Chaplain Assistant

History

The specialty position was established on December 28, 1909, pursuant to General Orders No. 253.

Duties

Duties performed by the Chaplain Assistant include:

Essentially, a Chaplain Assistant, or 56M (in the US Army), is the "how" in religious accommodation in both a peacetime setting as well as in a combat environment. In a combat environment, however, the Chaplain Assistant's job becomes much more vital to the needs in the Army. The Chaplain himself/herself is not a combatant, meaning s/he is restricted from bearing arms. The Chaplain Assistant, as the only combatant in the UMT, is to apply force protection. He does this because of the vital role of the Chaplain in a combat environment: the Chaplain is to support not only the religious welfare of the unit, but also the overall morale of the troops, which is a key issue in any combat environment.

Contribution to Religious Support

Chaplain assistants provide diversity to the Unit Ministry Team. Because chaplains are commissioned officers, enlisted personnel may feel more comfortable approaching the enlisted chaplain assistant with a personal issue. In addition, because chaplains are non-combatants and are unauthorized to bear arms, most chaplains do not have combat experience like enlisted personnel usually do. The chaplain assistant allows troubled soldiers the option of confiding in someone who can offer empathy to soldiers facing issues relating to combat or deployments.

Training

Army Chaplain Assistants begin their training after successful completion of Army Basic Combat Training, which lasts 10 weeks. 56M AIT (Advanced Individual Training) lasts 8 weeks [Fort Jackson (South Carolina)|Ft. Jackson]], South Carolina, at USACHCS (United States Army Chaplain Center and School).

U.S. Military Academy