FORT RUCKER, Ala. — The Fort Rucker community gathered this week to celebrate the 251st anniversary of the U.S. Army Chaplain Corps, honoring generations of chaplains and religious affairs specialists who have supported soldiers since the earliest days of the nation’s military.
Chaplain (Lt. Col.) Michael Johnson, the garrison chaplain, opened the luncheon with a prayer of gratitude, asking for strength, wisdom and endurance for those who continue the Chaplain Corps’ mission. He prayed for the “service and sacrifice of those who go on before us,” and for the fortitude to carry their legacy forward.
Chaplain (Col.) Daniel Kersey, Senior Command Chaplain, US Army Aviation Center of Excellence and Fort Rucker, delivered the keynote address and reflected on the Corps’ founding on July 29, 1775, less than two months after the Continental Army was formed. He noted that the Continental Congress’ decision to authorize chaplains for each regiment revealed an early understanding that soldiers needed more than weapons and rations. They needed moral grounding, spiritual care and someone to stand beside them in hardship.
“For more than two and a half centuries, members of the Chaplain Corps have gone wherever soldiers have gone,” Kersey said. “We nurture the living, care for the wounded and honor the fallen. Those words are more than a motto. They represent countless acts of quiet and faithful service.”
Kersey highlighted the Corps’ expanding religious diversity and its constitutional commitment to ensuring every soldier can practice their faith, or no faith at all. He emphasized that chaplains serve all soldiers while remaining faithful to their own traditions.
He also underscored the unique demands at Fort Rucker, home of Army Aviation, where unit ministry teams are embedded directly within formations. “Presence has always been at the heart of a chaplain’s calling,” he said. “We go where they go.”
Kersey thanked the garrison community, volunteers and directorates whose support enables chaplains to sustain spiritual readiness across the installation. “Much of this work happens without public attention,” he said. “But it matters. Every hour you volunteer contributes directly to the spiritual readiness of this installation.”
The ceremony concluded with the traditional cutting of the Chaplain Corps birthday cake, symbolizing unity and continuity between generations. This year’s honor went to Chaplain (Maj.) John Burnham, the oldest chaplain present, and Pfc. Ariel Say Chay, the youngest religious affairs specialist.
The luncheon closed with fellowship among soldiers, families and community members, an embodiment of the Chaplain Corps’ enduring mission to strengthen the “soul of the Army.”