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[Pages:22]....... ?

by

Henry F. Ackermann

OFFICE OF THE CHIEF OF CHAPLAINS DEPARTMENT OF THE ARMY WASHINGTON, DC 1989

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Figure 1. Chaplain (MAJ) John B. Porter , attached to the 173d Airborne Brigade, in a rubber plantation north of Bien Hoa, Vietnam.

FOREWORD

Duties of Chaplains ...

The primary mission of the ch a plain is to provide for the religious and moral needs of military personnel, their families , and authorized civilians with special attention given to the welfare of the soldier. In accomplishing his mission , the chaplain will seek to develop a relationship of trust and mutual respect between himself and all members of the command. So far as practicable , each chaplain will provide a dynamic and comprehensive program of chaplain activities to include generally the following areas:

a. Religious services. These services will include . . . services of worship, religious missions, religious retreats, marriages, baptisms, funerals , and other sacraments, rites, and/or ordinances.

b . Religious education . . . c . Pastoral care . . . . The chaplain will seek to

(1.) Develop a pastoral relationship with members of the command, by participating in activities of the command, by visiting soldiers during duty and off-duty hours without interfering with the soldier's official duties or his privacy . . .

(2.) Make himself available to all members of the command for interviews, guidance , counseling, and spiritual help.

(3.) Assist in the rehabilitation of personnel in confinement by counseling and instruction and by cooperating with members of the staff . . .

(4.) Provide spiritual support and help to the sick and their families by visita tions, counseling , appropriate religious ministrations, and other appropriate assistance as a member of the healing team.

- Army Regulation 165-20

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Your first and most important step [as a chaplain] is associating yourself closely with your troops . This can be done most effec tively by participation in the things that they are doing, and that means . . . getting into

the field with them. It m eans identifying yourself with their ... pro-

grams. You must share their misery, their burdens, their victories and their defeats, and be one of them . . .

. . . You have been selected for a position that is most enviable that of serving both God and Country. Fortunately, these missions are so mutually dependent that doing each well further enhances the other.

Excerpts from an address given by Brigadier General A.O. Connor, Deputy Commanding General, Fort Dix, NJ, to Chaplains Graduating from the Basic Chaplain Course, March 14 , 1962 .

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VI

PREFACE

In mid-1984 the U.S. Army Chief of Chaplains, Chaplain (MG) Patrick

J. Hessian determined the necessity of compiling a history of the U.S.

Army chaplain ministry during the Vietnam Conflict. Many of the chaplains who had served in Vietnam were retiring from the Army, leaving behind little or no record of their experiences - experiences which would not only be part of the historical record, but also would be beneficial to a new generation of chaplains. If lessons are to be learned from history, the history must first be written. Using that basic premise, and with a history of the U.S . Army chaplain ministry during the Vietnam Conflict as the end product, plans were formulated and the author began his research in September 1984.

Methodology

Methodology used in writing this history was: a. Search the existing literature in the field ; review retired files from the Office of the Chief of Chaplains (OCCH) from 1962 through 1975;

and peruse OCCH Historical Reviews for the same time period ex-

trapolating pertinent information. b. Prepare oral histories describing ministry in the Vietnam Conflict.

Extensive taped interviews with 40 selecte_d chaplains (chosen because of their assignment and/or achievements) were done by the author in late 1985 and early 1986 . Each chaplain was interviewed at length about his Vietnam and related experiences. Interviews were then transcribed, producing a manuscript which was sent to the interviewee for editing. The final version , with permission granted for its use , was then returned -? to the Office of the Chief of Chaplains as a historical account of chaplain ministry. Oral histories, dealing primarily with that part of their career which included the Vietnam era, were also taken from two of the three chaplains who were Army Chiefs of Chaplains during that time. The three Chiefs of Chaplains were:

Chaplain (MG) Charles E. Brown, Jr., retired, Chief of Chaplains from November 1, 1962. through July 31, 1967.

Chaplain (MG)Francis L. Sampson, retired, Chief of Chaplains from August 2, 1967 , through July 31 , 1971.

Chaplain (MG) Gerhardt W. Hyatt, retired, Chief of Chaplains from August 1, 1971, through July 31 , 1975.

