The military chaplains. Shocker, I know, coming from me. Coming from me, but I do respect these people who are going to war to carry the burdens of the soldiers. God bless them!
The summer sun beats down on camouflaged Kevlar helmets. Weighed down by heavy body armor, men and women of the cloth are crawling through sand, under barbed wire and learning how to run with soldiers.
Explosions in woods simulate the battlefield as an instructor barks commands.
“You are not following simple instructions! Cover me while I move! Got you covered! Let’s go!”
This is the U.S. Army Chaplain Center and School at Fort Jackson, South Carolina, where the Army trains clergy of all faiths how to survive in combat.
Once many of these chaplains complete this modified basic training they will head to war in Afghanistan and Iraq, where the explosions and gunfire are not simulated. (here)
From the OC, on Twitter.
I don’t support the wars, but I do pray for the safety and well-being of those in the front-lines.
Related articles
- Catholic military archdiocese sees rise in priestly vocations (onecatholicnews.wordpress.com)
- Happy Birthday US Chaplain Corps! (waronterrornews.typepad.com)
- USD-South Chaplain’s Inspiration, 03AUG2011 (chaplainjcraigcombs.wordpress.com)
- PFC Zach Smith: Called to Service, Calls for Ducks (waronterrornews.typepad.com)
Joel L. Watts holds a Masters of Arts from United Theological Seminary with a focus in literary and rhetorical criticism of the New Testament. His interests include exploring the role of mimesis in human civilization, specifically in the study of religion and media, as well as science fiction and the way in which it has allowed mythology to be explored in light of scientific discoveries of the past century. He is the author of Mimetic Criticism of the Gospel of Mark: Introduction and Commentary (Wipf and Stock, 2013) and a co-editor and contributor to From Fear to Faith: Stories of Hitting Spiritual Walls (Energion, 2013).
Website: → Unsettled Christianity
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