Feb 22, 2013
This two-part episode offers a wonderful peek into military chaplaincy, a career unlike any other, and, in particular, experiences of LDS chaplains. Two active duty LDS Army chaplains--Nathan Kline and Jason Unsworth--and one retired LDS Air Force chaplain--Phil McLemore--share the history of chaplaincy and how it has evolved since even before the beginning of the American Revolution, what it takes to become a chaplain today, the many roles chaplains play, the particular pressures they face, as well as the incredible opportunities it provides for unique service and spiritual vistas. This conversation describes first hand what is sometimes called a "ministry of presence," taking us from combat theaters in Iraq and Afghanistan, to counseling offices and base ministries, to sitting by hospital bedsides as mentally and physically wounded soldiers try to sort through the tragedies that have befallen them and find scraps of hope from which to build up new lives. It’s an amazing discussion that both educates (inner workings of the military, support services for LDS military personnel) and heartens through insights that were birthed in intense circumstances but which wildly transcend those origins and are applicable and uplifting to us all.