfordDonald L. Rutherford
Chaplain Donald L. Rutherford, USA is an American Army officer and a Roman Catholic priest of the Archdiocese for the Military Services who is serving as the 23rd Chief of Chaplains of the United States Army....
who was sworn in on July 22, 2011.
Army bases chaplaincy
- See footnotes
- For a link to the chaplaincy at each of the bases listed below, see general footnote and the footnote following each base
- Fort BenningFort BenningFort Benning is a United States Army post located southeast of the city of Columbus in Muscogee and Chattahoochee counties in Georgia and Russell County, Alabama...
- Fort BraggFort Bragg (North Carolina)Fort Bragg is a major United States Army installation, in Cumberland and Hoke counties, North Carolina, U.S., mostly in Fayetteville but also partly in the town of Spring Lake. It was also a census-designated place in the 2010 census and had a population of 39,457. The fort is named for Confederate...
- Fort Carson
- Fort DrumFort DrumFort Drum is a United States Army base in New York near the Canadian border.Fort Drum may also refer to:*Fort Drum, Florida, a nearly-uninhabited town in the United States*Fort Drum , Philippines...
- Fort GordonFort GordonFort Gordon, formerly known as Camp Gordon, is a United States Army installation established in 1917. It is the current home of the United States Army Signal Corps and Signal Center and was once the home of "The Provost Marshal General School" . The fort is located in Richmond, Jefferson, McDuffie,...
- Fort HuachucaFort HuachucaFort Huachuca is a United States Army installation under the command of the United States Army Installation Management Command. It is located in Cochise County, in southeast Arizona, about north of the border with Mexico. Beginning in 1913, for 20 years the fort was the base for the "Buffalo...
- Fort KnoxFort KnoxFort Knox is a United States Army post in Kentucky south of Louisville and north of Elizabethtown. The base covers parts of Bullitt, Hardin, and Meade counties. It currently holds the Army Human Resources Center of Excellence to include the Army Human Resources Command, United States Army Cadet...
- Fort LeavenworthFort LeavenworthFort Leavenworth is a United States Army facility located in Leavenworth County, Kansas, immediately north of the city of Leavenworth in the upper northeast portion of the state. It is the oldest active United States Army post west of Washington, D.C. and has been in operation for over 180 years...
- Fort MonroeFort MonroeFort Monroe was a military installation in Hampton, Virginia—at Old Point Comfort, the southern tip of the Virginia Peninsula...
- Fort MyerFort MyerFort Myer is a U.S. Army post adjacent to Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington County, Virginia, across the Potomac River from Washington, D.C. It is a small post by U.S...
- Fort PolkFort PolkFort Polk is a United States Army installation located in Vernon Parish, approximately 7 miles east of Leesville, Louisiana and 20 miles north of DeRidder, Louisiana....
- Fort SillFort SillFort Sill is a United States Army post near Lawton, Oklahoma, about 85 miles southwest of Oklahoma City.Today, Fort Sill remains the only active Army installation of all the forts on the South Plains built during the Indian Wars...
- Walter Reed Medical Center
Joint-base chaplaincy
- Joint Base Lewis-McChordJoint Base Lewis-McChordJoint Base Lewis-McChord is a United States military facility located south-southwest of Tacoma, Washington. The facility is under the jurisdiction of the United States Army Joint Base Garrison, Joint Base Lewis-McChord....
- Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst
Chapels
- For all six USMA chapels, see footnote
Museum
- See also: National Museum of the United States ArmyNational Museum of the United States ArmyThe National Museum of the United States Army will be dedicated to telling the complete story of the U.S. Army, from 1775 to present. The museum, to be built at Fort Belvoir, Virginia in 2015, is destined to become the Army’s national landmark, celebrating the Army’s contributions to the nation and...
and Museum of Army Chaplaincy (U.K.) - For USA Civil War chaplains, see footnote.
- For historic photographs of Army chaplains in World War I, World War II, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War, see footnote.
The U.S. Army Chaplain Museum is located at Fort Jackson, South Carolina. 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.
"The Four Chaplains"
When the troop-transport ship USAT DorchesterUSAT Dorchester
USAT Dorchester was a United States Army Transport ship that was sunk by a torpedo from a German U-boat on February 3, 1943, during World War II...
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. Those chaplains – known as "The Four Chaplains
Four Chaplains
The Four Chaplains, also sometimes referred to as the "Immortal Chaplains," were four United States Army chaplains who gave their lives to save other civilian and military personnel during the sinking of the troop ship USAT Dorchester during World War II. They helped other soldiers board lifeboats...
