Chaplain Capt. Argle Smith, 1st battalion 206th Field Artillery Regiment, took advantage of a “check fire” on the range to provide communion, counseling and pastoral care to any Soldiers of Charlie battery who wanted to participate, June 5, 2026.
“This year we had less Soldiers for [annual training],” said Smith. “My focus was more on quality of care than on quantity of provisions. This year, my highlight was seeing how God was moving behind the scenes to provide for our Soldiers in supernatural ways.”
Smith says every other day he visits each battery to check on their physical, mental, and spiritual well-being, “When I visit the gun lines, I call it a Ministry of Presence.”
As chaplain he provides a “word of the day” for Soldiers, a message for them to focus on.
“This year, the theme of my word of the day was Army Leadership,” said Smith. “I’ve delivered 31 word of the day messages. Each day was a new word: intellect, physical presence, professional competence, moral character, empowerment, profession, and trust.
“My goal is to offer each Soldier with one small piece of wisdom to chew on throughout the day. I use it to encourage them and raise morale.
“Taking the Lord’s Supper together is always a very powerful moment together with God on the gun line.”
There are 22 active Religious Support Teams serving Brigades, Wings, and Battalions statewide in the Arkansas National Guard.
Chaplains provide 100% confidential pastoral counseling, crisis intervention, and relationship-building support to service members and their families.
Chaplains represent a broad, multi-faith spectrum, including priests, ministers, rabbis, imams, and other religious traditions. While each chaplain is a representative of their own specific denomination, they are tasked with facilitating the "free exercise" of religion for all troops, ensuring every soldier has access to their preferred faith or practice.
(U.S. Army National Guard story by 1st Sgt. Jim Heuston)
| Date Taken: |
06.10.2026 |
| Date Posted: |
06.10.2026 21:38 |
| Story ID: |
567397 |
| Location: |
FORT SMITH, ARKANSAS, US |
| Web Views: |
22 |
| Downloads: |
0 |
PUBLIC DOMAIN
This work, Chaplain On The Gun Line, by 1SG Jim Heuston, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
Subscribe
