Chapter 3 · 1995 to 2005
Army Chaplaincy
May 1995 to November 2005 as a commissioned U.S. Army chaplain candidate in the Individual Ready Reserve, including service at Fort Jackson, SC.
In 1995 I was commissioned as an officer in the U.S. Army and completed the Chaplain Officer Basic Course at the U.S. Army Chaplain Center and School at Fort Monmouth, New Jersey. I served as a chaplain candidate in the Individual Ready Reserve (IRR) from May 1995 to November 2005 and was promoted to First Lieutenant in March 1997.
At Fort Jackson, South Carolina, I served with the 187th Ordnance Battalion, 4th Brigade. Young soldiers in Advanced Individual Training came to the Fortress Coffee House on weekends, and by God's grace attendance grew from about 20 to 25 soldiers a week to 90 to 100. I received the Army Achievement Medal and was honorably discharged in 2005.
What I learned: soldiers don't need a sermon first. They need someone who shows up on their schedule.