Politics & Government

Chaplain Assistant: Soldier, Servant, Man of God

"While the chaplain may be a non-combatant, I'm not. So, yes, that means I'm out there wearing body armor and combat gear, and carrying a rifle that I have to be qualified to use just like any other Soldier," Staff Sgt. Matthew Couch says.

by Sgt. 1st Class Roy Henry,

When Staff Sgt. Matthew Couch joined the Georgia Army Guard eight years ago, the only job he wanted to do was that of a 56Mike (56M)-Chaplain Assistant.
He later earned the infantry Military Occupational Skill (MOS) of 11Bravo as a secondary MOS, through which to hone his skills as a Soldier, but for that reason only.

“God and the desire to help others have been great motivators for me for as long as I can remember,” said Couch, who is a full-time chaplain assistant and the noncommissioned officer-in-charge of readiness for Marietta’s 139th Chaplain Detachment. “Both drive me to be more than I am as a person, and for me there is no better way to serve one and accomplish the other, than as a Citizen-Soldier.”

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Schooling to become chaplain assistant is approximately six weeks long, and is conducted at the Army Chaplain Center and School, co-located on the Armed Forces Chaplaincy Center campus with the Navy Chaplaincy School and center, and the Air Force Chaplain Corps College, at Fort Jackson, S.C. There, the prospective chaplain assistant learns the basics of how to support chaplains and unit ministry teams in the non-tactical and tactical environments.

“It’s quite a bit to learn, and it’s a lot of balancing Soldier care with equal amounts of Soldier skills,” Couch said.

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“As chaplain assistants move through their careers, they need to build good relationships with their peers and seniors to effectively care for their fellow Soldiers,” he said. “This means they have to be able to prove their worth and relevance to the unit as a whole."

According to Couch, chaplain assistants report directly to the chaplain for whom they work and if assigned to a unit, they are accountable to the organization’s command sergeant major. Like a chaplain, they are a part of the commander’s personal staff, and serve as the enlisted eyes and ears regarding the welfare and morale of the unit. They also directly assist and protect the chaplain when it comes to battlefield movement and coordination, counseling, and religious support.

“While the chaplain may be a non-combatant, I’m not. So, yes, that means I’m out there wearing body armor and combat gear, and carrying a rifle that I have to be qualified to use just like any other Soldier,” Couch said. “A good 56Mike is marked by how proficient he—or she—is in their Warrior Training Tasks and basic Soldier skills. I’m also a noncommissioned officer, not over and above being a chaplain assistant.”

Couch explains that in that respect, he tries try to live by the same rules he gives to new chaplain candidates: “Be a soldier. Be your rank. Then worry about acting like a chaplain (assistant).”

“Whether someone is thinking about joining the Guard, or is already in and considering a change in job skills, becoming a 56Mike is certainly going to be a personal choice,” Couch said.

“Among the Army Values by which we live every day as Soldiers, is selfless service. If selflessness and servant-hood are terms that you value, then this MOS is, I believe, for you,” he said. “Never forsake that because, in a sense, you aren’t stepping up into leadership, rather you are stepping down into a role of influence and, indeed, putting others’ needs and interests before your own.”


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