US military chaplains aren’t just sitting in offices or behind lecterns. And when their units train for combat, they go with them, because they, too, need to exercise how they will operate in the combat environment:

Allied Spirit is a series of combat exercises centered on battlefield realism and international cooperation. But the authentic nature of the U.S. Army Europe training isn’t confined to combat arms personnel…

Too often, the role of chaplains within military exercises is limited to providing religious support and encouragement to the participants. Within Allied Spirit, however, chaplains are challenged to replicate the demands of a battlefield environment.

For US Army Chaplain (Capt) Brad Hornback, this meant exercising the some of same basic communications and support methods he’d have to use if those Soldiers were in combat:

Hornback’s communication with one of his protestant battalion chaplains empowered him to ensure Catholic service members in the field received adequate spiritual care in the absence of a priest. In addition, situational awareness empowered Hornback to provide a prayer book to a Jewish officer amid Rosh Hashanah, the celebration of the Jewish New Year that occurred in early October.

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