In 1950, Chaplain (Capt.) Emil Kapun provided pastoral care and religious support to the 1st Calvary Division. He was later captured by communist forces because he stayed behind to care for the wounded.
Nearly eight decades later, U.S. Army Chaplains still prioritize caring for Soldiers who have been injured during combat.
During Cadet Summer Training, chaplains took time to work alongside medics for Casualty Care Ministry and Integrations training.
“Our goal here is to try to build capacity and capability for operational religious support for these chaplains who are here supporting us for cadet summer training,” said Chaplain (Lt Col.) Erik Alfsen, U.S. Army Cadet Command Chaplain.
“We recreated a large-scale combat operation, role one medical treatment facility, where [Unit Ministry Teams] got the chance to be able to deliver spiritual care, as medics provided life-saving intervention,” Alfsen said.
A chaplain and religious affairs specialist who work together to provide support for Soldiers and their families are known as a Unit Ministry Team. Throughout this training teams worked alongside medics to bring peace in the midst of intense and stressful situations.
Many of the chaplains and religious affairs specialist working at CST are either in the Reserves component or National Guard, which limits opportunities to receive in-depth training.
Chaplain (Maj.) Aaron Gaber, Task Force Medical chaplain, has been in the national guard for over a decade and has only received this level of training when preparing for deployment or at the National Training Center at Fort Irwin.
“Most chaplains never do this work in the guard because weekend drills are two days long, filled with all sorts of different stuff,” said Gaber. “To get this set up, will take hours, and then hours to take down, and then we’re already done with the weekend.”
The training was not only beneficial to the chaplains involved, medics also appreciated the integration training.
“The Chaplin Corps is not always introduced to the medical training, it’s more focused on intervention and patient care,” said Sgt. 1st Class Sawyer, NCOIC of Role 1 Baker. “To actually get that realistic hands on and get the feel for how they would integrate in a real situation, it’s valuable. We were super excited to have that opportunity.”
Sawyer understands firsthand the kind of stress that comes with providing care in critical situations. Though not religious, he has respect for Chaplains because of the impact they have on not just casualties, but also medical personnel.
“This sort of training helps bring that home, just because no matter your faith, it does kick people hard when they feel like maybe they could have done more,” Sawyer said. “Working in aid stations, having [chaplains] there to always act as moral counselors is why I’ve always really liked working with them.”
Alfsen was intentional about reminding the chaplains and religious affairs specialists about the importance of checking on the medical team.
“Another role we have, is care to the caregiver,” Alfsen said. “We absolutely were focusing today also on how they engage with medics, with providers, with the rest of the staff here to ensure that they’re taking care of themselves in the middle of all of this. And it’s hard, it’s not easy. But an empty well gives no water.”
Despite not carrying a weapon, chaplains still feel the full responsibility of being a Solider and a member of the team.
I’m also a Soldier who needs to be able to help his troops when they’re in need,” Gaber said. “The last thing we want to do is hide under our seats. We want to be engaged, we want to provide ministry, and I think most chaplains would agree.”
About the Author: Nathan Abbott
