20060803
Lesson #4
Chaplains are important. Chaplains are more important than I had thought before I left. If a soldier is struggling, the only person they can safely go to is the chaplain. One example of this was last Sunday when I heard confessions and concelebrated at the Mass for basic training soldiers. With over 800 18 year olds in a gym, it was a lot like a youth rally. Those kids (and yes they are kids) were so excited to go at Mass because it was the one time in their week where they were treated like human beings. It was the one hour where they did not have a drill seargent yelling at them making them do push-ups. Being able to go to confession and Mass was a big deal to them even if faith was not normally a big part of their lives. For that hour or two, the chaplain and being able to pray and worship was everything to them.
