When talking about military religious freedom, much of the focus is naturally on chaplains.\u00a0 Often left unmentioned is the assistant, bodyguard, and companion of military chaplains: his chaplain’s assistant.<\/p>\n
As noted in a recent Marine article<\/a>, chaplain’s assistants not only support activities at home, but they are also the armed protectors of the unarmed chaplain when deployed:<\/p>\n Religion has always been important to 19-year-old Seaman Apprentice Jacob L. Brown, a religious program specialist…<\/p>\n When he learned that he could pursue it while serving his country, he jumped at the chance… <\/p>\n Religious program specialists are sailors who provide administrative and logistical assistance to chaplains, but when their chaplain’s life is in danger, their responsibility transforms form clerk to bodyguard.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n SA Brown is actually a member of the US Navy. The Marines do not have their own chaplains; their chaplains are actually Navy officers.\u00a0 SA Brown is likewise from the Navy.<\/p>\n The Navy recently graduated a new group of Religious Program specialists<\/a>, known as “RPs.”\u00a0 (The Navy term “RP” does not stand for “religious protector,” as atheist Marine SSgt Paul Loebe recently claimed, as entertaining as that may sound.)<\/p>\n In an Air Force article<\/a>, Chaplain assistant Staff Sgt. George Mena noted the career field is “critically manned” (undermanned) because some might not know what its about:<\/p>\n \u201cA lot of people get the misconception that you need to be religious and that this job is a special duty assignment,\u201d Mena said.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n As has been noted here many times before, US military chaplains go everywhere with US troops — even to the front lines (despite some ignorant comments to the contrary<\/a>).\u00a0 When they are in combat, chaplains remain unarmed non-combatants.\u00a0 Given that the enemy often fails to recognize that, Chaplains’ assistants provide invaluable protection to an invaluable resource.<\/p>\n ADVERTISEMENT<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n
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