Chaplains, assistants train on realistic battle drills during exercise

Photo By Spc. Kimberly Cole | Pfc. Kenneth A. Kluge, 3rd Brigade Combat Team's Brigade Special Troops Battalion chaplain's assistant, takes aim at the enemy in role play training, Aug. 3, 2008, for chaplains and chaplain's assistants at the Joint Readiness Training Center. The training gave chaplains and thier assistants a chance to learn how to react if they were to receive enemy contact.  

UNITED STATES

08.04.2008

Story by Sgt. John Zumer 

40th Public Affairs Detachment

By John Zumer
40th Public Affairs Detachment

FORT POLK, La. - Soldiers everywhere live by a time-honored piece of advice: shoot back at those shooting at you. Now try to imagine how a Soldier would function if he is forbidden to shoot back. Such a dilemma is the life of a U.S. Army chaplain in combat.

A group of chaplains from the 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division had a chance to learn about many battlefield challenges during training, Aug. 13, 2008, at the Joint Readiness Training Center. The 3rd BCT is slated to deploy overseas later this year and is spending a month of their remaining stateside time to practice critical battlefield skills and drills.

"The key goal is to get them thinking before they go downrange," said Army Sgt. 1st Class Jesus L. Perez, Operations Group, JRTC. Perez served as an instructor for the chaplains learning about mission planning, security, and other critical battlefield skills. While chaplains are considered non-combatants, they are still Soldiers, and their actions in combat still impact others.

Chaplains must be fully integrated and be on the same page with everyone they go on patrol or convoy with, said Perez. Even though they may not fire weapons, their eyes and ears in providing mission security and support are critical to helping fellow Soldiers survive, he added.

The military chaplain as non-combatant is not a new concept, said Maj. Steve Peck, Senior Unit Ministry Team Observer Controller, JRTC. In fact, the decision not to arm chaplains boils down to three reasons, Peck added.

"The Geneva Convention defines chaplains as non-combatants, it's tradition, and the Chief of Chaplains Office of the Army maintains a policy that chaplains not be armed," said Peck.

Chaplains aren't completely at the mercy of enemies, however. Each chaplain is assigned an assistant who is fully armed and proficient with the necessary weapons to provide security for the Unit Ministry Team on battlefield. The chaplain assistant is also trained in religious support
and accompanies the chaplain throughout the area of combat operations.

The importance of the training wasn't lost upon other instructors or participants. Army Sgt. 1st Class John G. Nygren, Unit Ministry Team, non-commissioned officer in charge-observer controller, JRTC, said the response from those who took the training in the past was that it was "very beneficial for situational awareness." Other participants, who eventually deployed overseas before returning said that it "got us thinking about security beforehand," added Nygren.

Army Staff Sgt. Miguel A. Martinez-Velazquez, chaplain's assistant non-commissioned officer in charge, 3rd BCT, agrees. Martinez-Velazquez, preparing for his fourth overseas deployment, thought the training was excellent. The training was highlighted by small groups of Soldiers patrolling and interacting with actors portraying Iraqi villagers. The goal was to survey the village for potential dangers yet still come across to the villagers as friendly and supportive.

"It was a good scenario with good role players," said Martinez-Velazquez. "With battle drills you know exactly what to do," he added.

Each group of Paratroopers eventually made their way through the artificial village to see how they would respond under the same circumstances. Upon finishing the exercise, a discussion was held between instructors and participants to obtain feedback, provide constructive criticism and emphasize the importance of doing one's homework before any mission. In spite of mistakes made by the training Paratroopers, the instructors were happy to provide welcomed guidance so mistakes wouldn't be repeated in real combat situations.

For Perez, lack of battlefield success for Soldiers usually comes down to a common denominator, one which he readily shared with the 3rd BCT chaplains.

"If you don't have a plan, you're probably going to fail," said Perez.

• Date Taken: 08.04.2008
• Date Posted: 08.04.2008 16:14
• Story ID: 22118
• Location: US