In Defense of a Chaplain Presence on Combat Patrols

Argument from the Chaplain's Role as Religious Leader

As it was previously alluded to, it should be no surprise that the most important reason for arguing for a chaplain presence on combat patrols is theological. The "be there" school of thought in the chaplain corps has prevailed in rhetoric if not always reality and "ministry of presence" has dominated as a philosophy of ministry even if it has become a tired buzzword. We align ourselves with the "ministry of presence"/ "be there" school but recognize the necessity of its clear and careful definition. For us, as Christian chaplains, this "ministry of presence" means bearing witness to the presence of Christ. In today's operational environment, there is no place where this is more necessary that on combat patrols.

Witness is rooted in the New Testament word µάρτυς and comes out of a juridical context. The word martyr is from derived it. Many early Christians were dragged into court to testify against their faith. Those who refused and remained faithful were "witnesses" for Christ ! 5 unto death. Before his ascension, Jesus commissions his disciples as "witnesses" of his death and resurrection (Luke 24:48; cf. Matthew 28:19ff). This is the task the apostles are "sent out" to accomplish, to witness to "the ends of the earth" (Acts 1:8). The Christian mission is to bear witness to the crucified and risen Christ.

Twentieth century Reformed theologian Karl Barth suggests that bearing witness to Christ is the Christian vocation. He puts it this way: "The Christian is called to be the accompanying and confirming sign of the living Word of God. It thus follows that he must indicate and attest this Word in the act of his whole existence." A helpful image of witness is 6 Matthias Grünewald's closed Isenheim Altarpiece (1512-1515; Unterlinden Museum, Colmar, France). Not incidentally, the work is one of Barth's favorite paintings and underscores many of his theological themes in the Church Dogmatics and elsewhere. In this image of the crucifixion Grünewald identifies Jesus' suffering with the lepers the monks cared for in the hospital of Saint Anthony's Monastery in Isenheim (the original location of the altarpiece, near Colmar). Jesus is given gangrenous green flesh and the cross is positioned off center so that his right arm is seemingly amputated when the altarpiece is opened. To the left of the cross stands John the Baptist, Bible in one hand, with a long finger extended, he points toward the crucified Christ.

Barth writes: "Can anyone point away from himself more impressively and completely? And can any one point to the thing indicated more impressively and realistically, than is done there?" 7 Thus, a witness, for Barth, is one who points away from herself and points toward the crucified "The special vocation of the Christian is to share in the living self-witness of the Crucified." 8 Part of that living self-witness of the Crucified is Christ's solidarity with our suffering, which is so well illustrated by Jesus' solidarity with the patients at Saint Anthony's in the Isenheim Altarpiece. God in Christ not only takes on our humanity, but also our sin on the cross. As Paul says: "He made him to be sin who knew no sin" for us (1 Corinthians 5:21). Christ joins in solidarity with our state (sin) and fate (he suffers our punishment of death and hell). Of course, 9 Christ not only stands in solidarity with us and on the cross takes upon himself all sin and evil, but also, and most importantly, he bears it away. The chaplain's witness of solidarity in suffering cannot save anyone, but the act of witnessing points toward the one who does. This witness is enacted through the unity of word and action in one's whole life.

Much caution is in order. A chaplain presence on combat patrols should not be viewed as a sign that "God is on our side." The chaplain should at all costs avoid even the perception of being a "holy warrior" in a crusade. Robert Lifton served as an Air Force psychiatrist in the Korean War and then worked with Vietnam veterans when they came home. In Home from the War he describes the ironic rage that service members reserved for "shrinks" and chaplains who had embraced the "counterfeit universe. ! 7 men put it, 'Whatever we were doing…murder…atrocities…God was always on our side.'" 10 Lifton goes on to say that "the chaplain presided over the hypocritical ritualization of Evil, and then sanctioned-even blessed-the routine, unritualized, and genuinely malignant evil." 11 Lifton's portrayal of the chaplain most assuredly exemplifies the ugly end to the quest to become necessary in the context of the military. To be necessary in the military is to be a combat or force "multiplier." In other words, the chaplain must be an asset to the project of war. What better asset can there be on the battlefield than a person who can enlist God to the side of the cause? To what higher authority can one appeal? So it is that commanders will ever seek to conscript the chaplain and her God to the cause of victory. Soldiers too will seek out connection to the divine in the midst of combat. Lifton puts it this way:

The men sought out chaplains and shrinks because of a spiritual-psychological crisis growing out of what they perceived to be irreconcilable demands in their situation. They sought either escape from absurd evil, or, at the very least, a measure of inner separation from it. Instead, spiritual-psychological authority was employed to seal off any such inner alternative. Chaplains and psychiatrists then formed unholy alliances not only with military command, but with the more corruptible elements of the soldier's individual psyche. We may then speak of the existence of a counterfeit universe, in which all pervasive, spiritually-reinforced inner corruption becomes the price of survival. 12 ! 8 doubt or, most significantly, penance. This is the heart of the lie that Lifton dubbed the "counterfeit universe:"

