Commentary; Posted: 7/2/03

Chaplains give purpose to troops

Marguerite Rheinberger
Guest Columnist

This coming Friday, we will celebrate Independence Day by heading to parades, lakes, picnics and to see fireworks later that evening. Most of us will give little if any thought to the significance of that day, a day we too often have taken for granted for the past 227 years of our country's independence.

Meanwhile, as we enjoy ourselves, our U.S. Armed Forces will be working hard throughout the world to ensure that we will be able to celebrate this holiday for many years to come.

The cost of defending our freedom can exact a heavy personal toll on those who serve, especially those deployed to areas of conflict. The struggles our troops face are not always apparent.

During the recent war in Iraq, the 700 embedded journalists successfully captured the external struggles that troops in combat confront daily, but they were unable to capture the very personal, internal spiritual struggles that troops confront daily as well. The media were also unable to capture the ebb and flow of spiritual beliefs and motivations behind the personal sacrifices that troops make especially those deployed to areas of grave danger.Ý

Unlike journalists, military chaplains are privy to this information. They provide troops with an accepted sanctuary in which they can receive spiritual and emotional guidance in the face and wake of war. Chaplains are often viewed as a God-send by troops who welcome their arrival with a round of applause.

ìEven the godless in the ranks have a general respect for chaplains and what we represent,î said Father John Paul Echert of the Catholic Archdiocese of St. Paul-Minneapolis who is a Chaplain and currently a full-time officer (Major) in the United States Air Force. Echert, who was deployed to Qatar in Southwest Asia last year, is currently ministering to our troops at the 133rd Airlift Wing of the Minnesota Air National Guard as they deploy and return home.ÝÝÝ

The presence of chaplains within the U.S. Armed Forces ensures troops the Constitutional right to freedom of religious expression. Chaplains travel to where combat operations are, no matter how remote, and they are there to help all troops regardless of faith differences. In the case of a life-threatening injury or death, an appropriate chaplain is notified based on the religious preference identified on the dog chains that troops wear.

Amidst sweltering heat, relentless sandstorms, and the noise of gun fire in the background, chaplains hold prayer services and provide individual spiritual and emotional counseling, among other duties. Many topics troops discuss with chaplains can directly or indirectly impact spirituality. Troops who serve in areas where they frequently witness casualties openly share their fears and concerns about death with their chaplains. Facing the real possibility of death can even lead atheists to become battlefield converts.

ìThere is an old saying that there are no atheists in foxholes - or only a few,î Echert said. Although battlefield conversions are not uncommon, they are usually not long term. ìMore often than total conversion, are those who have become weak in faith or have lapsed in religious practice but who rediscover the importance of God in the course of their battlefield experience,î he said. ìThe lasting effects in these situations are more likely to be long-term, especially if there is faith support back home.î

Chaplains usually play a key role in notifying troops of a death back home and in providing subsequent support. However, with the speed and availability of communications technology, bad news can initially be received in other ways during deployment. A sailor serving aboard a carrier this past spring received a shocking email from his cousin who expressed sympathy that the sailorís son had drowned. This was the first notice the sailor had received of his sonís death.Ý

Chaplains frequently discuss marital concerns with troops. ìI noted an incredible difference between those who had strong faith before they arrived and those who didn't with regard to their marriage and family issues back home. Those with faith are often strengthened in the course of deployment, as a mutual sacrifice was embraced, while rocky marriages were often wrecked with little or no spiritual substance to bind them through the time of separation,î Echert said.Ý

Other topics troops often confide in chaplains include unanswered prayers; deaths of fellow service members; and the morality of a war, especially one not overtly provoked. Catholic troops, which represent over 25 percent of all U.S. military personnel, by far the largest single religious group within the Armed Forces, have struggled with statements from the Vatican and the National Conference of Bishops that expressed opposition to the war in Iraq. Some have struggled with the correctness of taking anotherís life in view of the seventh commandment of ìThou shall not kill.îÝ

As the war on terrorism continues and countries such as Iraq and Afghanistan remain unstable and violent, unexpected and extended stays are taking their toll on troops. This is especially apparent with the increasing numbers of Guard and Reserve members who are being called up to active duty, often leaving their civilian jobs in limbo.

According to the U.S. Department of Defense, there were almost 84,000 troops in active duty at the end of May last year versus almost 220,000 troops at the same time this year. Some of them have had multiple and extended deployments. ìHaving a target date for departure and return home goes a long way to sustain morale,î said Echert. If that date is not met, however, hopes are dashed and spirits plummet.

ìMy counseling load more than tripled in the days following the extension of deployment for most of the troops. In more extreme and rare cases, severe depression meant that a handful of troops had to be removed from duty and sent home,î said Echert who expects to be deployed to Iraq with our countryís ongoing presence there.

Troops involved in Operation Enduring Freedom have concerns that those in most other wars never experienced. U.S. troop involvement in Iraq continues to be controversial among Americans as well as openly opposed by other nations. As the U.S. presence continues possibly for another 10 years, some troops worry that they will experience the same indifference or even blatant disgust that those returning from Vietnam experienced.

At some point on Friday, as we enjoy our holiday, make it a point to take a moment to reflect on the sacrifices that our military personnel are enduring in order to ensure our freedom on that day and every day of the year.The deaths, injuries, and daily internal and external struggles troops face are poignant reminders that ìfreedom is not free.î

Marguerite Rheinberger chairs the annual Festival Mass of Freedom at St. Michael's Catholic Church in Stillwater. Now in its 26th year, it is the largest July 4th religious celebration in the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis. As this year's homilist, Father John Echert will be speaking about the important role that spirituality plays in the lives of troops deployed in areas of conflict.

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