U.S. Army Africa Command Chaplain, Chaplain (Col.) Charles Reynolds, and his chaplain assistant, Staff Sgt. Chris Corbett, recently attended a memorial ceremony in Liberia honoring seven Soldiers with Armed Forces Liberia (AFL) who died of Ebola.
Now redeployed, Reynolds and Corbett were stationed in Liberia to provide religious support to U.S. service members, and personnel from the United States Embassy, Centers for Disease Control, and the U.S. Agency for International Development.
We recently caught up with Chaplain Reynolds to discuss his experience at the AFL memorial ceremony.
Q: Tell us about your attendance at the AFL memorial ceremony.
A: Maj. Gen. Darryl A. Williams, Joint Force Command --United Assistance (JFC-UA) Commander, asked me to attend the event on his behalf and read his letter of condolence to the AFL Soldiers and Family members. The condolence letter was well received. The Liberian Minister of Defense approached me about placing the letter in the Archives at the National Defense Headquarters. He also asked me to personally give his thanks to Maj. Gen. Williams for writing the letter.
Q: Are there any lessons to be learned from the event?
A: As a student of religion and culture, I am always moved by how God uses ritual to bring healing. Rituals vary among religious groups, and grief is expressed differently in different cultures. Liberians are very vocal in the way they express their grief. The last time that these families had seen their loved ones, they were healthy young men. They were quarantined and their Family members were not allowed to visit them after they were diagnosed with Ebola.
When the ceremony began, seven Soldiers marched into the burial site holding glass jars containing the ashes of the seven Soldiers who died. The Family members began wailing as if suffering from a deep physical pain. It is an unsettling sound, one of anguish I had never heard before. The ceremony was an emotional experience I will never forget. The wailing grew louder as more Family members joined in. I felt that they were publicly together releasing their pain. It continued for several minutes before finally subsiding and the ceremony proceeded. It was obvious that this collective wailing was a part of their healing ritual and one that was very emotionally powerful.
Q: What were the similarities and differences between the AFL memorial ceremony and U.S. military memorial ceremonies?
A: There were many similarities. Since one of the Soldiers was Muslim, Scriptures were read from the Quran and the Bible and prayers were offered by both a Christian and a Muslim chaplain. Similar to U.S. military customs, a detail fired volleys, a Soldier played Taps, and a folded Liberian Flag was presented to each Family. Like our military funerals, everything was rehearsed and executed with professionalism and precision that honored their fellow Soldiers.
Q: What religious support is available to AFL Soldiers?
A: There are multiple religious faiths both in the ranks of the soldiers and the Chaplaincy. Liberia is about 85% Christian and a little over 10% Muslim. Church attendance is also fairly high.
Q: Were there any precautions taken to minimize exposure to Ebola?
A: Extensive caution is taken with everything done in Liberia right now. One possible positive outcome is sanitation standards in Liberia will be raised to help fight other diseases like Malaria, AIDS and Tuberculosis.
Everyone's temperature was taken and they had to wash their hands before they could enter the military barracks where the event was held. There was a chlorine wash station where everyone entering the cemetery was required to wash their hands again. Even though no Family members were known to be infected, the Families were seated in a section away from the Soldiers and other guests at the ceremony where it would be impossible for them to spread any germs. Regrettably, I could not approach the Families, take their hand and console them during the ceremony. This was difficult for me because I recognize the importance of this in providing comfort.
I believe that an extreme amount of fear is manufactured about Soldiers exposure to Ebola. No one has contracted Ebola unless they had direct contact with the body fluids of an Ebola patient. We are not being exposed to Ebola. In fact, none of our USARAF Soldiers have had direct contact with an Ebola patient. Can we give a 100% guarantee that none of us could contract Ebola? No, but the likelihood of any of us contracting Ebola is extremely low.
I feel pretty safe here. I think as a chaplain it is important for me to make this point, because I care about Families and I think a lot of unnecessary stress is delivered daily to our Families, particularly our children.
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