Chaplains provide comfort during deployment

“Reality strikes you hard. Death is random,” said Chaplain (Capt.) Eusebia Rios, of the 27th Special Operations Wing Chapel. “All chaplains comfort people. We are spiritual first-aid medics.”

The duties of military chaplains during wartime can be a far cry from what they encounter while at their home stations, especially those where casualties are an almost daily occurrence.

“The reality of war … it’s a very ugly, intense thing,” Rios said. Rios, a chaplain at Cannon, recently returned from a deployment to Iraq, where she encountered a variety of issues not normally seen at a home station.

One example of the tough issues chaplains face in combat areas comes when they have to preside over fallen comrades, while friends and fellow servicemembers stand solemnly by as flag-draped caskets are loaded onto aircraft, also known as a ramp service.

“When someone dies, there’s a tradition where everyone gathers at attention and a chaplain leads the body up to the plane,” said Chaplain (Lt. Col.) Robert Gallagher, of the 27th SOW Chapel. “It’s usually early in the morning and is a very solemn event. That is one of the most stressful things to have to do.”

“We had a dozen service members we were placing on a plane. I went up to one of my troops, an Army troop, and was able to give him a hug,” Rios said. “He said — and I’ll never forget this — ‘You are a mother of souls.’”

Having to comfort people during times when death and injuries occur regularly is never easy, but when chaplains find themselves in the same situation as the warfighter, it helps them understand what their brothers-in-arms are facing.

“We’re right there on the front line,” Rios said. “When they talk about IEDs, mortars and rockets, we understand because we face those same perils.”

“The more remote and the more dangerous the circumstances are, the more stressful it is,” Gallagher said. “For some of the younger troops, it may be their first time away from home, their first time in a war zone.”

“The last time I was in Iraq, we had a missile attack and some of the younger troops had never experienced something like that. It can be rough on them,” added Gallagher.

“When they see that a chaplain is there, I think that comforts people,” Rios said. “We bring a sense of calm.”

Rios presided over 216 memorials during her deployment and took every opportunity to help comfort her troops.
“Downrange, we’re right there with them. To be able to comfort somebody or a lot of people during that time is a very humbling experience,” said Rios.

At a home station, chaplains have numerous programs and services to run. In deployed environments, there are fewer programs, which gives them more time to sit one-on-one and visit different servicemen and servicewomen across the base.

“We try to spend a lot of time with folks and get to know them,” said Gallagher. “Once people get to know you, they’re more comfortable talking to you.”

Ultimately, chaplains must be prepared for an infinite number of issues during a deployment to help comfort servicemembers in times of need.

“It isn’t about your religious background. It’s about getting a person through a tough time,” added Rios. “You’re a human being and you deserve to be cared for, encouraged, heard, and to get help.”