Chaplains

[Subdeacon Joe]

 

Hillebrand Rifles

  · 

Battlefield Burial — 21 July 1945 — Amid the smoke of battle on the island of Ie Shima, a U.S. chaplain conducts services over the graves of Americans who fell while clearing the Japanese off the island near Okinawa in the Pacific. Two fuel drums serve as an altar.

Coast Guard photo through Rome OWI--Approved by appropriate military authority, Ie Shima (today know as Iejima) Okinawa, Japan. 21 July 1945 — from the original Coast Guard caption.

https://www.ww2online.org/.../chaplain-conducts...

[Cyrus Cassidy #45437]

A lot of folks in today's Army fail to realize how valuable chaplains are.  Regardless of a person's faith background, the chaplain is there for them.  They are required to earn a Master of Divinity before becoming a chaplain, and those are NOT the same as regular master's degrees.  A regular MA is somewhere around 30-36 credit hours beyond a bachelors program, but an M.Div is 93 hours.  Their education includes counseling regardless of faith.  Seriously, I lean on these guys all the time.

[Subdeacon Joe]

29 minutes ago, Cyrus Cassidy #45437 said:

A lot of folks in today's Army fail to realize how valuable chaplains are.  Regardless of a person's faith background, the chaplain is there for them.  They are required to earn a Master of Divinity before becoming a chaplain, and those are NOT the same as regular master's degrees.  A regular MA is somewhere around 30-36 credit hours beyond a bachelors program, but an M.Div is 93 hours.  Their education includes counseling regardless of faith.  Seriously, I lean on these guys all the time.

 

Our late priest, Fr. Michael Margitich, was a 30 year USAF chaplain, O6.  Two tours in Vietnam, Legion of Merit, Bronze Star w/3 repeats and a V.  Wonderful man.

One time we were working together to do some minor repairs in the sacristy and he asked how I was doing.  I started to say, "Father, you don't..." Then I looked at him and said, "That was stupid.  There's probably nothing you haven't heard before." He chuckled.  

[Rye Miles #13621]

We had a priest when I was a kid that retired from the army as a chaplain. He was in WWII.  He was not allowed to do masses with sermons. He would only do the early weekday masses with no sermons. He would get all worked up and yell at the congregation so therefore no sermons. He wound up in a mental institution. Pretty sad when I look back at it. Us kids hated him but we had no idea of his mental state. 

[Subdeacon Joe]

28 minutes ago, Rye Miles #13621 said:

We had a priest when I was a kid that retired from the army as a chaplain. He was in WWII.  He was not allowed to do masses with sermons. He would only do the early weekday masses with no sermons. He would get all worked up and yell at the congregation so therefore no sermons. He wound up in a mental institution. Pretty sad when I look back at it. Us kids hated him but we had no idea of his mental state. 

 

Have to wonder what he went through.

[Rye Miles #13621]

31 minutes ago, Subdeacon Joe said:

 

Have to wonder what he went through.

We didn’t care at the time because we were all scared of him but I sure wondered later in life. 

[Subdeacon Joe]

34 minutes ago, Rye Miles #13621 said:

We didn’t care at the time because we were all scared of him but I sure wondered later in life. 

 

Yeah, in general kids are like that.  It's only after you get some experience and wisdom that it changes.  Then it's usually to late to do anything about it.  

[Forty Rod SASS 3935]

I knew several Chaplains, all affectionately called "padre" (including  one Rabbi and Katherine McGregor who was a Minister in an English Protestant denominatin out of Michigan, IIRC.)

 

I helped one buy a browning P-35 pistol when he got orders to 'Nam.  I never asked why he, being a non-combatant, wanted it, but one of his"flock" rold me he would protect his people and anyone else at all costs.  I never found out if he ever had to, but if he did I'll bet he went down fighting.

 

I'm not  very religious man but I'll always respect our chaplains.  They are always these for us, as are our Corpsmen and women and medics.

 

The best example I van give is when my wife, an atheist, was dying, an Anabaptist chaplain at Banner Hospital in Phoenix sure gave his all to comfort her and the whole family.  She was completely unaware of his presence, but he explained that God helps all of his children regardless.

 

 

[Buckshot Bear]

So sad, those fallen soldiers were so close to VJ day August 14.