Chaplain (MAJ) Dana Durham finds a home in the Cal Guard

Photo By Crystal Housman | U.S. Army Chaplain (Maj.) Dana Durham of the California Army National Guard hugs Greg Crowe with the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation while working at a search base, Nov. 17, 2018, in Oroville, California. Chaplains from the California Military Department are embedding with National Guard search teams as they sift through debris from the deadly Camp Fire. Crowe is a retired Sgt. 1st Class from the Cal Guard's 749th Combat Sustainment and Support Battalion. (U.S. Air National Guard photo by Senior Airman Crystal Housman)  

SACRAMENTO, CA, UNITED STATES

08.05.2022

Story by Master Sgt. Salli Sablan 

California National Guard Primary   

“Chaplaincy was the second military occupation specialty in the Army and in some ways, symbolizes the fact that the Army cares about the whole person,” said U.S. Army Chaplain (MAJ) Dana Durham, a 14-year veteran of the California National Guard.

When asked what the observance of the 247th Army Chaplain Corps Anniversary means to her, Durham said the role of a Chaplain is to nurture the living, care for the dying and honor the dead. This gives her the honor and privilege of watching troops grow.

“Each time someone tells me about their struggles, asks me to pray or trust me with something, it is a tremendous privilege. It is holy ground because the person allows me to experience God through their eyes,” said Durham.

Durham, an Amarillo, Texas native, attended Baylor University before earning a Master of Divinity degree from Yale. Ordained in 1997, she worked as a hospital chaplain until 2007 then transitioned into managing care quality as a Monitoring Division Chief with the Department of Health Care Services.

Still feeling a call to serve, she found a home with the Cal Guard in 2008. She received a direct commission with a religious endorsement from the Cooperative Baptist fellowship.

A Christian Chaplain, Durham represents a religion, but works with personnel of all faiths. The Army Chaplain Corps honors and ensures the right of others to observe their own faith. In addition to religious diversity, chaplains serve in almost every type of unit in the military from infantry to intelligence.

During WWII more than 12,000 Protestant ministers, Catholic priests, and Jewish rabbis left their homes to join the Chaplain Corps, following armed forces into battle across Europe, Asia, North Africa, and the high seas.

Durham accompanied the 749th Combat Sustainment Support Battalion to Iraq in 2010 and has supported stateside deployments including the Camp Fire in 2018 and more recent civil unrest missions.

The Camp Fire especially touched her because so many people, including service members lost homes with many working the front lines as a way to get through their own struggles said Durham.

“It was an awesome experience to see how service members embraced the mission and the community and how the community embraced them back. It felt like in the midst of tragedy, there was the phoenix of hope coming out of the ashes,” said Durham.

In her off hours, Durham enjoys sports, cooking, and shopping. She counts herself fortunate to live with her Mother in Sacramento and thoroughly enjoys any time spent with her 9 nieces and nephews. “More than anything I am blessed to be involved in the lives of those serving California and their country,” she said.

• Date Taken: 08.05.2022
• Date Posted: 08.05.2022 17:04
• Story ID: 426662
• Location: SACRAMENTO, CA, US