University Chaplain and Protestant Campus Minister Corey MacPherson completed three months of arduous training at Fort Jackson in the humidity of South Carolina last summer to become a U.S. Army Reserve chaplain.
MacPherson has been assigned to the 403rd Civil Affairs Battalion in Syracuse, N.Y., where he provides spiritual support and counseling services to soldiers and their families. Additionally, MacPherson participates in monthly battle assemblies to continue training in preparation for the unlikely case that the unit should be deployed.
MacPherson initially felt drawn to serve when he heard of the suicide rate in the Army: there have been more than 30,000 suicides among active military personnel and veterans since 2001 — versus approximately 7,000 combat deaths — according to a study by Brown University. “There’s just tremendous need,” MacPherson said. “I thought, ‘If I can help, I’m willing to help.’”
The main duty of military chaplains is to offer emotional and spiritual support to soldiers and their families, or in the words of the corps, “to nurture the living, care for the wounded, and honor the fallen.” Chaplains are also the only confidential resource in the Army, allowing soldiers to share without worry of damage to their careers.
MacPherson felt his experience at Colgate aided him in his training and in helping newer chaplains. Chaplains serve a variety of religions, and it can be hard for some to separate from their own spiritual traditions. “I felt like I had something to contribute in helping pastors understand that there’s a difference between a pastor and chaplain, which I think some really struggle with,” MacPherson said.
Training to become a chaplain also involves intense physical preparation, something MacPherson was surprised to learn. Chaplains are required to complete full army training so that they can be prepared in the case that their unit is deployed. “Chaplains are embedded with their units wherever they go,” MacPherson said. “So I fully agree and understand the need for physical readiness because the last thing I’d want to do is to slow a unit down.”
The intensity of training resulted in a spiritual challenge for MacPherson. “It must have been four or five weeks in, and I was truly miserable, praying to God saying, ‘I don’t know why I’m doing this — I just wanted to help. I shouldn’t have to go through all this just to help, right?’” MacPherson said.
But his perspective changed when he was with a few hundred young recruits one morning and reflected on the weight of their sacrifices. “It occurred to me while I was sitting there that those kids are there so my kids don’t have to be — because those kids are there, Colgate students don’t have to be,” MacPherson said. “So, in that moment, something in me shifted, and I felt like I had a responsibility to finish my training and to do all that I can to care for and support soldiers, veterans, and their families.”