An Air Force Chaplain in Iraq has drawn the attention of his fellow servicemembers for his willingness to struggle, strain, and sweat right alongside them.

In the Air Force news release (“Chaplain Veers From Straight, Narrow Care”), Chaplain (Capt.) Chad Montgomery has worked under Humvees, helped mix cement with civil engineers, and has even been the “criminal” attack dummy for military working dogs.

He notes that some people (both in and out of the military) may have the wrong perception about what a Chaplain does: 

“I don’t think people realize or know what your job is unless they do it,” the chaplain said. “I think people just think chaplains play with flannel graphs or something, just tell Sunday school stories. 

“When they see you out there sweating to the point you feel like puking, when you’re pushing pallets with them, when you’re out there getting attacked by a dog, saying ‘Hey, I’m here with you’ — it’s amazing the conversations that’ll come up,” the chaplain said.

Chaplain Montgomery’s ministry to his troops by his presence among them has been effective:

“Seeing the chaplain out doing this kind of stuff makes him more approachable…By talking to him, he seems like he’s a normal, nice guy. It’s not like ‘I don’t know the chaplain, so I’m not comfortable talking to him.'”

When not deployed, the Chaplain’s home is Lackland, where he ministers to the Air Force’s only basic training base.  His ministry by presence remains the same:

“I’ve been through the gas chamber like 20 times — I know, it’s sick,” he chuckled. “We see who can take the pain for as long as possible. We’re not about promoting ourselves — God gets the glory, that’s the ultimate key in everything. It’s also showing that you’re not a wimp when you become a chaplain.”

The article doesn’t mention the Chaplain’s ecclesiastical agency, nor is it important.  The Chaplain provides an excellent example of witnessing–even “evangelizing”–by living a ministry of presence.