2nd Lt. Benjamin Matthews becomes first South Carolina National Guard chaplain candidate to join the Honor Guard

Photo By Staff Sgt. Chelsea Weaver | 2nd Lt. Matthews Command Photo  

COLUMBIA, SC, UNITED STATES

05.25.2023

Story by Spc. Turner Horton 

South Carolina National Guard

Columbia, S.C. – ‘Nurture the living, Care for the Wounded, Honor the Fallen’ is the motto and backbone of the Chaplain Corps. For 2nd Lt. Benjamin Matthews, a chaplain candidate with Joint Force Headquarters (JFHQ), South Carolina National Guard, the last phrase of the motto is what he latched onto the most.
Being able to honor Soldiers after they have passed and present the flag to their families is very important to him as a member of the Chaplain Corps.
“I cannot think of a better way for me, as a chaplain candidate, to start living out the idea of honoring the fallen than by actually honoring them,” Matthews said. “For me, as a chaplain candidate, as a member of the Chaplain Corps, honoring the fallen, getting out, paying them the last respects, presenting the flag to the family, that’s just something that’s important to me.”
And according to Matthews, the Honor Guard gives him the opportunity to do just that.
The Honor Guard is a full time and volunteer service that is open to all Soldiers of any military occupational skill (MOS) to pay their respects to Soldiers and veterans who have passed away. To join the Honor Guard, Soldiers must go through training to learn the techniques and rituals of the ceremonies.
“You learn the sequences of the funerals,” Matthews said. “You start learning in here (at the Columbia Armory). You’ll observe a couple of funerals at Ft. Jackson National Cemetery, just kind of stand off to the side and watch their team, and then they’ll start working you slowly into the rotation with people who have done it for a while. When You’re trusted enough, that’s when you’ll start doing it more.”
In order to receive the Honor Guard tab, which goes on service members' uniforms, they must complete a 48-hour course held at McCrady Training Center. However, this isn’t a requirement to be in the Honor Guard.
“You can do funerals without the tab,” said Matthews.
There are two types of funerals that the Honor Guard takes part in. A standard funeral consists of a two man team, which is for Soldiers and veterans who have passed away.
The other type of funeral is full honors, which consists of several team members, and this type of funeral is for retired veterans and Soldiers who have lost their lives in combat.
Since joining the Honor Guard in November 2022, and finishing his training in January 2023, Matthews has participated in about 50 funerals.
“I’m on the very very low side,” said Matthews.
As for what his role during a funeral is, Matthews said, “For the two man team, I’m the detail leader, since I’m the senior ranking, which means I am doing the final tuck of the flag and actually presenting the flag to the next of kin. For the Full Honors, I will be OIC (officer in charge), which is a similar thing, receiving a folded flag and presenting it to the next of kin.”
While thinking of ways to live up to the last phrase of the Chaplain Corps, Matthews said he saw a tab on the arm of a fellow Soldier that read, ‘ARNG HONOR GUARD’. After speaking with that Soldier, he was directed to the right people to start the process of joining.
He became the first chaplain candidate to join the Honor Guard in South Carolina and he hopes that current and future chaplain candidates follow in his footsteps. But as much as he enjoys serving in the Honor Guard, Mastthews is limited in how long he can participate once he becomes a Chaplain.
“Chaplains cannot be in the Honor Guard,” he said. “Only chaplain candidates. I am hoping to be the first tabbed Chaplain. I can keep my tab as long as I stay on top of training.”
But even with the limits set before him for time he can serve, Matthews is going to get the most out of that time as he can, and hopes that it has a positive impact on his future as a chaplain.
“As a Chaplain, I am going to encounter death on a routine basis and it has been good to see how different families, different denominations, different cultures mourn differently so getting exposed to that, I feel is going to play a big benefit for me in the future.” said Matthews.
Throughout his time in the Honor Guard, there have been several experiences have stuck with him, and had an impact on him personally.
“There are a couple that pop into mind, and all of them are more sad because they really stood out to me,” he said. “There’s been a couple times that, like it’d be a casket, and there’d be just one person there.”
However, even through the sad or moving experiences, he has also had several memorable experiences.
“The most memorable experience was a month and a half ago, when they organized an unclaimed veteran at Ft. Jackson National Cemetery,” said Matthews. “The amount of work they did, even tracking down some of these distant relatives so someone could get the flag. Also what’s memorable is community and veteran involvement with, like the VFW (Veterans of Foreign Wars). They’ll come out and assist at funerals from time to time, being like a firing party. They don’t have to be, they’re just all volunteers, but just the amount of care that the community shows for people who have served, it’s always really good to see.”
These experiences have helped shape his perspective as a future chaplain of the South Carolina National Guard. From a young age, Matthews knew he wanted to serve his country. And at the age of 27, he answered the call.
“It has always been something in the back of my mind to serve the country,” he said.
His goal from the start was to become a Chaplain because of his beliefs and involvement at Grace Baptist Church in West Columbia, South Carolina as a youth minister. He began his career enlisting in 2020 as an officer candidate, but last year he discovered a different path.
“I became an officer candidate because, in my mind, I had to go to OCS (officer candidate school) then branch into chaplaincy, and learned about the chaplain candidate program last year, which is a way for future chaplains to go ahead and commission and get time in while they’re working on their schooling,” said Matthews.
Matthews plans to continue serving in the Honor Guard, so that when he becomes a chaplain, he will know and understand the rituals and techniques that happen during a funeral.
When it comes to introducing the Honor Guard to other chaplain candidates, Matthews said, “The newer people coming through the door, I’m gonna introduce them to it. I am hoping that through the four or five years that I’m able to do it before I have to switch to a training role, that I set a standard that the state Chaplain, our supervisory Chaplain, basically the Chaplain brass, look at that and go ‘Hey this is an excellent option, let’s introduce the new chaplain candidates coming in the door to this idea’.”
He said he hopes that other members of the Chaplain Corps will also join because it is a great way to live up to the Chaplain Corps motto, ‘Nurture the Living, Care for the Wounded, Honor the Fallen’.

• Date Taken: 05.25.2023
• Date Posted: 05.25.2023 12:27
• Story ID: 445556
• Location: COLUMBIA, SC, US