WEBVTT

00:00.540 --> 00:02.540
Hi , I'm Chaplain Brian Coin on the

00:02.540 --> 00:04.762
Division Chaplain for the 82nd Airborne

00:04.762 --> 00:06.818
Division . And I am standing in Camp

00:06.818 --> 00:08.984
Claiborne Louisiana in the remnants of

00:08.984 --> 00:12.960
a cantonment area chapel . Now the

00:12.960 --> 00:16.530
eve of World War Two , Only 17 posts in

00:16.530 --> 00:20.210
the army total had even a chapel for

00:20.210 --> 00:23.830
them . But in March of 1941 ,

00:23.840 --> 00:25.951
Congress appropriate over $12 million

00:25.951 --> 00:29.750
604 chapels within the next six

00:29.750 --> 00:32.720
months to support the mobilization of

00:32.720 --> 00:35.040
the United States Army for World War

00:35.040 --> 00:37.700
Two . Now , these chapels were built in

00:37.700 --> 00:40.880
camps , post stations all over the

00:40.880 --> 00:42.824
country , just like Camp Claiborne

00:42.824 --> 00:44.769
Louisiana . And right here at Camp

00:44.769 --> 00:46.824
Claiborne , which was the first home

00:46.824 --> 00:48.769
with the 82nd Airborne Division in

00:48.769 --> 00:50.824
World War II . There were 17 chapels

00:50.824 --> 00:53.370
here and chapels were authorized per

00:53.370 --> 00:56.810
regiment or about 4000 soldiers would

00:56.810 --> 00:59.390
get a chapel . And so there was chapels

00:59.390 --> 01:01.860
along with every regiment up and down

01:01.860 --> 01:04.082
the main streets here at Camp Claiborne

01:04.082 --> 01:07.080
Louisiana as a trained soldiers for the

01:07.080 --> 01:09.400
war . These chapels were simple , they

01:09.400 --> 01:11.622
were white , they looked just like many

01:11.622 --> 01:13.844
churches that were scattered around the

01:13.844 --> 01:16.011
country , and soldiers would have been

01:16.011 --> 01:18.470
familiar with . They seated about 300

01:18.470 --> 01:20.660
in this main sanctuary area and a

01:20.660 --> 01:24.060
balcony in the rear concede another 57 .

01:24.440 --> 01:26.870
They were outfitted with with organs

01:26.920 --> 01:30.050
and all of the accoutrements of worship .

01:30.060 --> 01:32.330
But there was a difference to these

01:32.330 --> 01:35.580
chapels is that they were built to

01:35.580 --> 01:38.300
provide for service members of all

01:38.300 --> 01:41.790
faiths . And it's interesting the

01:41.800 --> 01:44.730
pageant in general at Edmond Gregory

01:44.740 --> 01:46.851
who oversaw the construction of these

01:46.851 --> 01:49.380
chapels , said there is nothing in

01:49.380 --> 01:51.850
construction that could stamp it so

01:51.850 --> 01:54.850
distinctly american as this altar .

01:55.640 --> 01:57.810
Because only in a free country could

01:57.810 --> 02:00.540
you find a church built to be used for

02:00.540 --> 02:03.260
worship by Catholics , Protestants and

02:03.260 --> 02:06.850
jews alike . At the

02:06.850 --> 02:09.650
dedication of the first containment

02:09.650 --> 02:12.790
area chapel in Arlington , just across

02:12.790 --> 02:14.957
from the tomb of the unknown soldier ,

02:15.440 --> 02:17.607
the Chief of staff of the army General

02:17.607 --> 02:20.750
George Marshall said We are determined

02:20.750 --> 02:23.790
to have a clean army morally and

02:23.790 --> 02:26.230
physically . And these chapels are a

02:26.230 --> 02:28.750
contribution to that end

02:31.240 --> 02:33.240
the agenda . General Edmund Gregory

02:33.240 --> 02:36.330
again said no matter how well a man is

02:36.330 --> 02:39.640
fed or clothed or trained , he cannot

02:39.640 --> 02:42.940
be a real soldier unless he is within

02:42.940 --> 02:45.530
him . A sincere belief in the way of

02:45.530 --> 02:47.430
living of the nation which he

02:47.430 --> 02:50.160
represents . Nothing will contribute

02:50.160 --> 02:52.360
more to that belief than the

02:52.360 --> 02:55.790
opportunity for every man to worship as

02:55.790 --> 02:58.200
he chooses . And so our chapel in court

02:58.200 --> 03:00.160
today , we're not just made up of

03:00.160 --> 03:02.104
Protestants , Catholics and jewish

03:02.104 --> 03:03.882
chaplains , but we have Islamic

03:03.882 --> 03:06.049
chaplains and buddhist chaplains , but

03:06.049 --> 03:08.750
our call remains the same . We are here

03:08.750 --> 03:11.830
to provide for every soldier regardless

03:11.950 --> 03:14.172
of their faith tradition , so that they

03:14.172 --> 03:16.228
can worship in the dictates of their

03:16.228 --> 03:18.117
conscience and whether it is in a

03:18.117 --> 03:20.450
nearly 80 year old cantonment chapel or

03:20.450 --> 03:22.640
brand new chapel , live streaming

03:22.640 --> 03:26.570
service . We are still here to

03:26.570 --> 03:29.300
care and ensure the rights of each of

03:29.300 --> 03:32.050
our soldiers . And we advise our

03:32.050 --> 03:34.660
command the same way that those

03:34.660 --> 03:38.040
Chaplin's World War two dead . Now , we

03:38.040 --> 03:40.350
serve as the conscience of the command

03:41.440 --> 03:44.580
and we spiritually prepare

03:44.590 --> 03:48.140
soldiers for the day of battle and we

03:48.140 --> 03:51.730
care for their souls throughout war and

03:51.730 --> 03:55.560
into peace . That is still our legacy

03:56.240 --> 03:59.340
and that is still our sacred call for

03:59.340 --> 04:00.260
God and country .