Photo By Capt. Constance Quinlan | Chaplain (Capt.) Shannon K. Philio, 703rd Brigade Support Battalion chaplain is...... read more read more
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By Capt. Constance Quinlan
4th Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division
FORWARD OPERATING BASE KALSU, Iraq – Some might assume that the Air Force's first active duty chaplain on permanent jump status would be serving at an Air Force base or even in an airborne unit. Instead, he tends to the spiritual needs of an Army logistics battalion.
Chaplain (Capt.) Shannon K. Philio transitioned to the Army through the Blue-to-Green program, or as he puts it, "I hit my 10-year mark, went into the locker room at half time and came back onto Team USA's field in a different colored uniform."
"The Air Force is going through a time of force shaping; approximately 30 percent man power cuts across the board, including the chaplaincy, to pay for the next generation of airplanes," Philio said. "I also wanted to get closer to our great freedom Warriors. The USAF chaplaincy tends to be very chapel focused, whereas the Army embeds chaplains into its battalions. Also, in (more than) 10 years of waving my hands to be deployed, I never (was). I wanted a new adventure in service pro Deo et Patria (for God and country)."
Not even a week after arriving to Fort Stewart, Ga., in April 2007, Philio was on his way to the National Training Center at Fort Irwin, Calif.
"Talk about out of the frying pan and into the fire," Philio said. "I couldn't think of a better way to get to know the great Maintainers of the 703rd Brigade Support Battalion."
While serving as associate pastor for the First Presbyterian Church of Biloxi, the Mississippi native was persuaded to join the military by his father, a retiree of 24 years of service.
A distinguished graduate of the U.S. Army Airborne School, Philio spent his first four years of military service at Pope Air Force Base at Fort Bragg, N.C. During this time, he was deployed for four months just west of Marseille, France, at Istres Air Base on the Riviera.
"What a hardship tour; having to consume so much wine and cheese," laughed Philio, also known as "Maintain Faith" per his call sign.
After serving in Korea, Georgia and Alaska, Philio attended the Clinical Pastoral Education School at Brooke Army Medical Center at Fort Sam Houston, Texas.
"What a great opportunity," he said. "The Department of Ministry and Pastoral Care 'Airborne' chief kidded me all the time, 'We've got to get you to cross over into the Army.' I was the only chaplain in my class with jump wings.
"I remember visiting for months (with) one Soldier who was shot through the neck. He wrote (that) he was afraid he would never speak again. We would play chess for hours. One day I entered his room, and he had a box placed inside his throat. In a very computer sounding voice, he said, 'Hello chaplain.' I almost cried. A few months later, the box was gone, and alarmed, I thought, 'Oh no, the box didn't work. The docs had to remove it.' The Soldier put his hand over the hole where the box used to be and spoke with his natural voice, 'Hey Chap., Want to play chess?' I did cry that time. A couple of months later he returned to BAMC after convalescence leave. He came down to the chapel to say hello. Standing tall and 'Army Strong,' he was talking normally, his hair had grown out. 'I'll never forget what you did for me,' he said. Working with our great wounded Soldiers for the year, I had begun thinking about making the jump."
After the BAMC tour, Philio was assigned to Royal Air Force Croughton, just 15 miles north of Oxford, England, where he hit his 10-year mark.
"Force shaping became the talk of the USAF," he said. "I had friends who were given their pink slips. The Army was about 100 chaplains shy in its quota, so after informing the recruiters that I had Airborne wings and had attended the one-year CPE trauma school at BAMC, the Army asked, 'How soon can you get over here?' The rest is history," Philio said. "Honestly, whether Blue or Green, not many differences exist between the two services for chaplains. We conduct worship services, provide the religious rites, conduct unit visitation, give invocations for all types of ceremonies and occasions, counsel and advise, teach Bible studies and brief subjects from combat stress to suicide. The only major difference is the Air Force deployments were around four to six months whereas my first Army deployment is 15. And we wore our hair a little longer in the Air Force."
Philio said what he enjoys most about the Army is its Soldiers.
"We have the best Army on planet Earth," he said. "Our Soldiers are great Americans, true patriots, professional and disciplined. To watch these warriors in action makes me feel like a little boy standing on the sidelines of the NFL all-star Pro Bowl game. This great Army team and our awesome families amaze me everyday. I have the best job in the world!"
Philio said he is glad he made the switch. Meanwhile, his commander says he has made a big impact on the battalion.
"Chaplain Philio has truly been a blessing," said Lt. Col. John Chadbourne, commander of the 703rd BSB. "We had gone a year without a chaplain when Shannon showed up at our doorstep on the way to the National Training Center. Our Soldiers are all over the battlefield everyday, and our chaplain is right there with them. He is without a doubt a combat multiplier."
Philio is currently deployed to Forward Operating Base Kalsu with the 703rd BSB, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division. There, he prays with Soldiers on every combat logistics patrol that leaves the wire while also presiding over the FOB's weekly Sunday liturgical service.
| Date Taken: | 06.17.2008 |
| Date Posted: | 06.17.2008 10:03 |
| Story ID: | 20555 |
| Location: | ISKANDARIYAH, IQ |
| Web Views: | 430 |
| Downloads: | 271 |
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