FORT MAGSAYSAY, Philippines – Former President Franklin Delano Roosevelt once said, “Competition has shown to be useful up to a point and no further, but cooperation, which is the thing we must strive for today, begins where competition leaves off.” U.S. Army and Philippine Army chaplains held a subject matter expert exchange (SMEE) and a Religious Support Symposium on May 29, 2024.
The exchange is one of many that took place during Salaknib 2024, the annual bilateral training exercise that fosters interoperability between the Philippine and U.S. armed forces. SMMEs provide training opportunities for both militaries to build and strengthen their long-lasting friendship.
The religious SMEE and the Religious Support Symposium provided a platform for the U.S. Army’s 25th Infantry Division and the Philippine Army Chaplain Ministry Team to exchange best practices in religious ministry, including insights on each Army’s religious programs. The SMEE was hosted by the Philippine Army’s 7th Infantry Division Chaplain Lt. Col. Arturo Llaso and U.S. Army 25th Infantry Division Chaplain Lt. Col. Daniel Kang.
The SMEE focused on sharing "Spiritual Resiliency and Casualty Care" techniques. Ideally, these techniques will help chaplains from both armies understand their roles in caring for one another and their role in caring for individual warfighters.
"We have found that when we integrate and embed ourselves in unit exercises, our ability to support commanders and Soldiers increases significantly," said U.S. Army 25th Infantry Division, Headquarters and Headquarters Battalion Chaplain Capt. Lee Lee. "Through these military exchanges, we learn from one another to see which best practices work when supporting our commanders and Soldiers."
Lt. Col. Llaso utilized the SMEE to share the history of the 7th Infantry Division and the Philippine Chaplain Corps. During his presentation, Llaso emphasized the key areas their Chaplain Ministry Team focuses on.
After the presentation, the chaplains of the 25th and 7th Infantry Divisions exchanged gifts, including sharing each division's patches. They also enjoyed a traditional Filipino meal called Boodle Fight where various foods splayed out on banana leaves to enjoy. Both Kang and Llaso are dedicated to establishing a partnership between the two ministry teams, starting with this year's Salaknib event, and continuing into follow-up iterations of Salaknib and Beyond.
"The SMEE was a great assistance to me as a learning opportunity, and, most importantly, it helped me learn from our counterparts," said Kang. "Learning from each other's ministry programs is just one way how we're growing our friendships."
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