The veterans were trying to say that the only thing worse than being ordered by military authorities to participate in absurd evil is to have that evil rationalized and justified by guardians of the spirit. Chaplains and psychiatrists thus fulfill the function of helping men adjust to committing war crimes, while lending their spiritual authority to the overall project. 13

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The very people who should have witnessed to a deeper truth in the face of the evil of war instead became prophets of a false god. On the contrary, the Christian chaplain bears witness to the crucified Christ. The Jesus we encounter in Holy Scripture refuses to be co-opted by a political cause, whether it is the cause of Peter and the 1st century Jews' desire to be free of the Roman occupation (Mark 8:33, cf. Matthew 16:23) or America's "War on Terror."

In sum, the chaplain as witness functions as a signpost, drawing on the witness of Holy Scripture and pointing like John the Baptist to the crucified Christ. In the Army this function as witness begins by simply "being there." Christian chaplains wear the sign of their Lord on their uniforms, a sign that points beyond them to the presence of the living Word of God. When they wear that sign (on their uniforms and in their lives) and as they share in every hardship of war they bear witness to Christ's presence and solidarity with suffering. In short, the chaplain bears witness to compassion and love. This especially includes the witness chaplains provide in the midst of death and trauma and the many physical, psychological, and spiritual wounds of war.

Field Manual 1-05: Religious Support concurs:

During the execution of decisive action, chaplains and chaplain assistants bring hope and strength to those who have been wounded and traumatized in body, mind, and spirit, by assisting in the healing process. Chaplains and chaplain assistants also provide religious support, pastoral care, comfort, and hope to the ! 9 dying. Through prayer and presence, the chaplain section or UMT provides the Soldier with courage and comfort in the face of death [emphasis added]. 14 In our current asymmetrical environment, "the execution of decisive action" most assuredly takes place out on patrol and more often than not it is on patrol that trauma and death are encountered. It should be clear that a chaplain can only witness to Christ's solidarity with such suffering by "being there."

Argument from the Chaplain's Role as Religious Advisor

In addition to being a religious leader, the chaplain also functions as a religious advisor to the command and staff of her unit on matters concerning religion, ethics, morality, and morale. 15

Without strong moral leadership and the adherence to ethical norms war naturally tends toward injustice and inhumanity. From the My Lai massacre to the recent atrocities of SSG Bales, war is replete with horrific and inhumane acts. As General Sherman opined, "War is Hell!" This is a truth that attends every armed conflict. Wars are waged on "the Other" and "the Enemy" all the while dehumanizing and depersonalizing this adversary. Whether depriving the enemy of humanity is an effective tactic or not, it does nothing to protect against the possibility of inhumane acts during war. The presence of a chaplain who emphasizes the humanity of both her soldiers and the enemy provides a needed corrective to the old axiom, "kill them all. Let God sort them out." Chaplains on combat patrols can give voice to religious, ethical, and moral concerns, militate against inhumane acts simply through their presence, and provide much U.S. Army,4. 14 Ibid., 3.

! 10 needed feedback to commanders on the ethics and morale of the soldiers. It is only by "being there" on patrol with their soldiers that such leadership and advisement can ever be provided.

For one author there were many opportunities while in combat to stand as a witness for both the humanity of the enemy and the ethical application of force. On a patrol to locate and recover a suspected cache of weapons and equipment neither weapons nor equipment were found. The intelligence provided had not led the patrol to a tunnel but had led them to a well for irrigating nearby fields. This particular company had been pinned down by the Taliban in their combat outpost for months with numerous casualties. Frustration and anger boiled just below the surface for many, including the company commander. Acting from anger and frustration the commander pulled out a grenade with the intent to throw it in the well. The chaplain on that patrol had a relationship of love and trust with that commander and was able to bring reason to bear. Needless destruction of property was avoided as well as the creation of another potential enemy. It is only by "being there" that such moral influence is exercised. It is only by "being there" that the chaplain is able to understand the ways that war tears at the souls of the soldiers involved.

Chaplains who embrace their identity as soldiers by participating in combat patrolswithout forgetting their role as clergy-gain legitimacy in the eyes of their troops, and build interpersonal bonds at all levels in the command. If chaplains are seen (or see themselves) as clergy pretending to be soldiers, they will not readily be accepted into the "band of brothers."

Equally as important, if chaplains are seen as soldiers pretending to be clergy, the moral imperative they represent in restricting inhumane acts is imperiled. On patrol the chaplain gains full knowledge of the hardships faced by their soldiers and sees an accurate picture of the ! 11 soldiers' morale under the stress of combat. Only with such knowledge can chaplains hope to accurately advise commanders.