Chaplain (Brig. Gen.) Jack J. Stumme, U.S. Army Deputy Chief of Chaplains, addresses Fort Belvoir chaplains on the 249th anniversary of the Army Chaplain Corps at Woodlawn Chapel, July 19 (Photo Credit: Paul Lara)

U. S. Army Chaplain Corps continues to boost readiness, after 249 years

For the U.S. Army to fight and win the nation’s wars, its team must remain fit and ready to respond.

This country’s founders realized that a core component of that was spiritual fitness, according to Chaplain (Brig. Gen.) Jack J. Stumme, U.S. Army Deputy Chief of Chaplains, who addressed the gathering at Fort Belvoir to celebrate the anniversary of the Chaplain Corps, July 19.

During the event, Chaplain Corps members from around the Military District of Washington gathered at Woodlawn Chapel to discuss their history, celebrate their accomplishments, and cut their anniversary cake.

“We’re glad to be here for 249 years,” Stumme said. “It’s about both physical and spiritual fitness, because physical training is important, but it doesn’t give me a purpose for ‘why’. What gives me the why is the spiritual keel within me that guides my life, that connects me to the Army Values, that reminds me that I have a task and purpose. It’s bigger than myself. I’m connected.”

The Chaplain Corps was officially established shortly after the formation of the Continental Army. On July 29, 1775, the Second Continental Congress authorized the appointment of chaplains to serve with the Continental Army, recognizing the essential role of spiritual support for soldiers during the Revolutionary War.

The decision to include chaplains in the Army reflected the deep religious convictions of the time and the belief that spiritual well-being was critical to maintaining morale and discipline among the troops, according to Richard Duncan, author of “Chaplains of the Revolutionary War: Black-Robed American Warriors.”

Since its founding, the Chaplain Corps has expanded its mission and adapted to the changing needs of the Army; and the Chaplain Corps team now includes chaplains, religious affairs specialists, directors of religious education, and other Army civilians. While the Corps began with a primary focus on Christian services, it has also grown to include chaplains from a diverse array of religious traditions, reflecting the increasingly inclusive nature of Army enlistment, and the Nation it serves.


Chaplain (Brig. Gen.) Jack J. Stumme, U.S. Army Deputy Chief of Chaplains, serves lunch at Fort Belvoir's Woodlawn Chapel, at a ceremony celebrating the 249th anniversary of the Army Chaplain Corps, July 19. (Photo Credit: Paul Lara)
 

Today, the Chaplain Corps is committed to supporting the faith of all service members, regardless of their faith tradition.

Sgt. Maj. Meaghan Simmons, Chaplain Corps Regimental Sergeant Major, said that we’re all born spiritual, and then later learn religion, so the Army provides chaplains from all different religions.

“We value the diversity that we have in the Chaplain Corps and being able to meet people right where they are and connecting with them,” Simmons said. “We can get Soldiers to God and God to Soldiers.”

The role of chaplains has also evolved to encompass not only religious services but also a broader range of pastoral care and counseling services. Chaplains provide crucial support to Soldiers dealing with the stresses of military life, including deployments, combat, and the challenges of separation from family. They also play a key role in ethical decision-making, advising commanders on matters of morality and ethics in military operations.

Fort Belvoir Ch. (Lt. Col.) Chad Davis said that being an Army chaplain meant he could just go and get on a convoy, any time he wished, which left him with many warm memories about serving people on cold mornings in the mountains.

“I get on the back of a Bradley and just go,” he said. “The commander wants the chaplain to be out where the Soldiers are doing what soldiers do, and I couldn't ask for a better job than eating cold breakfast on the hood of a Humvee as the sun comes up with the Soldiers out there who are suffering, and I'm suffering right along with them,” Davis said, adding proudly that “this is the best job in America.”

“I got the All-Access Pass, and it gets me into the room with the private and the general,” he added. “It's just humbling that we get to talk to everybody and have this blanket acceptance from the vast majority before they've even met us. We get all the benefits of being a soldier and more ministry than I could have ever imagined."

Paul Lara, Fort Belvoir Public Affairs