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Originally Posted by Tim
Where were you stationed? Were you assigned to an LDS Chaplain? I've heard great things about the Chaplain Corps.
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I was with the 328th CSH (hospital like a MASH), and the 117th Chaplain Detachment. The 328th is out of SLC, UT and the 117th is completely mobile so we could be anywhere we wanted (we chose SLC). I spent time at Ft. Jackson, SC, Ft. Riley, KS, Ft. McCoy, WI, and a few other places that I have probably blocked out...
I was assigned to several chaplains while I was in. My favorite was a Missouri Senod Lutheran. There were a couple of Mormons and one Russian Orthodox guy. The Lutheran was just a fun guy to be around. He hated Mormons (our doctrine, not us) and loved to try to climb my tree about things like the temple or Joseph Smith. We got along really well and were able to do a lot of good things for the unit.
The Chaplain Corps are awesome. IMHO the best "support" job in the military. I've never been in a combat MOS so I couldn't compare it to one of those.
Chaplain's and their assistants have the duty of looking after the welfare and morale of the troops. We accomplish this by facilitating religious services, supporting family interactive groups, providing counseling (substance abuse, suicide, domestic issues, etc...) and just generally being the guys who make sure the commander doesn't abuse his troops.
My job was to help all of the different groups set up their worship services on Sunday. By "set up" I mean get them a room, get them excused from duty, and get them any supplies they needed. The chaplain would usually "preside" over many of the worship services but only those which he and the members of that group felt he was qualified/appropriate.
Other groups (like the Mormons) often have a group leadership in place and all I had to do was get them a room. They would bring their own sacrament cups, find their own bread (or MRE crackers in the field) and take care of all their own meetings.
Another job was to just be with the troops. Chaplain's assistants do not have to be on the duty (DA-6) roster which assigns things like KP, guard duty, fire guard, etc... So... We wander around all the time and help out where needed. If I find a guy who for some reason or another just needs a break, I fill in for him. If I find out about a guy with a drinking problem I alert the chaplain or commander and we find a way to approach him and get him help. If I run into a bunch of guys who are behind on a job and need an extra hand, I pitch in.
My favorite job was to be the morale guy. When we were in the field I'd work to set up as many "comfort" things as possible. A telephone bank, a tent for R&R (books, movies, snacks). I'd coordinate with the company commander to get company parties going or to provide transportation for soldiers wishing to go off post when they were given commander's time.
Pretty much my job was to make sure that everybody was in a state of mind where they were capable of doing their job.
Are you thinking about going in or just curious?