Photo By Jaeyoon Lee | U.S. Army Maj. Gen. Charles Lombardo, Commanding General of 2d Infantry...... read more read more
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CAMP HUMPHREYS, South Korea - The Division Chaplain for the 2nd Infantry Division / Republic of Korea-U.S. Combined Division (RUCD) was promoted to colonel during a widely attended ceremony at Freeman Hall, the Division headquarters, Jan. 23.
Chaplain Col. David Johnston II was promoted to his current rank, a significant milestone in any Army officer’s career, with the goal of playing a larger role in strengthening spiritual readiness across the Army.
Johnston spoke at his ceremony, “Spirituality and spiritual readiness can sometimes be harder to explain or quantify for leaders than AFT scores or behavior trends, but that doesn’t make it less important.”
Spiritual readiness plays a critical role in building a lethal and resilient force. Chaplains build spiritual readiness that strengthens moral courage, sustains purpose and fuels the resilience Soldiers need to fight and recover.
Johnston is a native of Winston-Salem, North Carolina, and earned a Master of Divinity from Reformed Theological Seminary in 2005. He joined the Army as a chaplain in 2006 and has spent most of his career with the 82nd Airborne Division and special operations units. He now serves as the Division Chaplain for the last permanently forward-stationed division in the U.S. Army.
Johnston said, “I am excited for the opportunity to serve in roles of greater responsibility, which translates in the ability to serve and care for even more Soldiers and Families.”
Johnston’s approach as a chaplain emphasizes the spiritual welfare and care for Soldiers and their families.
“Spiritual readiness is essential to combat readiness. It is hard to imagine the toll that Large-Scale Combat Operations (LSCO) will take on our Soldiers. Soldiers that have a high degree of spiritual readiness will be better prepared to handle those challenges, maintain the will to fight, encourage others to keep fighting and return home with honor,” Johnston stated.
According to the 2023 State of the U.S. Army Chaplain Corps, spiritual readiness reduces substance dependence and abuse by 80%, lowers risk-taking behavior by 70%, decreases major depressive disorder by 60% and lessens suicidality by 50% to 80%.
Johnston explained, “There is a great deal of research that shows a direct correlation between religious participation and an increase in hope, sense of purpose, feelings of significance, ability to cope with stressful situations and a decrease in alcohol related events, divorce, drug problems and suicidal behavior.”
Johnston’s service extends beyond his role as a chaplain and Soldier to his life as a husband and father. He and his wife, Erin Johnston, have been married 23 years and have seven children: Emma, David, Patrick, Iain, Anna, Cora and Yates. This experience provides an understanding of the challenges facing Soldiers and their families. As a colonel in the Chaplain Corps, he mentors the next generation of chaplains to sustain religious support for Soldiers and their families.
Johnston is optimistic about the future of the Chaplain Corps.
Johnston said, “As long as we don’t stray from and master the fundamentals, the Chaplain Corps will always be a relevant and significant component to overall Soldier readiness.”
| Date Taken: | 03.01.2026 |
| Date Posted: | 03.10.2026 01:29 |
| Story ID: | 559665 |
| Location: | KR |
| Hometown: | WINSTON-SALEM, NORTH CAROLINA, US |
| Web Views: | 7 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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