Army Reserve chaplains support RIMPAC mass casualty exercise

By CourtesyJuly 18, 2014

HA/DR RIMPAC 2014
Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF) Lt. M. Kihara and Hospital Corpsman 2nd Class Reyna Castle, attached to Navy Cargo Handling Battalion (NCHB) 14, speak to a Humanitarian Assistance/Disaster Relief (HA/DR) mass casualty drill participant duri... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL

By Chaplain (Col.) Charles E. Lynde

9th Mission Support Command

HONOLULU - Eight Army Reserve chaplains and chaplain candidates from the 9th Mission Support Command provided pastoral support to mock casualties during a Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) training exercise on Ford Island, Joint Base Pearl Harbor Hickam, and Tripler Army Medical Center on July 11, 2014.

Civilian community volunteers received moulage treatment to simulate wounds during the mass casualty (MASCAL) exercise. As medical personnel tended to their physical injuries, chaplains provided care in the form of prayer and brief pastoral counseling.

For the chaplains, the MASCAL exercise was a stark contrast to the hospital setting of their usual clinical pastoral internship training at Tripler and Queens Medical Center, which will continue until their graduation on Aug. 14.

"This is a great experience with very intense trauma. We bring God to people at the worst point in their lives," said Chaplain (Maj.) Kevin Gilbert of the 124th Chaplain Detachment.

Chaplain (Capt.) Keith Buczak of the 302rd Transportation Terminal Battalion, an Army Reserve unit out of Fort Shafter, said the exercise showed the importance of helping casualties cope with the spiritual aspects of significant injuries.

"Ministering to people in severe pain really brings home the necessity of bringing quick and timely pastoral care to the patient," he said.

Charlene Chase, a volunteer casualty role-player from Kapolei, Hawaii, said the pastoral care was a valuable component of the exercise.

"It takes my mind off of my wounds and pain, and puts my psyche in God's grace," she said.

Brig. Gen. John Cardwell, the commander of the 9th Mission Support Command, also commented about the positive impact chaplains made during the exercise.

"This is both wonderful training for our chaplains and a great chance to support this important RIMPAC exercise," he said. "The joint experience is an excellent opportunity for our Army Reserve Soldiers to learn interoperability here in the Pacific."

Twenty-two nations, 49 ships, six submarines, more than 200 aircraft, and 25,000 personnel are participating in RIMPAC from June 26 to Aug. 1 in and around the Hawaiian Islands and Southern California. The world's largest international maritime exercise, RIMPAC provides a unique training opportunity that helps participants foster and sustain the cooperative relationships that are critical to ensuring the safety of sea lanes and security on the world's oceans. RIMPAC 2014 is the 24th exercise in the series that began in 1971.

RIMPAC 2014 HA/DR Response

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