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THE U.S. ARMY CH APLAIN MI NISTRY IN THE VIET NAM CO NFLI CT

Chaplain Hyatt was not interviewed . In August 1985 , Chaplain H ya tt had traveled from his office at Lutheran Church , Missouri Synod headquarters in St. Louis , Missouri , to Washington , DC , to be interviewed for this history. Chaplain Hyatt had a heart attack one day before his scheduled interview , and died a few days later .

There is , however , other information about a nd from Chaplain Hyatt that was used in this study . An oral history of Chaplain H yatt is available at the U.S. Army Military History Institute , in Carlisle, Pennsylvania , and the retired files of the Office of the Chief of Chaplains contains lengthy correspondence to and from Chaplain Hyatt while he was Director of Personnel in the Office of the Chief of Chaplains (1967 -1968); MACV Command Chaplain (October 1968-0ctober 1969); Deputy Chief of Chaplains (january 1970-August 1971 ); and Chief of Chaplains (August 1971-July 1975).

c. Survey chaplains and others who served in Vietnam. Data was needed

to accurately describe the ministry or tJ .5. Army chaplains during the

Vietnam Conflict. It was believed that the best approach was to solicit

information from those who served as chaplains in Vietnam and from soldiers served by chaplains. After discussion and consideration of various information-gathering methods, the decision was made to develop two survey instruments with the Opinion Survey Division, U.S. Army Support Center, National Capital Region, Alexandria , VA. The surveys were sent to chaplains and other soldiers who had served in the Republic of Vietnam.

The survey responses , and any additional data supplied by the responders, were the major sources of information for this study. However, the purpose of the surveys was not limited to solicitation of a historical narrative of chaplain ministry during the Vietnam Conflict. The Chief of Chaplains needed data to describe and evaluate the quality and adequacy of chaplain training for combat ministry during the Vietnam Conflict , and to assist today's chaplaincy in developing training , Programs , and doctrine for ministry in the U .S . Army. The survey results are contained in Appendix A.

Acknowledgments

I am indebted to the men and women who took the time to answer the questions asked in the surveys. Without their thoughtful and detailed comments , this would likely be a com p ila tion of statistics and a listing of even ts. The personal experiences shared through the surveys and discussed in the interviews give the facts life . Many of these experiences

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PREFACE

were difficult to write or talk about , but they poignantly tell the story of the Vietnam Conflict from the point of view of those who were there those who took part in the making of history. My hope is that the narration of their experiences will give insight into the ministry of chaplains and chaplains assistants , and into the life and spirit of the individual soldier in a combat environment.

Extremely helpful were three works that provided almost all the information necessary to put U.S . Army chaplain ministry in Vietnam in the

proper context. Two books by Shelby L. Stanton - Th e Rise and Fall of An American Army, and Vietnam Order of Battle; and Vietnam War Almanac, by Harry G. Summers, Jr. . were indispensable in understan-

ding the units and milieu in which ministry took place. I am also grateful

to Chaplain (COL) Rodger R. Venzke for his book, Confidence in Battle, Inspiration in Peace, which covers the history of the U.S. Army

chaplaincy from 1945-1975. I have tried to avoid duplicating any of the material dealing with Vietnam. That information along with this volume provide the history of U.S. Army chaplain ministry in Vietman.

Special thanks are due to Dr. William Hourihan, historian at the U.S. Army Chaplain Center and School. His suggestions and critical reading of the manuscript were invaluable. I am also grateful to Professor Jay Luvaas at the Army War College for his encouragement , assistance with outlining the approach taken , and for his reading of the final manuscript.

Sergeant First Class Walter E. Holloway was extremely helpful. He knew where to take papers, photos, documents , and surveys for reproduction , and he performed many of the tedious tasks that are seldom recognized but which are critical to producing something of this scope.

I reserve the last words of gratitude for my wife , Marie. Her assistance and encouragement kept me on track. When I searched for the right word or phrase , she searched with me. Marie read each chapter as it was completed, and performed the crucial first editing in a thoroughly professional manner. And, perhaps most importantly, she lived through and endured the pains of a three-year birth process. I am grateful for her help and love.

Henry F. Ackermann Colonel, USA Retired

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IX

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