Jeffries relishes opportunity to lead Fort Polk religious flock

Photo By Chuck Cannon | Garrison Chaplain (Col.) Michael Jeffries at his Changing of the Stole ceremony, held at Fort Polk’s Main Post Chapel July 29.  

FORT POLK, LOUISIANA, UNITED STATES

08.29.2022

Story by Chuck Cannon 

Fort Johnson Public Affairs Office

FORT POLK, La. — When new Fort Polk Garrison Chaplain (Col.) Michael Jeffries arrived at the sprawling installation in south central Louisiana, it almost felt like a homecoming.
Jeffries grew up in Columbus, Georgia, and said south Louisiana is not much different than South Georgia, with its sandy hills and pine forests.
“I’m not a big city person, so Leesville is a good size for me,” Jeffries said. “Being at Fort Polk is phenomenal.”
Jeffries assumed the role as the installation’s religious leader during a Change of Stole ceremony July 29 at Fort Polk’s Main Post Chapel. Jeffries said he’s excited to be at Fort Polk.
“I believe this is a divine calling and look forward to what God will do in our midst while we are here together,” Jeffries said. “God is definitely at work here.”
Jeffries developed a military tie during college. He began to feel “called” to the ministry and happened to make friends with an active-duty air defense artillery officer and a member of the Georgia National Guard. His National Guard friend said he should consider the Army Chaplain Corps because the Georgia National Guard was short on chaplains.
In the fall of 1992, Jeffries drove to Fort Worth, Texas and began seminary at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. There, he took a chaplaincy class. The Army recruiter talked about the job of chaplain in the Army, and Jeffries said it clicked with him.
“The recruiter told us about the Army Chaplain Candidate program,” Jeffries said. “It sounded like a good deal to me, sort of an ROTC for preachers, so I decided to give it a shot.”
In the summer of 1993, Jeffries headed to Fort Monmouth, New Jersey and the Army Chaplain School. For the next couple of years, Jeffries would spend 45 days annually as an Army Chaplain, primarily at Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio, Texas.
Jeffries graduated from seminary in 1996, but at that time it was difficult for a Southern Baptist minister to enter the Army full-time as the focus was on signing up high liturgical ministers such as Lutherans and Episcopalians. So, Jeffries remained in the Army Reserves and went to South Carolina to pastor his first church.
“I pastored there for four years,” Jeffries said. “We were doing well; the church was growing. But I was nearing the time I needed to decide if I was going to become a full-time Army chaplain or resign my commission.”
Jeffries opted to enter the chaplaincy full-time and began active duty. At that time the Army had begun increasing the Chaplain Corps, so it seemed to Jeffries the wise course of action.
In June 30, 2000, he was accepted into the Chaplain Corps and was assigned to Fort Jackson, South Carolina as a basic training chaplain. Following assignments included Germany (with a deployment to Iraq), Fort Benning, Georgia, another Iraq deployment, and back to Fort Benning. He attended Family Life School at Benning and then headed to Fort Bliss, Texas.
Following an assignment as an instructor at the Chaplain School, Jeffries headed to Fort Dietrick, Maryland, where he learned how to be a leader of a team, instead of a one-man band -type of assignment.
“It was a challenge, and I learned so much about being a leader,” Jeffries said. “It was an eye-opening assignment for me.”
From Dietrick, Jeffries was supposed to be headed to Fort Stewart, Georgia, but he got a call from the Chief of Chaplain Corps about heading instead to a division assignment in Afghanistan.
“He called back a couple of days later and said they wanted to offer me the job as division chaplain with 1st Cavalry at Fort Hood, Texas,” Jeffries said. “So, I did that, deployed to Afghanistan, then followed that assignment with Fort Leavenworth, Kansas.”
At Leavenworth, Jeffries was chaplain of the Mission Command Training Program and U.S. Army Combined Arms Center. That was followed by his current assignment at Fort Polk.
“Everyone I had talked to about being stationed here, especially the married folks, said they loved Fort Polk,” Jeffries said. “We love it here.”
Jeffries said he feels “blessed” to follow Chaplain (Col.) Scott Hamilton. He said the program at Fort Polk is top-notch, and he looks forward to continuing the strong work on the installation.

• Date Taken: 08.29.2022
• Date Posted: 08.30.2022 11:47
• Story ID: 428313
• Location: FORT POLK, LOUISIANA, US