Military chaplains reflect on sacred duty to walk with service members
Memorial Day honors the cost of military service in the lives lost and those changed. United Methodist-endorsed military chaplains across the armed forces walk beside the living, those who carry visible and invisible wounds of war.
“As chaplains, we walk with personnel through those battlefields, both physical and emotional,” said Chaplain Jennifer Bowden with the Coast Guard. “We are a constant presence when everything else is uncertain.”
Memorial Day honors the cost of military service in the lives lost and those changed. United Methodist-endorsed military chaplains across the armed forces walk beside the living, those who carry visible and invisible wounds of war.
Military chaplains provide spiritual and emotional care to service members and their families, performing sacraments, leading worship and offering counseling. They help service members carry the emotional weight of remembrance.
“There is an expectation when someone is going through a difficult time that you are there,” Bowden said. “Those midnight calls remind me that we are the presence of God in tough times for a lot of people.”
Currently, 154 United Methodist-endorsed chaplains serve in the military with 60 in the Army, 49 in the Air Force, and 45 in the Navy, including the Marines and Coast Guard.
“We walk into the dark valleys of grief, tragedy and trauma,” Chaplain Karen Meeker said. “A tragedy like the one that happened at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport impacted many people across the Department of Defense. I reach out not just to the directly affected but also to the chaplains who ministered during memorials and gravesides. It’s an honor to wear the sacred cloth of the U.S. Army and wear the cross of my Savior.”
Air Force Chaplain Kim Hall said chaplains are “the visible presence of the holy” in moments of sorrow and reflection. “To be able to do God’s bidding and be utilized by God is a blessing and a privilege,” Hall said. “I’m reminded how precious and rewarding it is when someone says, ‘You don’t know what your words meant to me.’”
Chaplains are vital to preserving both mission readiness and moral clarity. “My role is to keep the system just — to ensure we are the best in war and as human beings,” Air Force Chaplain Luigi Perez Perez said. “Chaplains protect our humanity. I remind myself of God’s call to love all, walk humbly, have mercy and act justly.”
Bowden agreed. “Chaplains are calm in the midst of a storm. We are peace in the midst of chaos,” she said. “We help people remember that there is something much greater than ourselves—and that no one walks through grief alone.”
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The Rev. Major Kimberly Hall has served as a chaplain for 13 years — six and half years in the Army and six years in the Air Force after transferring in 2019.
The Rev. Col. Karen Meeker’s passion for ministry began early, with a call that led to her becoming the second woman chaplain in the 82nd Airborne Division.
The first woman and first United Methodist chaplain assigned to the Coast Guard, Navy Capt. Chaplain Jennifer Bowden offers assurance and God’s grace to those facing some of their most difficult moments.
