Chaplain assistant role marks 105th year

By Eric Kowal, Picatinny Public AffairsNovember 7, 2014

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The Chaplain Assistant Crest. The image shows a pair of stylized hands surrounding a Chapel façade with open doors to connote that Chaplain Assistants are caring religious support members integral to the team. The open doors symbolize a welcom... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL

Historically, due to the small size of Picatinny in comparison to most other Army installations, usually only one enlisted assistant is assigned to work alongside the Arsenal's chaplain, in this case Lt. Col. David Jacob.

Currently, however, Picatinny has been blessed with the presence of two enlisted chaplain assistants: Staff Sgt. Gary Miles and Spc. Stacey Lewis.

Chaplain assistants provide much-needed support to the chaplains during missions and everyday activities. A chaplain assistant's primary purpose is support for the unit ministry team programs and worship services.

Chaplain assistants provide full-time religious and spiritual support to Army installations and units around the world. This year marks the 105th year since the Army created the position by authorizing selected Soldiers to function in such a role.

"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," states War Department General Order Number 253.

The order published Dec. 28, 1909 and signed by Maj. Gen. J. Franklin Bell, Chief of Staff, Secretary of War, authorized the military occupational specialty, or MOS number 56M.

Today, more than 300 chaplain assistants serve in U.S. Army garrisons at 75 installations around the globe. There Army as a whole has more than 1,500 assistants serving. Chaplain assistant training is provided for eight weeks in Fort Jackson, South Carolina. All enlisted personnel who want to serve in the field must complete the course before receiving a duty assignment.

Lewis, the junior ranked assistant, has served three years in his military occupational specialty and roughly three and a half years in the Army overall.

For Lewis, the biggest hardship for him here at Picatinny is the "lack of enlisted military" his own age.

"Especially junior enlisted," Lewis added. "There are not too many people here around my age to connect with. You can feel isolated a lot and miss the feeling of being in the Army, at times."

His daily duties help to keep him occupied, and help keep his mind off the troop and peer separation. His day-to-day duties can be quite diverse: Steward of Chaplain Tithes and Offering Fund, Non-Appropriated Funds card holder, primary key holder and fund clerk; Chapel Volunteer Coordinator, Coordinator of Picatinny Religious Support events (weekly Bible study, installation events, Strong Bonds events), providing counseling, conducting memorial services and attending funerals.

"With minimum military personnel we support in most installation/garrison ceremonial functions, memorials and conducting the Army Physical Fitness Test. We offer spiritual resiliency in the form of counseling, bible studies, retreats and holiday programs," Lewis said.

Miles has been serving as a chaplain assistant his entire 12-year career, saying that one of the difficulties of serving in the field is finding a senior chaplain assistant mentor.

"The job we're in sort of isolates us at times from chaplain assistants more senior to us who we can bounce questions off of," Miles said. "One chaplain, one assistant assigned to each unit. Not typical of most MOS's where senior leadership in that MOS is more accessible."

In describing his duties, Miles said: "Logistics, logistics, logistics. Set up on Sundays, planning and execution of memorial services and ceremonies, movement, transportation as well as security of the Unit Ministry Team, counting and securing offerings, screening counselees, ordering ecclesiastical supplies, Soldier ministry to include hospital visitation. We provide worship opportunities for Soldiers of all religions."

The chaplain and his assistants do not serve only one denomination. They can help provide services for members of all religious faiths.

"We meet the religious needs of any and all faith backgrounds protected by Title 10 of the US Code," Miles said. "That can be a diverse crowd in a garrison setting. If we don't directly provide a religious service someone is seeking we help them locate it. In a word, we nurture the living, care for the wounded and honor the fallen."

When asked about major accomplishments during his military career, Miles said: "This one is hard. I helped coordinate Soldier spiritual development excursions to historical sites from the Bible in Iraq, including Ur and Babylon. I once lead an NCO professional development day for my Company to Ames Research Center in Sunnyvale, California."

Miles said that, regardless of the military's path for him, he does have plans to continue working in a similar field once his enlistment has expired.

"The mission field is wide doing the Lord's work," he explained. "I will probably re-enter the field of ministry from a volunteer standpoint, where I can lead people to the Lord by my example. To pay the bills, though, I might seek self employment--freelance handyman work. Let's us pray my career lasts to 20 years when I can be eligible for a retirement."

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