By Roseline Twagiramariya
Staff writer
The Leader June 19, 2009
Three years ago, it was almost unheard of for a Cadet to have any kind of religious accommodation while attending the Leader’s Training Course.
Four weeks of intensive training and an introduction into the Army life meant having to give up your own way of life and leaving your comfort zone. Being able to attend a church service on Sunday morning was going to have to wait.
Today, Cadets and cadre alike can expect some kind of normality thanks to the LTC chaplain.
Chaplain Richard Stevenson lectures to Co. A 1/46th Inf. Cadets about grace during a service at the land navigation site. Photo by Kristin Sherrard
“At some point, there was the thought that a Cadet might have a religious need that should to be met, and the realization came that we should try to get a chaplain assigned here for the Cadets and the cadre,” said LTC Chaplain Maj. Rick Stevenson.
The LTC chaplain program was established in 2006, and now includes services usually held on Sundays in the company areas or at training sites, such as land navigation.
The services are generally Christian and consist of prayer and song. Communion is usually held on its own after the general service, that way those who do not wish to attend do not have to.
The chaplain also offers counseling services for Cadets and cadre.
For needs that can’t be met by the chaplain, Stevenson said his office usually works with finding someone else who can.
“The Army is very multicultural and people come from different backgrounds, and everyone needs to have their religious beliefs accommodated,” he said.
Every year, the role of the chaplain changes as services are added. This summer will mark the second year the LTC chief chaplain has also acted as a supervisor and mentor for chaplain candidates when they perform various acts of ministry.
Chaplain candidates are essentially in training to one day become battalion chaplains. Every summer, they will be assigned a company and will be with their Cadets throughout their entire stay at LTC. The candidates will be right there as Cadets carry out training and will get to know them on a personal level.
The idea is for them to appreciate what the Cadets are going through and how hard Soldiers work.
“When you allow your tempo to match the tempo of a Cadet’s, then there is a great understanding and a bonding that can occur,” Stevenson said. “And in terms of counseling, this can keep from giving some kind of textbook-wrote answer that’s not going to really help the Soldier.
For 2nd Lt. David Calger, Co. A’s chaplain candidate, LTC has been a learning experience and one he enjoys.
So far, there have been two services held for LTC, and Calger had the chance to direct the service alongside Stevenson. By the end of his training, he will be conducting the service on his own.
For the Cadets themselves, the services have been a relief and have helped keep some normality in their life at Fort Knox. Alpha Co. Cadet Annalise LeVeque of Eastern Illinois University is one of them.
“It was fulfilling and calmed a lot of people’s nerves about being away from home,” LeVeque said. “I’m very thankful to have services here.”
