you and your chaplain ch (col) bonnie koppell 807 th medical command command chaplain

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You and Your Chaplain

CH (COL) BONNIE KOPPELL

807th Medical Command

COMMAND CHAPLAIN

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“The Soldier’s heart, the Soldier’s spirit, the Soldier’s soul are everything.

Unless the Soldier’s soul sustains him,

he cannot be relied upon, and he will fail himself, and his commander,

and his country in the end.”-15th chief of staff of the Army, General of the Army,

George C. Marshall

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Chaplain, not……

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….Chaplin

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Mission:• To provide for free exercise of religion

• Title 10, U.S. Code, Sections 3073, 3547, and 3581

• To perform and provide comprehensive religious support to Soldiers, Family members and other authorized personnel

• Religious advisor to the commander

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• United States Constitution, Amendment 1:

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Constitutional Compliance

“Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free

exercise thereof”

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Qualifications:• Education

• Bachelors Degree• Masters degree ≥ 72 graduate hours

• Age- NLT 42 years of age• Endorsement by religious body• Meets Military standards• At least two years of ministry experience

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CH Tim Vakoc injured by an IED in Iraq and later died of wounds.

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History:

• Pastors were Soldiers in Revolutionary War.

• George Washington enacted command

• Continental Congress created the chaplaincy on July 29, 1775

• Chaplains have accompanied Soldiers in every U.S. military engagement

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Things to Know…

• Geneva Convention – “Non-Combatant”• Addressed as “chaplain” rather than rank• Tested, and upheld before the US Supreme Court

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IT IS THE COMMANDER’S RELIGIOUS PROGRAM!

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Commander’s responsibilities:• Establish and maintain a climate of high moral and ethical

standards

• Provide religious, spiritual, moral, and ethical support to Soldiers

• Support the free exercise of religion for all personnel

• Provide UMT’s with the resources required to perform their duties

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Chaplains Support Commander as Special Staff Officers

• Perform or provide religious rites and pastoral counseling to Nurture the Living, Care for Wounded, and Honor the Dead

• Develop and implement the commander’s religious support program

• Liaison with indigenous religious leaders

• Provide the commander with personal pastoral care, counseling, advice, and privileged communication

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Chaplain Duties

• Religious Services: mass, worship, prayer breakfasts, memorial services/ceremonies, and weddings

• Religious Education: Bible study, moral leadership, stress management, marriage and family, leader development

• Pastoral Care: ministry of presence; visits and counseling

• Suicide Prevention: ASIST trained

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Ministry of Presence

Army chaplains are not assigned to a chapel; they are

assigned to Soldiers!

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Chaplain Branch Insignia

Buddhist Christian Hindu Jewish Muslim

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Chaplain Candidate

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Caring for Your Chaplain

• Significantly lower selection rates than most branches

• Branch specific promotion boards

• RSC chaplain manages USAR assignments

•Must have a Chaplain in the rating chain, usually the Intermediate Rater

• Career Life Cycle: specialty tracks16

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Unit Ministry Team

• UMT consists of one chaplain and one chaplain assistant

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• UMT members are not to be assigned additional duties or command responsibility for Soldiers in order to maintain autonomy for counseling (AR 165-1, 3-4)

• Examples include: Platoon leadership, welfare, morale, victim advocate, sexual assault response coordinator, and EO

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Confidentiality

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Confidentiality

Confidential Communication:

• Any communication to a chaplain or chaplain assistant given as a formal act of religion or as a matter of conscience

• Communication made in confidence to a chaplain acting as a spiritual advisor or to a chaplain assistant aiding a spiritual advisor

• A communication not intended to be disclosed to third parties in any context, legal or otherwise

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Other Chaplain Responsibilities

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Strong Bonds• Strong Bonds promotes resilience

•Single•Married•Family

• Chaplain led training: non-religious in nature

•Supported and paid by RSCs•3 day duty (Friday-Sunday)

