Photo By John Hughel | U.S. Army Chaplain (Maj. Gen.) William Green, Chief of Chaplains, U.S. Army (left),...... read more read more
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PORTLAND, Ore. – In a return visit to the Pacific Northwest, U.S. Army Chaplain (Maj. Gen.) William Green, Jr., Chief of Chaplains, U.S. Army, along with Sgt. Maj. Meaghan Simmons, Regimental Sergeant Major, U.S. Army Chaplains Corps, addressed military Chaplains, Religious Affairs Specialists, and other guests taking part in the opening day of the Oregon National Guard Chaplain Corps Annual Sustainment training held at the Portland Air National Guard Base Chapel here on Sept. 8, 2025.
Having previously served as I Corps Command Chaplain at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Chaplain Green had also worked as a Clinical Pastoral Education Resident at Madigan Army Medical Center and as the Chaplain for the 1st Battalion, 37th Field Artillery at Fort Lewis, Washington. While leading the discussion on “Spiritual Readiness and Army Transformation,” this marked his first visit to the Portland Air National Guard Base.
“I am still quite amazed at how many of these World War II Chapels are still in use across the country,” Green said to a group of nearly 40 attendees participating in the training, sitting in the original wooden pews. Dating back to 1941, the base chapel is the last remaining building from the WWII era and has survived the 1948 Vanport Flood as well as the closure of the active-duty Portland Air Force base in March 1966.
Coincidentally, the annual Chaplain training occurs nearly 84 years after the chapel was completed and dedicated on Wednesday, September 10, 1941. The base Quartermaster, Lt. Col. Willis A. Platts, presented the building to the base Commander, Col. Joseph L. Stromme, who accepted it on behalf of the officers and men of his command.
The setting of the Air Base Chapel also worked as a segue to open a discussion on the importance and contributions to the Chaplain Corps in the U.S. Military from the writings of former Secretary of State and Army Chief of Staff General George C. Marshall's years of service to the nation.
Before holding these highly influential positions, Marshall commanded the 5th Brigade of the 3rd Infantry Division at Vancouver Barracks in Vancouver, Washington, from 1936 to 1938. He served as the post commander and oversaw 35 Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) camps in Oregon and southern Washington.
“There were hundreds of these chapels built (more than 550) when General Marshall was the Army Chief of Staff during the Second World War. They were built to provide a sense of home…a sense of comfort,” Green said. Then, referring to his own notes and quoting Marshall’s writings, “‘in enlisting the aid of chaplains by the hundreds and in building chapels by the hundreds, to give the Army the spiritual food we want it to have…not in reliance on things of steel and the super-excellence of guns and planes and bomb-sights.”
Expanding on this sentiment, Green recognized during the discussion, Oregon Army National Guard Chaplain (Maj.) Jason Dong, as he read from his own personal notebook more of Marshall’s writings, saying, “‘The soldier’s heart, the soldier’s spirit, the soldier’s soul, are everything. Unless the soldier’s soul sustains him, he cannot be relied on and will fail himself, his commander, and his country in the end.’”
In setting the foundation of spiritual readiness from the past, Green pivoted to the persistence of the Army and other Department of Defense branches to keep pace with innovation and changes.
“Where is our force going, where and how can we be supportive of our people, with new equipment, and shifting missions?” he said, inquiring the group about these transformations. “One way, if we look at our core vision, is to remain fully engaged with our people…to meet them both on a spiritual level and in their military vocation.”
Alternating with Chaplain Green and interjecting into the conversation, Sgt. Maj. Simmons directed many of the same points to Religious Affairs Specialists and their role supporting Chaplains and their unit.
“So much of what we do as religious affairs specialists involves integrating spiritual support into the mission, and helping our soldiers navigate many of the challenges that come with military service,” Simmons said, describing a key aspect of service members' spiritual health.
Religious affairs service members serve as invaluable servant leaders. They are responsible for managing accountability of supplies, organizational records, training schedules, and conducting small group sessions, while also working closely with Chaplains to ensure deployment readiness. As the Army adopts new missions involving drones and cyber warfare, other military roles are also transforming.
“Being open to some of these changes allows for innovations, too,” Simmons said. “You really can make a big difference by looking for opportunities to boost morale and build a culture of inspired readiness.”
Before Chaplain Green and Sgt. Maj. Meaghan Simmons' presentation, Brig. Gen. Alan R. Gronewold, Adjutant General, Oregon, and Sgt. Maj. Lee Smith, Command Senior Enlisted Leader for the Oregon National Guard, welcomed the group and answered questions.
“First and foremost, I want to thank our Army leadership team for attending this important annual training and welcome home for those of you who have been deployed to Kosovo,” Gronewold said. “When we talk about our ‘Top Three’ priorities of 'being Connected, Competent, and Committed,' the work you all undertake as our religious affairs team really embodies the attitude and outreach of ‘being connected’ to our force.”
Chaplain Scott took the opportunity to acknowledge the work and diligence of several key service members for their recent contributions. The four senior leaders then presented their ‘Challenge Coins.’
“These individuals embody this implicational leadership model we are talking about in training this week, " Scott said. “They play an instrumental role - both in some of their recent deployments and domestic operations support.”
The training on the first day included a presentation on “CERF-P 101” and Fatality Search and Recovery Teams by Oregon Air National Guard Capt. Daniel Gates and 1st Lt. Raul Reyes, before shifting to Camp Rilea, near Warrenton, for the final two days.
This year’s annual training, themed “Called to Serve: A Light in the Darkness,” culminated with a powerful call to spiritual service from Chaplain Green.
“One of the things I want to encourage you to do is to always reflect on that ‘Why,’ and when the days get tough, when they become challenging, when you don’t feel like you’re winning…focus on ‘The Call,” Green said, emphasizing the spiritual path and foundation for Chaplains and Religious Affairs service members.
“There is nothing more important than ‘The Call,’ because you are going to touch someone else’s life. How will you bring light into the darkness? Because of ‘The Call.’”
| Date Taken: | 09.10.2025 |
| Date Posted: | 09.12.2025 15:14 |
| Story ID: | 548011 |
| Location: | PORTLAND, OREGON, US |
| Web Views: | 18 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Called to Serve: U.S. Army Chief of Chaplains visits Oregon for annual Chaplain Sustainment training, by John Hughel, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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