New York National Guard Chaplains meet with South African counterparts

Photo By Lt. Col. Al Phillips | New York National Guard Chaplains Major Timothy Miller (far left) and Lt. Col. Scott Ehler ( left) meet with South African Chief Chaplain Col. R. Stanton, the South African National Defence Force Human Resources Director ( center) and other South African chaplains Lt. Col. S.E.E. Loate and Col. Z.A. Makalima during a meeting in Pretoria, South Africa on Nov. 25, 2019. The New York National Guard and the South African National Defence Force have has a National Guard State Partnership Program relationship since 2003. ( U.S. Army National Guard photo by Lt. Col. Al Phillips)  

PRETORIA , SOUTH AFRICA

12.03.2019

Story by Lt. Col. Al Phillips 

New York National Guard

PRETORIA, SOUTH AFRICA—Two New York National Guard chaplains shared their priorities and experiences with their South African counterparts during a November 25 meeting at South African National Defence Force headquarters in Pretoria.

Chaplain (Lt. Col.) Scott Ehler, the New York National Guard State Chaplain and his deputy, Chaplain (Maj.) Timothy Miller, outlined their efforts to help Soldiers cope with adversity through a number of programs and efforts.

These efforts include the Strong Bonds Program, in which couples deal with the stresses of military life and strengthen their marriages during weekend retreats.

They also discussed the Army’s Spiritual Fitness and Resiliency Outreach efforts. Both programs are designed to help Soldiers develop the qualities needed to sustain a Soldier in times of stress, hardship, and tragedy, Ehler told his South African counterparts.

“Establishing a relationship with the South African chaplains has been amazing,” Ehler said.

“In sitting down to talk with them, we quickly realized that the issues that service members face regarding spiritual fitness are the same no matter the continent. As we talked about the different programs that the Chaplain Corps offers, we recognized how much we can learn from each other,” he added.

The New York National Guard has maintained a partnership with the South African military since 2003 through the National Guard’s State Partnership Program.

Under the State Partnership Program, National Guard states conduct training exchanges with other nations military forces.

The South African chaplains, in turn, briefed the Americans on their philosophy on military basic training and education and the chaplain’s role in the South African military.

South African chaplains focus on five areas in their training, the South African team explained.

Chaplains take basic military training, learn staff methods and the role of officers.

A key focus for the South African chaplains is combating the spread of the HIV virus that causes AIDS, and AIDS itself, through and emphasis on the spiritual and ethical conduct of military personnel.

Both the American and South African chaplains said that there was the potential for future exchanges.

A good start, according to Ehler, would be for the U.S. Department of State’s International Military Education Program offer South Africans a change to take classes in the United States.

The Americans, in turn, would like to learn more about how South African chaplains do their jobs, he said.

Previous meetings among U.S. and African military chaplains have been hosted by the United States Africa Command.

“We look forward to continued communication and the next chapter of exchanging shared spiritual capabilities,” said South African Chaplain Elsabe Francis, Acting Chaplain Division Chief of Staff for the South African National Defence Force.

• Date Taken: 12.03.2019
• Date Posted: 12.04.2019 10:15
• Story ID: 354224
• Location: PRETORIA , ZA