WIESBADEN, Germany – Beginning his career in the Army as a German linguist in the 80s, Chap. (Col.) Matthew Kreider is now settling into his position as the Installation Management Command Europe command chaplain.
“I never came in the Army thinking I would do this as a career,” Kreider said. “I thought, ‘I’ll try this and see how it goes,’ and then it was one assignment after the other. Before you know it, 20 years go by – I don’t regret it.”
Kreider’s two older brothers had enlisted in the Army, and it inspired him to do the same in an effort to avoid college. Enlisting on an open linguist contract, he attended language school for 14 months, learned German and headed to a three-year assignment in Berlin.
“I studied harder there than I ever would have had to have studied in college,” he said.
Kreider left the Army after five years to go to college. During the 12-year break, he acquired his master’s in theology and met a recruiter who introduced him to the Army Chaplaincy. He is now looking forward to 26 years of service in January, five as a German linguist and 21 as a chaplain.
Kreider said he recalled words from his father when deciding to join the chaplaincy.
“Find one thing that you can do, do it well, and ride it out. In the end, you’ll look back and you will have been a success.” Although there were moments, he said, where he did not see himself continuing in the field, these words would come back to him, and he does not regret his decision to stay.
Kreider is on his fifth assignment in Germany, and he and his wife could not be more excited. “I have always thought that working in IMCOM-Europe would be a wonderful opportunity and a great privilege. And so when the Chief of Chaplains asked me to come and do this job, I was just flabbergasted that he would think I can do the job and that I would have the privilege of working for him.”
As one of the two chaplains in IMCOM-Europe, Kreider said, his job is very unique. He enables, equips and advises the garrison chaplains who are responsible for providing direct religious support to IMCOM-Europe’s communities. As a former garrison chaplain himself, knowing what their needs and challenges are allows him to help them obtain the resources they need – be it financial or personnel.
“Building relationships and getting to know the people of this organization, to be able to support them in any way, is part of my job. I will travel to all garrisons to see and hear from them. I want to be an encouragement to them and help where I can.”
In his spare time, Kreider takes delight in spending time in the kitchen, perfecting his cooking skills. As a fan of Italian cuisine, he enjoys making lasagna and using his pasta maker preparing different varieties of pasta.
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