CAMP ZAMA, Japan (April 2, 2014) -- Nine students and nine staff members from the Japanese Christian Student Association toured the Camp Zama Chapel on March 24 and met two U.S. Army Garrison Japan chaplains during a recent visit to the installation, here.
Lt. Col. Dallas Walker, U.S. Army Garrison chaplain, conducted the tour of the chapel and briefed the students and staff members about different aspects of military chaplaincy. Walker also shared some of his own personal experiences.
The visit was a part of a program that allows for Japanese college students the opportunity to meet with professionals from a variety of career backgrounds.
"From the chaplain's briefing, I hope the students can learn about Army chaplains' duties, responsibilities and (their) pride in the mission," said Ryuichi Yamazaki, the general secretary for the Japanese Christian Student Association.
The students and Walker conversed further in an open forum at the end of the tour.
"The chaplain's speech made me realize that Soldiers who are deployed to war zones often face deathly situations," said Kazuki Nodera, a student at Chuo University, Japan. "Therefore it made me think about and reflect (on) how Christians should be when death is next to us."
Walker said he wanted the students to take away the experience of what it means to be an Army chaplain.
"Where one represents a particular or specific denomination on one hand, yet on the other hand (they) are responsible for the constitutional right of the freedom to exercise religion."
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