WEBVTT 00:06.103 --> 00:07.562 ^- On behalf of the Chief of Chaplains, 00:07.562 --> 00:09.451 ^Major General Paul Hurley, 00:09.451 --> 00:11.236 ^it's my distinct honor and privilege 00:11.236 --> 00:14.076 to address you in the IMCOM Garrison Chaplain 00:14.076 --> 00:15.732 and Chaplain Assistant Course. 00:15.732 --> 00:17.199 For those of you that may not know me, 00:17.199 --> 00:20.511 I'm the Deputy Chief of Chaplains, Chaplain Tom Solhjem, 00:20.511 --> 00:22.135 and I'm gonna talk to you today about 00:22.135 --> 00:24.484 the primary thing that we do, 00:24.484 --> 00:27.123 and that is taking care of soldiers and families. 00:27.123 --> 00:28.267 And the lens through which 00:28.267 --> 00:29.849 we're gonna look at how we do that today 00:29.849 --> 00:32.581 is through the lens of the Garrison Ministry Team 00:32.581 --> 00:34.554 and the religious support operations. 00:34.554 --> 00:36.949 You are absolutely critical to the outcome 00:36.949 --> 00:39.126 of taking care of soldiers and families. 00:39.126 --> 00:42.459 Religious support, title ten capability, 00:43.324 --> 00:45.991 to the force is what we deliver. 00:46.133 --> 00:48.398 And we do that best, and we do it with excellence, 00:48.398 --> 00:50.608 and it must be done in the garrison, 00:50.608 --> 00:54.501 and is the full continuum or full spectrum of operations 00:54.501 --> 00:56.073 to the operational environment. 00:56.073 --> 00:59.464 But the foundation for that occurs in the garrison, 00:59.464 --> 01:01.441 and having served only one time 01:01.441 --> 01:03.858 in a garrison job or mission, 01:05.118 --> 01:06.276 I can tell you that it was probably 01:06.276 --> 01:09.137 the most difficult experience job that I had 01:09.137 --> 01:11.554 in my entire military career. 01:11.964 --> 01:14.823 It was difficult for a number of reasons, 01:14.823 --> 01:17.692 some of which you may have or will experience. 01:17.692 --> 01:20.513 And that is, we had the entire mission, 01:20.513 --> 01:22.856 but we had limited resources, 01:22.856 --> 01:24.802 and we were dependent upon relationships 01:24.802 --> 01:26.500 and the strength of those relationships 01:26.500 --> 01:28.730 in the team present on that installation 01:28.730 --> 01:30.329 to get the mission done. 01:30.329 --> 01:31.336 But I'll be candid with you, 01:31.336 --> 01:34.865 sometimes there were days when I felt all alone, 01:34.865 --> 01:37.087 and I felt that it was just me and a few others 01:37.087 --> 01:39.574 trying to carry the weight of the world on our shoulders, 01:39.574 --> 01:43.741 and so all we could do was take a knee and drink water, 01:43.783 --> 01:44.616 hydrate. 01:44.969 --> 01:49.136 Sometimes you have to just take a pause and be thankful for 01:50.909 --> 01:52.976 the mission you've been given, 01:52.976 --> 01:56.045 and realize that you're not gonna be able to do everything, 01:56.045 --> 01:58.628 so you've gotta set priorities. 01:58.783 --> 01:59.993 That was one of the greatest lessons 01:59.993 --> 02:01.754 I learned in garrison ministry 02:01.754 --> 02:05.013 was setting priorities to accomplish the mission. 02:05.013 --> 02:08.816 So, as already stated, it's a difficult mission, 02:08.816 --> 02:10.983 it's an important mission, 02:11.216 --> 02:13.497 and it is the bedrock of how we take care of 02:13.497 --> 02:14.548 soldiers and families. 02:14.548 --> 02:17.157 There's some things I wanna just highlight for you today 02:17.157 --> 02:19.357 that will enable you to get that mission done. 02:19.357 --> 02:21.278 You need to recognize that what you are 02:21.278 --> 02:24.779 as a garrison chaplain, is you're an integrator. 