On June 14, we celebrate not only Flag Day, but also the founding of the US Army. The Army’s website proclaims, “Since 1775, America’s Army has stood ready to protect the nation and its people and will fight to defend its values.”
The army (like the Air Force, Navy, Marines, and Coast Guard) has full-timers and part-timers. In the Army, we refer to the part-timers as the Reserve Components, which include the Army Reserve and the Army National Guard. The National Guard officially began in 1636 when Massachusetts authorized its militia. The Army Reserve formed in 1908,
The Army Reserve commissioned artist Don Stivers to create a 100th Anniversary painting. Mr. Stivers was well known for his depictions of historical and military scenes. The painting was unveiled in 2008, and Mr. Stivers died the following year.
The image below is a photo of the print I bought. It shows Army Reserve men and women in a variety of activities. I was excited to see that the artist even included a chaplain. If you look closely, you can see the chaplain second from the left at the top of the picture.
Here’s the point. From the very start of our nation, the United States leadership recognized the value and the need of having chaplains serving with our military. Although the first chaplains were Christian ministers, today, we have clergy from most of the major faith groups, and they work hard to meet the spiritual needs of those in uniform.
My father and brother were Navy Chaplains. Another brother served as an Air Force chaplain and then moved over to the Army. The Lord led me to serve in the Army, where I enjoyed twenty-four years as a chaplain. Now my son is a Navy chaplain, carrying on the mission of making a difference in the lives of those who serve in our military.
Paul Linzey is a retired Army chaplain. You are welcome to contact him through this website if you have any questions or if you’d like to leave a comment. He is one of the authors of the book, Military Ministry: Chaplains in the Twenty-First Century and the memoir titled Safest Place in Iraq. These and other books are available on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Books-A-Million and other bookseller websites.
Military Chaplain Guide 