Photo By Eric Pilgrim | Chaplain (Col.) Charles Hamlin, the new chief chaplain of Fort Knox Garrison, takes a...... read more read more
FORT KNOX, Ky. — Colonel Charles Hamlin describes himself as a man who cares deeply about Soldiers.
Having countless experiences with service members over the span of nearly 40 years, few if any would argue that point with the new Fort Knox Garrison chaplain. Hamlin took over the position from Chaplain (Col.) James Boulware Jan. 21.
Hamlin has busied himself moving into the Religious Support Office this week as Boulware awaits orders for his next assignment.
“My big thing here is to minister to the spiritual needs of our Soldiers and Family members, and [Department of Army] civilians,” said Hamlin. “There’s always a need for religious and spiritual growth.”
Hamlin said he arrived at Fort Knox about three months ago from an 18-month assignment at Fort Rucker, Alabama, where he served as the senior command chaplain at the U.S. Army Aviation Center of Excellence.
“Prior to that I was the deputy command chaplain at [U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command],” said Hamlin. He also served as the deputy command chaplain in the Military District of Washington at Fort Lesley J. McNair.
His desire to serve at Fort Knox comes from a personal place, he said.
“I requested Fort Knox,” said Hamlin. “I had been assigned here active duty from ’99 to 2002. We had a lot of green suiters then, and I wanted to come back. This area of Kentucky is home.”
He and his wife have three children and seven grandchildren, all who live in Kentucky.
“We’ve been away from here, away from them, for many years and wanted to get back and be here around them, especially not having been around our family close by,” said Hamlin. “I also went to college in Campbellsville, Kentucky, and then I graduated twice from the Southern Theological Seminary in Louisville.”
Hamlin’s path into the military began in the U.S. Navy where he enlisted in 1981. After meeting his obligation, he joined the Navy Reserves while attending college. After graduating seminary, he switched over to the Army Reserves in 1994, swearing in at Fort Knox.
In 1999, Hamlin returned to active duty, serving again at Fort Knox.
“I was, at that time, in the boot camp area in 46th [Adjutant General Battalion],” said Hamlin. “Then I spent some time with 1/81 Armor. Spent about three years here total.”
Hamlin said he could remember leading hundreds of basic training Soldiers in chapel services within O’Neill and Cavalry chapels back then, so much so that they had to conduct multiple services to fit all of them in.
“Fort Knox has changed a lot from that time 20-plus years ago,” said Hamlin. “As you get older, you kind of pine for the past a little.”
Hamlin said while his basic role in the community hasn’t changed in all that time, he is looking forward to implementing some changes to the kinds of ministries they will bring to Garrison.
“I hope that we can reach out to our community and provide excellent ministry,” Hamlin said. “We do a lot — we have a lot of normal day-to-day functions — but I don’t want to do programs just good. I want to pick those that really speak to people, and do them excellent. In other words, I don’t want to do 12 things good. I want to do three things excellent.
“And it’s is not about doing more with less, it’s doing a better job with what we have; that’s my vision.”
He said the most recent environment under COVID-19 restrictions has been a tough one in which everyone must operate. However, he is up for the challenge.
“Normal is going to be a new normal in the coming months,” said Hamlin. “Not only here but across our Army, across our post, we’re going to see how we can do video conferences, we can do other things that we’ve been doing since COVID that worked well, so let’s streamline them, make them better, and put them into our standard operating procedures.”
Hamlin said he has seen difficult times come and go in the past and wants people to know there is always hope in the midst of fear and hopelessness.
“There is an increase in mental issues now, and many people feel some kind of hopelessness and fear,” said Hamlin. “Your spiritual bedrock helps to alleviate much of that.”
Despite all the upheaval, Hamlin said he is hopeful about the future and wants to bring that confidence to others.
“I try not to be fearful about it because I go back to my spiritual moorings. The Bible says, ‘don’t fear your life, but fear the one who can take body and spirit — God,’” said Hamlin. “My commanders have looked to me to be the professional advisor on God’s business, and I’m a chaplain who loves the Soldiers.
“I’ve always tried to operate that way.”
| Date Taken: | 01.22.2021 |
| Date Posted: | 01.22.2021 14:28 |
| Story ID: | 387405 |
| Location: | FORT KNOX, KY, US |
| Web Views: | 209 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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