FORT Jackson, SC -- On Sept. 14, Navy Lt. (Chaplain) Jack R. Carmody checked aboard his latest duty assignment: a nine-day tour as chaplain for Moncrief Army Community Hospital.
But how exactly did a Navy Reserve chaplain wind up at an Army hospital?
"My unit serves the 5th Fleet in Bahrain and I was slated to go there this summer but was unable to do so," Carmody explained. "A fellow Sailor, a physical therapist, had previously performed his drill time at Moncrief so I asked the garrison chaplain's office and found their was a real need at the hospital. It seemed like a mutually beneficial opportunity."
Navy chaplains are typically familiar with a wide variety of settings. They serve on shore and at sea, and serve the Marine Corps and the Coast Guard as well as the Navy. However, the assignment at Moncrief was more than just the first time Carmody served an Army command.
"I've never performed hospital chaplaincy before this," he said. "It's very different than any other context I have been in. Everyone is in some kind of medical crisis which often can put a military career in crossroads. The patients that come through the doors of the hospital are looking for help and need someone to talk to be it for counsel or encouragement. It's been a privilege to be able to provide that, even if only for a short time."
But patients weren't the only one's Carmody was able to minister to.
"Patients have real need but the nurses, doctors, and staff need just as much support -- emotionally and spiritually -- in order to perform their jobs," he said.
Chaplain Carmody has been serving in the Navy Reserve for the last four years as a reserve chaplain, and serves full time as an assistant pastor at Chapin Presbyterian Church in Chapin, SC.
"I love serving a congregation, but I felt a call to try to make an impact beyond the walls of the church," he said. "The opportunity to serve God and country was appealing to me."
Now that he has completed his drill time, Carmody will return to his civilian responsibilities at his home church. However, he wants it known that he is still available to the staff and patients of Moncrief.
"I'm still at Fort Jackson at the Navy Reserve Center once a month so I'll probably pop my head in from time to time for a visit," he said.
According to COL Traci E. Crawford, Moncrief commander, the hospital would be more than happy to have him.
"Chaplain Carmody's time ministering to our staff and patients has been wonderful. We wish he could have stayed longer, and he was a welcome addition to the Moncrief family."
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