WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Army active and reserve chaplains are playing a critical and strategic role in Iraq, said a U.S. Army chaplain serving with Multinational Security Transition Command-Iraq.
“Our troops are working tirelessly and selflessly to create a trusted and viable Iraqi security force,” U.S. Army Maj. William Steen, a chaplain assigned to MNSTC-I, said to bloggers during a DoDLive Bloggers Roundtable June 23. “However, the work, family separation and the long hours all take their toll on our troops.”
Steen discussed how the military is helping these soldiers, sailors, airmen, and Marines cope with the physical, mental, and emotional stress while deployed in Iraq.
Chaplains are playing a critical role in today’s military by providing forward-deployed troops more than religious support. They are providing relational enhancement training to strengthen marriages and families; pre- and post-deployment training; and suicide-prevention training to name a few.
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