" – were Lt. George L. Fox
George L. Fox
George L. Fox was a Methodist minister and a lieutenant in the United States Army. He was one of the Four Chaplains who gave their lives to save other soldiers during the sinking of the USAT Dorchester during World War II.-Life:George L. Fox was born in Lewistown, Pennsylvania in 1900, one of five...
, Methodist; Lt. Alexander D. Goode
Alexander D. Goode
Alexander D. Goode was a rabbi and a lieutenant in the United States Army. He was one of the Four Chaplains who gave their lives to save other soldiers during the sinking of the USAT Dorchester during World War II...
, Jewish; Lt. John P. Washington
John P. Washington
John P. Washington was a Roman Catholic priest and a lieutenant in the United States Army. He was one of the Four Chaplains who gave their lives to save other soldiers during the sinking of the USAT Dorchester during World War II.-Life:Born as one of seven children to Irish immigrants Frank and...
, Roman Catholic; and Lt. Clark V. Poling
Clark V. Poling
Clark V. Poling was a minister in the Reformed Church in America and a lieutenant in the United States Army. He was one of the Four Chaplains who gave their lives to save other soldiers during the sinking of the USAT Dorchester during World War II.-Life:Poling was born in Columbus, Ohio to Daniel A...
, Dutch Reformed.
Other Notable Chaplains
- John G. BurkhalterJohn G. BurkhalterRev. John G. Burkhalter, was a Baptist minister and highly-decorated chaplain who served in World War II and the Korean War. He was part of the D-Day invasion of Normandy at Omaha Beach.-Early Days:...
- Chaplain during World War II and the Korean War. - John B. DeVallesFather John B. DeVallesFather John B. DeValles founded the first Portuguese parochial school at Espirito Santo Church in Fall River. In 1918 he was appointed a chaplain in the regular army with the rank of first lieutenant and administered to the needs of both Allied and German soldiers. His exploits became legendary...
– Chaplain during World War I. - Francis P. DuffyFrancis P. DuffyFrancis Patrick Duffy was an American soldier, Roman Catholic priest and chaplain. As the chaplain for the "Fighting 69th", he became the most highly decorated cleric in the history of the U.S. Army. Duffy Square, the northern half of Times Square, is named after him.-Early life and...
– Chaplain during World War I, the most highly decorated cleric in the history of the U.S. Army. - Thomas Dyer – Army's first Buddhist Chaplain; cessioned 14 May 2008 from the Tennessee National Guard.
- Dale Goetz – Chaplain during Afghanistan WarWar in Afghanistan (2001–present)The War in Afghanistan began on October 7, 2001, as the armed forces of the United States of America, the United Kingdom, Australia, and the Afghan United Front launched Operation Enduring Freedom...
. First U.S. Army chaplain to be killed in action since the Vietnam War. - Philip HannanPhilip HannanPhilip Matthew Hannan was an American Roman Catholic Archbishop. Archbishop Hannan, in his episcopal career, served as Auxiliary Bishop of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Washington and later as the Eleventh Archbishop of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New Orleans from September 29, 1965 to...
– Chaplain during World War II - Herman G. Felhoelter – Chaplain during the Korean War. Killed in Chaplain–Medic massacre.
- Emil J. KapaunEmil KapaunEmil Joseph Kapaun was a Roman Catholic priest and United States Army chaplain who died in the Korean War. The Roman Catholic Church has declared him a Servant of God and he is a candidate for sainthood.-Early life:...
– Chaplain during the Korean War. Died in a POW camp on 23 May 1951. - Charles Liteky – Chaplain during Vietnam War. Awarded the Medal of Honor.
- Colman O'FlahertyColman O'FlahertyRev. Colman E. O'Flaherty , was an Irish born American recipient of the Distinguished Service Cross during World War I.-Biography:O'Flaherty was born in Carraroe, Ireland on April 24, 1878. He received his early education in Ireland and continued his studies at Lyons, France where he became fluent...
– Chaplain during World War I. Awarded the Distinguished Service Cross posthumously. - H. Timothy Vakoc – Chaplain during Iraq War. First U.S. military chaplain to die from wounds received in the Iraq War.
- Charles J. WattersCharles J. WattersCharles Joseph Watters was a Chaplain in the United States Army. He was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor for bravery exhibited while rescuing wounded men in the Vietnam War, specifically the Battle of Dak To...