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Yellow Ribbon Support

• Events are for deploying and re-deploying Soldiers and their Families

• Chaplains brief on the Role of Chaplain, conduct chapel services, and are available for counseling

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Religious Advisement

Joint Publication 1-05 Religious Support

• Two major Chaplain responsibilities - religious advisement and religious support

• Religious advisement – focus on the impact of religion on joint operations

• Chaplains provide religious advisement consistent with their noncombatant status

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Soldier Leader

Engagement

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Soldier Leader Engagement• Chaplains will often be involved in liaison activities with

both:

• Indigenous Faith Group Leaders

• Faith-based NGO’s

• Cultural sensitivity is critical

• Lack of favoritism is critical

• MUST BE ORDERED BY THE COMMANDER!

FM 1-05, Religious Support, 2-2

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Guiding Principles for Advising

• Know the commander’s desired end state and supporting mission objectives

• Form partnerships with other staff working groups

• Determine how the religious terrain shapes/impacts the operational environments

• Contribute relevant and timely analysis of the religious factors

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Advising Continued

Religious Terrain encompasses a range of categories (GTA 41-01-005, Religious Factors Analysis, p.16)

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Combat Multiplier• In the past - “Few American military personnel could be

said to have demonstrated much cultural awareness, much less an interest in acquiring it.”

• What we have learned - “The more these (front-line) troops know about the local culture, the greater the chance that they will develop relationships that will prove useful to mission accomplishment.”

Lawrence Yates, The U.S. Military’s Experience in Stability Operations, 1789-2005, 32

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PMESII-PTChaplain will have input to the PMESII-PT operational analysisP - PoliticalM - MilitaryE - EconomicS - SocialI - InformationI - InfrastructureP - Physical EnvironmentT - Time

(see ATP 1-05.03, A-1ff for religious considerations within PMESII-PT analysis)

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Multi-National Social Intelligence

HISTORY AND CULTURE MATTER;

SO DOES LEADERSHIP!31

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Why Should You Care?• “The burdens of governance require culturally astute

leaders and joint forces capable of adapting to nuances of religion, ethnicity, and a number of other considerations essential to success.”

• “The military force should, consistent with security requirements, respect the religious celebrations and the legitimate activities of religious leaders.”

Joint Publication 3-07, “Stability Operations,” xxviii

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JIIM Considerations

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Guidance on Religious Accommodation• “The mission of providing religious support

remains the same no matter the threat. Chaplains adapt religious support operations based on the operational conditions and the mission of the unit.” FM 1-05, 2-4

• Principle: Err on the side of religious accommodation, unless it interferes with the mission

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• Examples of religious accommodation:

• Letting Muslim Soldiers work night shift in order to observe Ramadan

• Allowing for worship space and time for all religions

• Providing for religious dietary considerations; Halal and Kosher

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Don’t forget, the Chaplain is

YOUR confidential resource,

and YOUR advisor at all times!

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References

• Combat Multiplier- Lawrence Yates, The U.S. Military’s Experience in Stability Operations, 1789-2005, 32

• Guiding Principles for Advising- Religious Terrain encompasses a range of categories (GTA 41-01-005, Religious Factors Analysis, p.16)

• Key Leader Engagement- FM 1-05, Religious Support, 2-2

• The Soldiers Heart- The 15th chief of staff of the Army, General of the Army, George C. Marshall

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References Continued

• The Role of the Chaplain in the United States Army- CH (MAJ) Daryl Densford

• Religion and the Contemporary Strategic Environment- CH (COL) Bonnie Koppell

• A Commander’s Guide to Getting the Most Out of Your Chaplain- CH (COL) Marc Gauthier

• Advising the Commander- Anonymous

• Multi-National Social Intelligence- Joint Publication 3-07, “Stability Operations,” xxviii

• AR 165-1 Chaplain Activities in the United States Army

• Religious Accommodation, FM1-05, 2-4

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QUESTIONS?