A Sense of Duty
Reflections from a Retired Sergeant Major, 71M

by SGM Will W. Rogers, U.S. Army, Ret.

"The chapel needs to be set up for a service." "The Ladies of the Chapel are planning a coffee. They will need tables, chairs, cups, coffee, coffee pot, pot for hot water." These are not unfamiliar statements. As chaplain assistants, we have heard these all our careers from private to sergeant major. The chaplain assistant is the backbone of the chapel. This individual can make or break an activity. Some chapels had as many as 19 or twenty different activities during the course of a Sunday. During the week, there may be four or five activities at a time. The chaplain assistant was busy. The activities were just a part of what the assistant did. There was correspondence, suspense dates, all types of bulletins, reports and many "as assigned by the chaplain".

Fort Ord Chaplain Assistant School. After attending the Chaplain Briefing during the first two weeks in Basic Training at Fort Ord, I received a letter from Chaplain (MAJ) Paul E. Klett, OIC, Chaplain Assistant Training, that I had been selected to attend Chaplain Assistant Training at the North Chapel, Army Subject Schedule 16-718. Training would commence upon completion of the Army Basic Administration Course (BAAC) at the Fourth Training Brigade. The course would last 10 days with an on the job training at one of the chapels on Post (see attached transcription of Letter of Acceptance).

The course material covered setting a chapel, setting up for a baptism, typing a bulletin, recognition of the appointments and utensils used in various denominations, the liturgical colors, operating a 16mm projector, driving, completing the baptism-marriage-death forms, and office operations. Afterward, there was the five days at a local chapel. In this case, the chapel was the First Training Brigade Chapel. The senior chaplain was Chaplain (LTC) Edward A. Sterling and the Catholic Chaplain was Chaplain (CPT) James Leary. The Senior Chaplain Assistant was Specialist 4 Richard Askwith. When the five days were up, the chaplain rated me on my performance of all duties. SP4 Askwith was assigned to mentor. SP4 Askwith was an outstanding mentor.

This school was not a large school. The staff included about 3 instructors. The senior instructor was a specialist 5. A contonement chapel was the classroom. The class size for this session was about 10 students. Upon graduation from this course, a student would be awarded 718-10--Protestant, 718-20--Catholic or 718-30--Jewish.  Chaplain Assistants were assigned according to their denomination. In rare cases, a Protestant assistant worked for a Catholic chaplain or a Jewish chaplain. Cross training occurred at the chapel as needed. Protestant chaplain assistants helped at times with the Mass, but were not able to handle the consecrated items unless the priest gave them dispensation to do so.

Vietnam. Vietnam proved to be an important time for chaplains and chaplain assistants. New units were being formed or old deactivated units were being reactivated with new missions. One unit in particular that was formed in July 1966 was the 15^th Support Brigade at Fort Hood, Texas. The unit was deployed in October 1966. The members of the Chaplain Section included: Chaplain (MAJ) Harold D. Summers, Chaplain (CPT) Luke Kriznesky, Chaplain (CPT) Arnold Stover, SP5 Will W. Rogers, SP4 Daniel Sterns, SP4 John Williams, and PFC Alex DiPuccio.

The unit arrived in Vietnam after traveling by sea for 31 days aboard the SS William O. Darby. While enroute, the Army Chaplain Assistants worked with the ship’s chaplain arranging for chapel services and counseling.

Upon arrival on the coast of Vietnam, the troops were deployed by a landing craft. It was reminencient of the landing at Dunkirk. The unit was bused to Long Bihn through Ben Hoa. It was after 2200 when we finally arrived at the 15^th Support Brigade site.

