You Are a Soldier Now

“Whether you like it or not, you are a soldier in the United States Army.”

That was our welcome greeting earlier today as we began our training. Funny, I have been explaining just the opposite to so many people when they ask about Army chaplains but it seems I was wrong. Army chaplains are expected to do everything any other soldier in the Army does except use a weapon. While it didn’t come as a major shock, I suppose it makes a lot of sense. I observed in the chaplains who were welcoming us and leading us – they are clearly soldiers as well.  We are with the troops, we wear the uniform, and we are part of the Army – I am a soldier now.

One of the things that we are encouraged to explore is a sense of our calling to the chaplaincy. I was thinking about this earlier today while I was running (I always need something to think about while I am running) and I continue to experience affirmation. While I have a deep sense of call to ministry, it never involved pastoring a church. I pastored a church but it did not feel like I was in the right place. The thought and idea of being with the people you serve wherever they go, to train with them, and to be present at critical times in their lives feels like the fulfillment of my calling. I do not wish to be in the walls of a church or office, I want to be in the field where the people are. I am a soldier now and that means something.

As I was running today, I was passed by several units of younger soldiers who were certainly running faster than I was (okay, they passed me like I wasn’t moving at all) but you could feel a sense of respect from the soldiers. I was doing what they were doing and I think that makes the difference in this ministry. I will do the same things they will do. I will be yelled at by sergeants (yes, we were yelled at by Sgt. Ramirez and she frightens me a bit but that is another story) and I will be pushed to my limit because as they are but in the end, it will make me a better person (chaplain!) equipped to minister to the Army because I am not an outsider but someone who has been through it too.

Over the past few weeks (months really) I have been having discussions with people who ask me, “Why the Army?” That is a good question and I knew the answer in my heart and I tried to answer the question but I could not find the right words to articulate what I was feeling. Today, I have a better sense of what I need to say: “I am a soldier in the US Army.” That is why I want to be an Army chaplain. I am just like they are. I am a chaplain but I am also a soldier. What better opportunity to minister is there?