PINELLAS PARK, Fla. - Since July 29, 1775, the Chaplain Corps' mission has evolved from providing religious support to the warrior, often as warriors themselves, to taking on the additional functions of mental health support and advising the command.They've wept, they've soldiered and they've died in battle. Chaplains have taken on many positions from warrior-ministers to advisors. Chaplains, then and now, have shared the same experiences as the fighting Soldier - being wet, cold and war-weary.
Today, chaplains carry on their mission of caring for those who fight, praying for their wounded and honoring those who've fallen. But, the culture of the society they support has changed. Gone are the days of strict religious convictions throughout the nation. Society has transitioned to a more spiritual consciousness. This evolution in religious beliefs has also changed how modern chaplains minister to their flock. Today's chaplains are flexible, adaptable and take on many roles.
"Spirituality in America has significantly changed since the founding of our country," said Chaplain (Maj.) Jeffrey Peppers, chaplain, Headquarters, 53rd Infantry Brigade Combat Team. "We are more of a spiritual country and less of a religious country now."
By serving as spiritual caregivers, military chaplains serve the force as combat multipliers charged with the purpose of raising morale while combating the threats that harm the human spirit.
"I've used spirituality to touch everything inside that drives the human existence," said Peppers. "Sometimes, a Soldier may be hurting and may be deeply wounded in the soul and not be a religious person. Most chaplains are still able to minister to that person and appeal to what drives them."
Soldiers don't always seek help directly. Some may exhibit their pain in their off-duty time, or as National Guard Soldiers between drill weekends, making it harder to see what's really bothering them. But chaplains follow the ministry of presence to bridge the gaps.
"You cannot minister if you're absent," said Chaplain (Capt.) Rick Messer, chaplain, Headquarters and Headquarters Battary, 2nd Battalion, 116th Field Artillery Regiment. "You have to be there with the Soldiers whether it's good or bad. They need to know that you'll be there."
The types of Soldiers serving the units in the 53rd Infantry Brigade Combat Team are elite, highly trained and proud of their accomplishments. Easily found within the ranks are Soldiers who wear any number of badges and tabs from Combat Infantry, Air Assault, Airborne and Pathfinder with many having served on multiple deployments.
"I said this [Ranger Tab] is my foot in the door and this [Chaplain Corps Cross] is my foot into the heart," said Peppers placing his hand over his Ranger Tab and then over his Chaplain's Cross. "Because I knew that coming in, from day one as a chaplain, I had instant credibility."
Soldiers are a fighting force that need holistic care, despite a cultural environment where, oftentimes, a show of emotion is seen as weakness.
"You have to get out and among the Soldiers," said Messer. "I'm out there among our Soldiers. That earns their respect."
Chaplains follow many different paths of soldiering that in turn help them relate to their flock. Being among Soldiers is one way; others have the shared experience of combat deployments.
"They know I'm a combat veteran that's been in the trenches with them," said Messer. "They just see the patch and that generates conversation."
From generations past to today's spiritual leader, chaplains are also warriors. The chaplain who knows what it means to suffer then know how to heal.
"When I came to Florida and back to the brigade, I really hoped that I could be a chaplain to an infantry battalion," said Chaplain (Capt.) Lance Sellon, chaplain, Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 2nd Battalion, 124th Infantry Regiment. "I thought maybe knowing how to live the life and listen to the life of the combat arms Soldier might make me a little more trustworthy to them, so I could do my job better."
Invisible wounds are the enemy of unit readiness. Military life with its multiple overseas deployments causing post-traumatic stress is not the only stressor. Soldiers' personal lives can hammer at them. As the unit's spiritual caretakers, a chaplain monitors its mental and emotional health by applying the effective activity of nonjudgmental and active listening.
"I think the biggest thing is to discover what it is that's causing the stress on them," said Messer. "That comes through casual interaction, not necessarily giving them the third degree, but to just listen to them."
While the wounds are the intangible detractors to Soldier morale, the symptoms are what visibly impact unit readiness. A steady decline in a Soldier's performance may be a sign, to a chaplain, something else may be going wrong for that person.
"Once the chaplain is out there working, he can pull them aside and speak into their life and that Soldier knows that, with their chaplain, they can say whatever want to say," said Messer. "And there's not going to be any repercussion; that helps me identify Soldiers in potential crisis."
The chaplain's sacred code of silence combined with critical thinking also makes the chaplain the unit problem solver. Their doctrine teaches them to understand multidimensional problems, anticipate change and create opportunities.
"I always try to counsel folks in a certain situation to ask one question: 'Is this a wise decision?'" said Messer. "If they ask that question, it's like doing a course of action. You tell me what it's going to be like for your life if you get out now. How is that going to work?"
To add to a chaplain's toolkit are resources such as partnerships with behavioral health professionals and educational courses focused on mental health and emotional well-being for Soldiers.
Courses include combat operational stress training that helps chaplains identify and mitigate combat operational stress and conduct suicide intervention, explained Sellon.
Equipping chaplains to diagnose the warning signs for Soldier suicide, chaplains may take suicide intervention training earning certificates in courses such as the Applied Suicide Intervention skills Training or ASIST.
"One of the biggest concerns we have as chaplains is Soldier suicide and Soldier ideations of suicide," said Sellon.
While Department of Defense data on suicide statistics indicate a year over year decline from 2012 to the first quarter of 2014, the problem remains a big concern for all the services. In response, the department has made building its forces' resilience - both among its service members and their families - a top priority.
Meanwhile, chaplains with boots on ground, use their own individual techniques to help Soldiers deal with separation from their families while on deployment.
"I like to refer to it as trying to get their mind off 'Groundhog Day'," said Sellon. "That's the thing that compounds stress is the day to day, mundane routine over and over and that's when Soldiers start stressing about their families and their bills."
2nd Battalion, 124th Infantry Regiment is scheduled to deploy later this summer to the Horn of Africa on a security mission, for nearly a year. Being there to help provide religious support and opportunities such as spiritual fitness events is how Sellon plans to offset the routine.
"You never want to create one event for just one type of religious faith," said Sellon. "So, one of the events we are looking at trying to do is a half marathon over in Djibouti."
Sellon will start their weekly training run with a prayer before hitting the pavement to train for the half marathon and says it's good for the Soldiers to have a goal to work towards to keep their minds off deployment stress.
Long deployments and regular operations alike require consistent religious support and an active unit ministry team year-round. A third and important chaplain role is conducting ongoing assessments to advise the command to help keep military operations on track.
"I say part of my job as a chaplain is to advise the commander on religion, morals and morale of the battalion," said Sellon.
"If a Soldier is struggling with a command issue and they feel that they don't have a voice, they know that they can come to the chaplain," said Messer."With their permission, I am able to go directly to our commander and talk to them directly about that issue without ever really mentioning the Soldier's name."
In this role as advisors to the command or in any other function chaplains serve, they are considered force multipliers, helping to identify Soldiers who may be on the verge of a crisis. It is a chaplain's non-judgmental code of confidentiality that Soldiers may see as their sanctuary of support.
"Oftentimes, they reach out to me first," said Messer. "That's the biggest thing I see myself doing now and that's right within the chaplain code of nurturing the living. That's a huge thing."
In today's increasingly complex military structure, the chaplain stands ready to help a unit's most valuable resource - its Soldiers - adapt to the changes and challenges. And so, it is each unit's chaplain who grasps a spiritual guidon, in the field and behind the pulpit, so that he or she can nurture our military's patriots readying them for today's and tomorrow's mission.