New Jersey Army Reserve Soldier receives 'Chaplain of the Year' Award
WASHINGTON -- Chaplain (Capt.) Karen A. Hallett of the 411th Engineer Brigade was honored as the 'Chaplain of the Year' during the Reserve Officer Association's National Security Symposium Convention here on Jan. 30, 2012.
"This award brings glory and honor to God and serves as a great compliment to my Command, the Chaplain Corps and the Army Reserve," articulated the 1988 West Point graduate.
The Army Reserve chaplain, who hails from Vernon, New Jersey, is also scheduled to deliver the opening prayers at the U.S. House of Representatives on Feb. 1, 2012, following a recommendation by New Jersey Congressman Scott Garrett.
Hallett was selected for the annual award by the Chief of Chaplains of the Army Reserve for "extraordinary contribution to the welfare, morale and effectiveness of the military reserve services."
"I am tremendously proud to have Chaplain Hallett on the team. She is a dynamic motivational speaker, epitomizes all our Army values, and is a true inspirational to all with whom she comes in contact," commended Brig. Gen. David L. Weeks, commander of the 411th Engineer Brigade.
"Chaplain Hallett ministers to both Soldiers and families and is requested by name by many of the parents of the unit's young Soldiers. She is a true servant and dedicated to her ministry. Chaplain Hallett can handle anything. I have the utmost trust and confidence in her abilities," added the brigade commander.
Hallett pondered the award as a humbling experience for simply doing her job, but noted the recognition as a testament to her faith in the people that she works with and the Soldiers that she serves. "I have an incredible boss in Brig. Gen. Weeks and a very supportive staff that allows me to focus on my mission and to take care of our Soldiers," she said.
The Army Reserve chaplain has more than 20 years of ministerial and missionary experience that includes organizing and directing missionary efforts in the United States and Ghana, West Africa. She is married to Tom Hallett, and the proud mother of her two children, son Thomas II and daughter Tiffany, a graduate of George Mason University.
Hallett is scheduled to deploy with the 411th Engineer Brigade to Afghanistan later this year in support of Operation Enduring Freedom.
The 411th Engineer Brigade is a member of the 412th Theater Engineer Command based in Vicksburg, Miss. The 412th TEC operates as the senior engineer headquarters to command, plan and control engineer assets within the theater of operations, and oversees roughly 13,000 Army Reserve Soldiers essentially east of the Mississippi River.
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