From October 1966 until about April 1967, the unit remained at Long Bihn. Orders arrived for the unit to split. Selected members of the 15^th Support Brigade joined the new provisional unit, Project Oregon. These soldiers were to move out with vehicles and what ever equipment they could take or needed. The Project Oregon Chaplain was Chaplain (LTC) Burton G. Hatch, Protestant. His Deputy Chaplain was Chaplain (MAJ) Edward Flatley, Catholic Chaplain. The chaplain assistants were SP6 Will W. Rogers and PFC Terry Covington. After meeting with Chaplain Burton, it was decided that I would take the vehicle and trailer with a load to the new location—Chu Lai. The other members of the 15^th Support Brigade were absorbed by the 29^th Group.

Drivers were briefed. Then the order to travel was given. We traveled to Saigon in convoy to a waiting LST. The LST was a Japanese ship. We boarded and began the move to Chu Lai. Aboard ship I was designated as the mess sergeant. I had to distribute and account for the C rations. After a three day "R&R", we arrived Chu Lai where we downloaded and moved to our new location. The new location had been a Marine Base. They built the offices and hutches. All we had to do was to move in and get set up. Our location was right at the corner of the lot across from a small chapel. The chapel was a small Quonset hut that could seat about 150 attendees. It had a Hammond organ, full altar, altar railing, a small steeple over the chancellery, and it had been landscaped.

Chaplains and their assistants came in from the field to rest and get supplies for example Chaplain (MAJ) Ambrosio Grandea and his assistant. Then came the news that Chaplain Grandea had lost his life. He was a tremendous person. His chaplain assistant was an outstanding soldier as well.

Chaplains and chaplain assistants earned the respect of their people by their ministry of presence. Their sense of duty and their devotion to their faith was apparent. Their work was well done.

Women in the MOS. Chaplain assistants, in the early days of the MOS, were typists, drivers, maintenance men, and furniture movers. In the early seventies, the women were allowed to come in the Chaplain Assistant MOS. There were concerns about field duties and billeting since the chaplain liked to have his assistant close by. The fallacy of that argument was women had separate tents or other billeting available. They proved to be as good, if not better, than their male counter parts in all aspects of soldiering. The MOS was enriched by their added expertise and devotion their duties.

The Reserve and National Guard Chaplain Assistant. Our Reserve and National Guard personnel sometimes get a bum rap on their sense of duty. They come on duty either through annual training (AT), AGR program, or two weeks. In Fourth Army, at the beginning of DESERT STORM, after our active units were deployed, our Reserve and Guards were being called up. I received numerous telephone calls from these soldiers asking if they could volunteer for duty. Chaplain (COL) Philip Cassibry, Fourth Army Chaplain, "directed that no unit authorized a chaplain and chaplain assistant would be deployed without their unit ministry team." 

Vacancies were filled with resources from within the STARC/MUSARC or through cross-leveling between units.  Resources for cross-leveling included volunteer chaplains and chaplain assistants.  Subsequently, there were "31 chaplains and 24 chaplain assists mobilized as of 17 December 1990. This included the Individual Ready Reserve and Individual Mobilization Augmentee (IMA) chaplains."

Closing. The chaplain assistants discussed above are just a tip of the iceberg. They were just soldiers doing what they had to do. They, however, did their job well. The chaplain assistant, private to sergeant major, is the backbone of a proactive chaplain section. Their sense of duty is apparent when they go that extra mile to help a fellow soldier. Our soldiers and other military personnel are fortunate when they have a unit ministry team that works and supports them. They know that they can go to either the chaplain or chaplain assistant to receive a blessing or some sort of assistance. The adage that a soldier who is well taken care of by the unit ministry team gives the family he or she left behind comfort. At the same time, the soldier can complete the mission knowing that the family back home is taken care of.

The great 18^th Century composer, Johann Sebastian Bach, wrote on his scores: "Soli Deo Gloria" (Only for the Glory of God). This expression could vary well sum up the work of the chaplain and chaplain assisted to the soldier in the field or garrison.

The future of the chaplain assistant is set.  WELL DONE!

SGM Will W. Rogers retired in March 1994 with 30 years' service.   In his last assignment he was the Chief Unit Ministry Team NCO, HQ Second U.S. Army, Fort Gillem, GA.