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Originally Posted by Evangelist
But I have also seen a few with berets and tabs.
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During my career, these have been the folks that have been most effective with the troops as they share a common bond and level of credibility when it comes to listening to those who from time to time like to avail themselves of the services a chaplain can provide. Chaplains with whom I have worked have performed many roles, one such is doing some background research on religions in target areas and providing as valuable sources of analytical information when it comes to working with various populations in the world. My favorite Chaplain of all time was Grady Spry (RIP) who showed up one day in my A-Camp sporting a sawed off M-79 grenade launcher strapped to his leg. He played a mean game of cards, carried a portfolio of his "girls" in his wallet (all of which were his daughters which he would admit only when folks got a little concerned about his collection), and could bring the heat of a lightning bolt to help you focus on what was really important when necessary. I have also known pompous assess who thought that it was their job to save the sinners in uniform, non of whom lasted long-at least with me. Chaplains can be very effective and important members of a commander's team, however they have to understand that the military is not the civilain community, the needs are different, the target audience is different and while the message you bring might be the same it has to make room for all and be tuned to the needs of the troop and not the needs of the particular faith from which you hail. Perhaps the biggest trait you are going to need to be effective is a good sense of humor.