02:24.779 --> 02:26.612 You're a synchronizer. 02:27.026 --> 02:29.642 You're the person that integrates and synchronizes 02:29.642 --> 02:32.898 the religious support activities of your installation. 02:32.898 --> 02:33.753 As you're well aware, 02:33.753 --> 02:36.748 the Senior Mission Command Pilot Program 02:36.748 --> 02:40.915 is to strengthen that integration and synchronization 02:42.080 --> 02:44.010 through proper alignment. 02:44.010 --> 02:47.086 So we recognize that alignment is critical to an outcome, 02:47.086 --> 02:50.261 we need to operate like the rest of the Army operates 02:50.261 --> 02:52.343 and understand mission command, 02:52.343 --> 02:54.988 and how we function within mission command, 02:54.988 --> 02:58.107 and that we each have our roles and responsibilities. 02:58.107 --> 03:01.544 It is your responsibility as a garrison chaplain 03:01.544 --> 03:04.207 to develop the capacity and capability 03:04.207 --> 03:06.124 within your footprints. 03:06.912 --> 03:10.139 It is your responsibility to build a team, 03:10.139 --> 03:12.029 it is your responsibility to provide 03:12.029 --> 03:14.112 inspirational leadership, 03:14.144 --> 03:15.916 and it's your responsibility to help 03:15.916 --> 03:17.661 hone and sharpen the Chaplain 03:17.661 --> 03:20.785 and Chaplain Assistant identity of the team. 03:20.785 --> 03:23.673 And lastly, as if it weren't enough, 03:23.673 --> 03:25.741 if I just piled enough work on you 03:25.741 --> 03:28.137 that seems like an insurmountable task, 03:28.137 --> 03:31.128 remember, don't forget to prioritize. 03:31.128 --> 03:32.711 Weight your effort. 03:33.361 --> 03:36.778 What must you do, what do you need to do, 03:37.376 --> 03:39.209 and what's nice to do, 03:39.492 --> 03:41.928 and then prioritize your mission accordingly 03:41.928 --> 03:44.345 and use the assets available. 03:45.227 --> 03:47.077 We are looking to you to help us 03:47.077 --> 03:51.244 as we find ourself as an Army in a season of transformation. 03:51.645 --> 03:53.645 The Army is rebalancing, 03:55.760 --> 03:58.798 and it is seeking to gain what we call lost culture 03:58.798 --> 04:00.798 back into its formation. 04:00.951 --> 04:02.444 There are things prior to 9/11 04:02.444 --> 04:05.286 that we used to do very well, and we did them habitually, 04:05.286 --> 04:08.184 and we had great partnerships off the installation. 04:08.184 --> 04:11.836 We had a real sense of team and ownership of that team 04:11.836 --> 04:12.979 in the installation. 04:12.979 --> 04:15.436 The war came, and we began to outsource 04:15.436 --> 04:16.723 some of those things to others, 04:16.723 --> 04:18.588 we lost some of those relationships 04:18.588 --> 04:20.316 and partnerships that we had, 04:20.316 --> 04:23.323 both inside the gate and outside the gate. 04:23.323 --> 04:25.203 This is a season and an opportunity 04:25.203 --> 04:27.326 for us to regain those things back. 04:27.326 --> 04:29.749 We need your leadership, we need your maturity, 04:29.749 --> 04:31.316 we need your expertise 04:31.316 --> 04:33.441 to help deliver quality religious support 04:33.441 --> 04:35.382 to our soldiers and families. 04:35.382 --> 04:38.617 May God bless you as you continue to serve our great nation 04:38.617 --> 04:40.009 and our great Army, 04:40.009 --> 04:42.472 and the soldiers and families that make up its rank. 04:42.472 --> 04:45.722 Pro Deo et Patria, for God and country.