On one of the most profoundly dismal days of the year, several dozen Soldiers in Basic Combat Training found delight in surrender on Saturday.
Clad in unbloused ACUs and without their boots -- some wore socks, others flip-flops -- they were dunked one after the other in a faux granite baptismal pool filled with warm water from the laundry room at the 3rd Battalion, 13th Infantry Regiment.
"This is a very sacred time," Chaplain (Capt.) Sarah Tarpley told those being baptized. "The Christian baptism has much deeper significance than just repentance (for sins).
"You have a new life. You are a new creation."
The Soldiers answered enthusiastically -- not with "Hooah" but "Amen!"
The distinctly Christian rite of baptism often precedes regimental graduations by a few weeks, representing the Soldiers' commitment to both God and country.
The 193rd Infantry Brigade's Protestant chapel services at the Solomon Center often draw hundreds, many of whom are baptized along with their regiments later, said chief chaplain Col. Mark Penfold. The 165th Infantry Brigade holds services within their units and, thus, have smaller baptismal ceremonies.
Soldiers who wish to be baptized Catholic are not on post long enough to complete the required classes, Jewish conversions are rare and accepting Islam requires a personal profession, Penfold said.
Many of the Soldiers baptized on Saturday said their longtime or newfound Christian faith had helped them endure basic training.
"I realized that, hey! (God) was going to be the one I had to talk to at night" after a hard day of training, Pvt. Rebecca Noffsinger said before the baptisms began. "Every time I had something, I could go to Him and He'd fix it right off the bat.
"(Baptism is) that one step to finalize my relationship with Christ."
Noffsinger -- a 17-year-old from Yoncalla, Oregon -- found her faith in the Army, as did many of the others being baptized. Some told of overcoming their anguished pasts by finding religion; others spoke of becoming examples for others.
Still others entered the baptismal pool as a recommitment to a faith they had had as children. Many said that faith had provided them with reassurance during basic training.
Chaplains Tarpley of the 3-13th and Capt. Samuel Siebo of the 2-13th guided each Soldier into the pool, posing for a photo with the Soldier holding his baptismal certificate, then gripping each by the hands and swiftly swaying back and up, splashing errant water onto the surrounding concrete, where two Soldiers mopped it toward the drain.
Nearby and out of the wet, the Soldiers' abandoned guns sat neatly propped.
Outside the covered area, rain poured consistently from a lowering sky.
As they were dipped and raised, the Soldiers displayed a range of reactions, most emerging with wide smiles. Some appeared surprised, their eyes bulging wide and white.
"It was really emotional at first," said Makayla Ngoun, 18 and from Hope Well, Virginia, but "I was ready for it. It felt great."
Others professed a cleansing of the soul, along with their bodies.
"It was like a breath of fresh air -- very relieving," said Pvt. Meghan Adams, 17, of Greenville, North Carolina, and the first to be immersed. "I've been waiting for this for a while."
Pvt. Ty Stringfellow, 19, of Tucson was looking for absolution.
"When I was younger, I used to get into fights," he said. "I have that guilt in my head.
"I know it's not going to cure anything, but I just want to redeem myself."
Social Sharing