– Chaplain during the Vietnam War. Awarded the Medal of Honor posthumously.
Hymn
- See: Eternal Father, Strong to SaveEternal Father, Strong to Save"Eternal Father, Strong to Save" is a hymn often associated with the Royal Navy or the United States Navy and United States Marine Corps. Accordingly, it is often known as the Royal Navy Hymn or the United States Navy Hymn , and sometimes by the last line of its first verse, "For Those in Peril on...
(including special verses for West Point cadets, U.S. armed forces, wounded in combat, and for those deployed)
See also
- United Church, The Chapel on the Hill (former Army chapel)
- Military chaplain#United States (including conflicts and criticism)
- United States Air Force Chaplain CorpsUnited States Air Force Chaplain CorpsThe Chaplain Corps of the United States Air Force consists of enlisted chaplain assistants and clergy who become commissioned Air Force officers, endorsed and ordained by their particular religious organization...
- United States Navy Chaplain CorpsUnited States Navy Chaplain CorpsThe Chaplain Corps of the United States Navy consists of ordained clergy 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...
- Religious Programs SpecialistReligious Programs SpecialistReligious Program Specialist is a United States Navy occupational rating. Religious Program Specialists assist Navy chaplains. Religious program specialists provide support to Navy chaplains in developing programs to meet the needs of Navy, Marine Corps and Coast Guard personnel and their families...
(Navy) - Chaplain of the Coast GuardChaplain of the Coast GuardThe Chaplain of the United States Coast Guard is the senior chaplain of the United States Coast Guard and is attached to USCG Headquarters in Washington, D.C. as a United States Navy Chaplain Corps officer who reports directly to the Commandant of the Coast Guard. The current Chaplain of the...
- Chaplain of the United States Marine CorpsChaplain of the United States Marine CorpsThe Chaplain of the United States Marine Corps is a position always filled by the officer serving as Deputy Chief of Chaplains of the United States Navy as a "dual hatted" billet since 2000...
- Armed Forces Chaplains BoardArmed Forces Chaplains BoardThe Armed Forces Chaplains Board is an organizational entity within the United States Department of Defense established to advise the Secretary of Defense and the Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness on religious, ethical, and moral matters, in addition to a number of policy...
(AFCB) - Chaplains Hill (Arlington National Cemetery)
- Chaplain
- Minister
- ImamImamAn imam is an Islamic leadership position, often the worship leader of a mosque and the Muslim community. Similar to spiritual leaders, the imam is the one who leads Islamic worship services. More often, the community turns to the mosque imam if they have a religious question...
- PriestPriesthood (Catholic Church)The ministerial orders of the Catholic Church include the orders of bishops, deacons and presbyters, which in Latin is sacerdos. The ordained priesthood and common priesthood are different in function and essence....
- RabbiRabbiIn Judaism, a rabbi is a teacher of Torah. This title derives from the Hebrew word רבי , meaning "My Master" , which is the way a student would address a master of Torah...
External links
- US Army Chaplain Corps (United States Army Chaplaincy official homepage). Retrieved 2010-03-04.
- U.S. Army Chaplaincy (DACH). Army.mil/Chaplaincy. Retrieved 2010-03-05.
- Army Chaplain Corps: Overview. GoArmy.com. Retrieved 2010-03-04.
- Army Chaplain Corps: About Army Chaplains. GoArmy.com. Retrieved 2010-03-04.
- Army Chaplain Corps: Chaplain Candidate Program. GoArmy.com. Retrieved 2010-03-04.
- US Army Chaplain Center & School website. Retrieved 2011-02-24.
- Chaplaincy Museum (U.S. Army Chaplaincy official homepage). Retrieved 2011-02-24.
- Zach Morgan (Fort Polk Guardian staff writer), Chaplain Corps crucial to Army. Army.mil. 19 February 2010. Retrieved 2010-03-05.
- Kelvin Davis (Chief of Chaplains), Civilian Clergy Resources: Ministering to Families Affected by Military Deployment. 4 June 2009. Army.mil (U.S. Army official homepage). Retrieved 2010-03-05.
- Military Chaplains Association (MCA) official website. Retrieved 2009-12-03.
- National Conference on Ministry to the Armed Forces (NCMAF) official website. Retrieved 2009-12-03.
- The Four Chaplains Memorial Foundation official website
- Library of Congress audio and video history interviews of former U.S. military chaplains