Last week, United States military chaplains throughout the world marked "The Four Chaplains Day"—a day on which they pay homage to four chaplains who died on February 3, 1943, when the SS Dorchester was torpedoed off the coast of Greenland and sank, with the loss of six-hundred lives. The four chaplains—two Protestant, one Catholic, and one Jewish—stayed right to the end, comforting the wounded and caring for those who were trapped. Eventually, they went down, arms linked, each saying a different prayer, after having given up their life jackets to save others.

The person who drew our attention to this special day was Captain Arnold E. Resnicoff, Chaplain Crops, United States Navy. Robbi Resnicoff is Command Chaplain for the U.S. European Command (USEUCOM) and principal advisor to the EUCOM Commander in Chief on religion, ethics, and morals. He is a Vietnam veteran who served on active duty as a Navy line officer from 1969-1972, and he has been a chaplain since 1976.

During a recent visit to Boston, he talked with us about some of the ways in which the chaplaincy has changed in recent years.

"The face of war has changed radically in the last twenty years," said Chaplain Resnicoff. "For example, live television cameras are sometimes part of invasion forces, satellites play a big part in surveillance, and missiles can be fired remotely by computer. But people haven't changed. Men and women in uniform are still afraid, lonely, searching—and that's why we still have a key role to play. A chaplain has many duties, but our work begins with people.

"We now spend a lot of time with what we call 'deployed communities.' More often than in the past, military personnel on tours of duty abroad have their families with them on base, so we are required to go beyond their individual needs to deal with such issues as child care and family counseling.

"Also, we try to concentrate on those tasks that we do best or that civilian religious representatives cannot handle. Cooperation of this kind frees us up to go where civilians are not allowed to go—into the bowels of a submarine, for example, where we can meet the sailors who are not going to worship services."

Chaplain Resnicoff explained that U.S. military chaplains have three main responsibilities: "We minister to our own; we facilitate ministry to those of all faiths; and we care for all, including those who don't seem to have a faith or don't use a label for their faith. Also, we try to help commanding officers understand their responsibility to military personnel of all faiths.

"I happen to be a rabbi, especially qualified to serve Jewish people in uniform. But I am a chaplain for everybody. If, for example, there was no chaplain on a ship, someone on my staff would try to make sure that the right foods were on board, the correct prayer books available, and suitable people nominated—often 'lay leaders'—who could lead services. We check Holy Days for all faith groups and ask, 'Are we prepared?' I tell people, 'I may not always help, but I very rarely hurt!'

"Chaplains are in a good position to ensure, through the chain of command, that the rights of all are respected; to encourage systems to change—in small and big ways. Not just to give advice, but to have an impact on policy and to improve leadership.

"For example, it is now permissible for yamalkas to be worn with uniforms; Christian Scientists receive waivers for certain medical immunizations. Chaplains understand the needs of faith groups and the military—and they have credibility in both areas."

Chaplain Resnicoff was quick to remind us that prayers, counseling, and sermons are still "absolutely relevant" and remain the "bedrock" of chaplains' work. "Freedom of religion is still a cherished right," he emphasized, "and many rich traditions linger. The church pennant still persists in the U.S. Navy. When a religious service is being conducted by a chaplain, a flag is raised so that other ships in the area will show due respect."

Core values

Chaplain Resnicoff coordinates chaplain support across service and religious lines for more than 100,000 U.S. personnel. He is a liaison in 89 countries in Europe, Africa, and Asia. In all these areas he places enormous emphasis on the "core values program"—strengthening the ethical and moral behavior of everyone in uniform.

"I tell them they need to keep what Thomas Jefferson called their 'moral muscles' in shape—and they all understand what it means to be in shape! Those muscles, I say, are built by good decisions even at lower levels. They need to be exercised if one ever hopes to run the moral marathon that is life.

"I suggest that what many people call ethical 'quandaries' might really be ethical 'challenges.' Do we have the strength to do what is right even if it means taking a risk or admitting we have been wrong in the past?

"We all need to be visionaries," continued Chaplain Resnicoff. "The chief executive officer of a successful American financial institution once suggested that a visionary is not a person who makes a lot of speeches, but is a person who makes day-to-day decisions with a vision in mind. Mission statements talk about what we have to do. Vision statements remind us what changes we'll make if the mission is accomplished.

"I am convinced that in every policy decision there should be a spiritual element. Up until not long ago, the military had the mission of fighting, and, in between, preparing for the next fight. Now we are more like the fire department—fighting fires, but in between not just preparing for the next fire but educating, changing, trying to prevent the next fire.

"Engagement is the word we us—working with other nations, trying to change relationships, seeking understanding before crises happen, trusting each other, getting to know one another. The real goal is not so much to have a military that doesn't fight, but in the long run not to have a military at all.

"Most of us welcome the rallying call 'Come, and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, and to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths: ... and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruninghooks: nation shall not lift up a sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more' (Mic. 4:2, 3).

"I believe that's the vision we have to start with. That's the vision that has to drive everything we do—as individuals, as a nation, and as a military."