Photo By Sgt. Daniel Schneider | Capt. Nyhl Irvin (right), battalion chaplain assigned to Company B, Division Special...... read more read more
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BAGHDAD – Some Soldiers in a theater of operations see chaplains as ministers in a church or advocates if they need spiritual advice, but there is more to a chaplain's role in a deployed environment.
Nyhl Irvin, chaplain, the Division Special Troops Battalion chaplain, along with his assistant, Spc. Warren Kirby, fill many additional roles beyond church services around Camp Liberty.
Irvin and Kirby head out on battlefield circulations, where they visit Soldiers doing their jobs. They talk to troops to evaluate morale trends during their visits, and Irvin provides a 'ministry of presence' in order to remain visible to Soldiers.
"I have the opportunity to visit with Soldiers and relay the morale of the unit to battalion commanders," said Irvin.
Irvin is also the officer in charge of the Division Chapel, with Kirby serving as non-commissioned officer in charge. In this capacity, the team schedules and supports various religious services for Soldiers throughout Camp Liberty. Irvin also serves as the minister of two protestant services every Sunday.
"Chaplains have three commitments," Irvin began. "Those are nurturing the living, caring for the dying, and honoring the dead.
"We have a handbook of prayers for many different religions so that we can provide prayer based on the religious preference of the wounded," said Irvin.
Kirby is also equipped with one of these handbooks in case the chaplain needs assistance in providing prayers for the wounded.
The duo also provides Environmental and Morale Leave and reintegration briefings, which inform Soldiers how to rejoin non-deployed society.
"We jokingly tell one another that we don't mind doing [reintegration] briefings," Kirby quipped, "because Soldiers who are preparing to go home seem to be in such a good mood for some reason."
Chaplains are also responsible for providing a place for confidential counseling to Soldiers who need help dealing with stressful situations.
During the beginning of the deployment, there was a great demand for counseling, said Irvin. Now it has dropped off; however, toward the end of a deployment, it is typical to see an increase in the need for counseling.
"We use the Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training program model for proactive intervention counseling to help Soldiers in times of crisis," said Irvin.
"I encourage Soldiers to reach out to chaplains for more than just religious needs," said Kirby.
"We provide services to everyone," Irvin concluded. "We're all God's creation, whom He prizes and desires to commune with; therefore we provide care."
| Date Taken: | 05.10.2010 |
| Date Posted: | 05.10.2010 07:25 |
| Story ID: | 49391 |
| Location: | BAGHDAD, IQ |
| Web Views: | 236 |
| Downloads: | 178 |
This work, Behind the scenes: battalion chaplain's role in theater, by SGT Daniel Schneider, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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