"A Place Which Provides Peace, Quiet and Privacy": A Military Chapel in Afghanistan

In garrison and on bases, military chapels tend to be quiet, infrequently used places. I once heard them described as being like the formal sitting parlour in a house, a place reserved for formal occasions rather than for everyday use. On deployment, however, chapels can be the one place in a FOB or a base where troops can be alone with their thoughts, find counsel, or seek God's presence.

Today the British MOD profiles St. Martin of Tours, a chapel built by members of 2nd Battalion, the Mercian Regiment, for their RC padre, at a British FOB in Helmand Province.


Father David Smith stands in front of a mural of St Martin with its artist, Staff Sergeant Jones Lee of the United States Marine Corps
[Picture: Crown Copyright/MOD 2012]

Do you have a story about the role a chapel played in your tour or deployment? If so, please consider leaving it in the comments section below. MP+