With Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall serving as the garrison for the Military District of Washington (MDW), the base's chaplain's corps stays busy. They wouldn't be able to successfully complete their missions without the help of chaplain assistants.
Established Dec. 28, 1909, the chaplain assistant Military Occupational Specialty (MOS) celebrates its 105th anniversary this month. "One enlisted man will be detailed on special duty, by the commanding officer of any organization to which a chaplain is assigned for duty, for the purpose of assisting the chaplain in the performance of his official duties," reads General Order No. 253, which officially established the position.
For more than a century, chaplain assistants have been the Soldiers behind the scenes of Army chaplains, helping organize religious programming, providing logistical support, advice and - in some cases - protection.
"The mission here is so unique with all that's going on for the chapels and the funerals and the church services," said Lt. Col. Lawrence Dabeck, joint base chaplain. "They are the logistics specialists, they ensure that everything happens, and happens seamlessly. They're invaluable for that."
On base, chaplain assistants are responsible for the day-to-day operations that keep both Memorial and Old Post Chapels running smoothly. But chaplain is a non-combat MOS, and chaplains are prohibited from carrying weapons. In the field of battle, a chaplain assistant takes on combat duties.
"I don't have a weapon, so any time that we move, that chaplain assistant is my security," Dabeck told the Pentagram. "I kind of joke ... I need you to shoot 40 out of 40 because you're shooting for two."
JBM-HH has three chaplains and six chaplain assistants (including one who is trained as a funds clerk), and Dabeck said the installation's team is the best with which he has ever worked.
"I've actually never found a better team," he said. "The folks here have great initiative, great ability and they are hard workers."
Sgt. Aaron Bell joined the Army in June 2005, and he has been a chaplain assistant for his entire career.
An Ohio native, Bell said he was involved with the church before he enlisted, so becoming a chaplain assistant felt like a new way down that path.
"I spent a lot of time in a church before I even joined the Army, so I saw being a chaplain assistant as a way to continue doing that," he said.
Bell has served as a chaplain assistant both at a garrison and during a nine-month deployment in Afghanistan.
"If you go to a battalion, it's far different," he said. "You're pretty much just out with Soldiers, doing what Soldiers do, talking to people and facilitating the chaplain's plan."
He said being able to talk to and assist people on JBM-HH is his favorite aspect of the job.
"That's pretty much the vast majority of what we do, is helping people that come in or people that call and need something," he said. "Sometimes they come in to vent or just to be listened to."
Spc. Kyle Spies, who has been in the Army for two years, knew when he joined that he wanted to be a chaplain assistant.
"I joined the Army and the only job I wanted was to be a chaplain assistant," said Spies, who hails from Wichita, Kansas. "My buddies from high school, each one of us joined the Army a year after the next, and they kept on telling me 'You could be a chaplain assistant, Kyle. You should be a chaplain assistant.'"
Spies said that he enjoys being his unit's "moral compass" as a chaplain assistant.
"All Soldiers are held to a higher standard to live the Army values, but chaplain assistants are scrutinized much, much more than the average Soldier," he said. "I hold myself to a higher standard and I appreciate that my job expects that of me."
Dabeck compared the relationship between a chaplain and their assistants to the bond between a commander and a command sergeant major.
"I'm no commander, but it's that kind of advice and support that I so desperately appreciate ... We have a special skill set that the government needs, but I can't do it without a chaplain assistant," Dabeck said. "They really put the legs and hands on the idea of the Chaplain Corps."
Related Links:
U.S. Army Chaplain Corps Twitter
Social Sharing