The Ministry of the Chaplain's Assistant

The US military has a trade that you won't find in the Canadian Forces, that of the Chaplain's Assistant, a non-commissioned member who assists a chaplain in his or her ministry. I came across this profile of one such soldier in today's US DOD news and found it worth posting here as an example of this trade. The CF Chaplaincy Branch is currently considering the creation of an equivalent trade.

Face of Defense: Chaplain Assistant Serves With Passion
By Army Sgt. Jessica Rohr
135th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment

CONTINGENCY OPERATING BASE SPEICHER, Iraq, June 25, 2010 – Army Sgt. Keith D. Wright, a native of Brunswick, Ga., is serving here on his fourth deployment in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom.


Army Sgt. Keith D. Wright, a chaplain assistant for the 3rd Infantry Division’s Special Troops Battalion, is serving on his fourth deployment in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom at Contingency Operating Base Speicher near Tikrit, Iraq. U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Jessica Rohr
(Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available.

A chaplain assistant with the 3rd Infantry Division’s Special Troops Battalion, Wright said he joined the Army to get some direction in life after high school.

“One job that came up was metal worker,” he said. “In high school, I did welding for a semester, so I was already familiar with it. I was like, ‘Hey I could do that.’ They built up my confidence and skills.”






Army Sgt. Keith D. Wright, a chaplain assistant for the 3rd Infantry Division’s Special Troops Battalion, is serving on his fourth deployment in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom at Contingency Operating Base Speicher near Tikrit, Iraq. U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Jessica Rohr


After he completed his active-duty enlistment, Wright served with the Georgia Army National Guard from 2003 to 2006. While in the Guard, he developed interest in a new specialty.

“During my transition from active duty to a civilian, I had a maturing experience mentally and coming into the faith. I am now a Christian,” Wright said. “When I got activated with the National Guard, I found out about chaplain assistants. … That’s when I decided my desire or passion wasn’t for welding.”

The idea appealed to him in light of the changes in his life, Wright said.

Read the whole story here.