FORT BELVOIR, Va. – Chaplain (Major General) William “Bill” Green Jr., U.S. Army chief of chaplains, hosted a promotion ceremony for Chaplain (Colonel) Jack Stumme, deputy chief of chaplains, on Jan. 20, 2024, at Fort Belvoir’s Woodlawn Chapel.
“This is a great day for the Stumme family and a great day for the United States Army Chaplain Corps,” said Green on Stumme’s promotion to brigadier general. “His sense of call means more than the rank that he is going to achieve, and the rank that any of us can achieve, especially as chaplains as we go out to do God's will, and to serve God and country. He's done that in deployed environments, in garrison, in our chapel communities, and he's done that in an exemplary manner. We are proud that he gets an opportunity to serve as our 27th deputy chief of chaplains.”
“One of the reasons I am grateful to be a chaplain is because of our Chaplaincy's plan, and I believe in this plan,” said Stumme as he proceeded to use the letters in the word “plan” to describe what he meant:
‘P’ is for ‘People’
“We are all about people,” Stumme said. “George Washington understood that in 1775 when he went to Congress and said he needed chaplains. He understood that people were his greatest resource for victory. He also understood that it was the chaplains who were going to be there to care for the souls of his people, so that they could find victory in that war. That's when the plan started, and now we're looking at 250 years of doing the same plan.
‘L’ is for ‘Liberty’
“As you look at our Corps, you will see a variety of people and backgrounds. We support each other's liberty to fulfill our callings and desire for service. Our mission is to message the importance of religious liberty, which is the foundation of all other freedoms. Yes, people want prosperity; they want opportunity; and they want position. But when you break it down to its most fundamental, they want liberty, they want the ability to be able to live their lives to worship God, as they see fit. You can see that model of liberty firsthand in your unit ministry teams as we minister together in an environment of cooperation, without compromise.
‘A’ is for ‘Action’
“There is no passivity when it comes to you and team members. Our goal is to take care of people and our plan is full of action. I have seen chaplains, religious affairs specialists, directors of religious education, family members and volunteers doing the work of the ministry through extraordinary times, and situations. The Chaplain Corps goes where Soldiers and families are, like no other.” Stumme went on to describe the feats of Chappy Woods of the 82nd Airborne Division who made four combat jumps; Chaplain Bob Taylor, who started out as an Army chaplain spending 42 months in a POW camp in Japan during World War II, later becoming the Air Force chief of chaplains; and Father Emil Kapaun who was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor, stayed with his people and did ministry with them during the Korean War. “These footprints are before us, and today I see women and men who faithfully follow the plan to walk in and fill these footprints. They are people of action, for God and country.”
‘N’ is for ‘Never’
“Never stop growing, never stop learning, never stop improving, never stop looking for the lost sheep, is about never quitting,” Stumme continued. “Even when you're wet, cold, tired, hungry, scared, and lonely, the plan is never to quit, but to be the shepherd, the servant that God has called you us to be. Friends, that is just part of the chaplaincy’s plan. But that's why I am honored to keep serving.”
Chaplain (Brig. Gen.) Stumme is a native of Cedar Falls, Iowa, and is an ordained minister endorsed as an Army chaplain by the Liberty Baptist Fellowship. He has served in multiple key assignments and on multiple deployments, supporting a wide array of Army units and Soldiers. As the deputy chief of chaplains, he supports the chief of chaplains in leading the Army Chaplain Corps to provide religious support to the Soldiers, Families, and Civilians of the U.S. Army.
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