Photo By Crista Mary Mack | JOINT BASE LANGLEY-EUSTIS, Va. - U.S. Army chaplains, religious affairs specialists...... read more read more
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JOINT BASE LANGLEY-EUSTIS, Va. – Transporting the remains of warriors home who have made the ultimate sacrifice in the service of their nation is a sacred duty, particularly for the U.S. Army Chaplains Corps. During a large-scale combat operation with mass casualties, such as what occurred during the Korean War or World War II, the mission of getting everyone home can be complicated.
Recently, U.S. Army Maj. (Ch.) Benjamin Jung, 7th Transportation Brigade - Expeditionary command chaplain , in conjunction with the 111th Quartermaster Company (Mortuary Affairs) , organized mass casualty Watercraft Ramp Ceremony training at Fort Eustis’ Third Port.
The training was attended by command chaplains and chaplain assistants from across the region.
“If you’ve been to a warfighter exercise, you’ve seen the difference between losses of a few lives, as we are accustomed to in the last twenty years of conflict, to losing hundreds or even thousands of lives,” said 18th Airborne Corps Chaplain, Col. Thomas Helms. "It’s a different realm to train for, one we hope never happens. We hope for the best but plan for the worst, and if the worst was to happen, this is probably one of the only ways we could get Soldiers back home.”
A watercraft ramp ceremony is conducted in a conventional wartime operation where a high-mortality rate has exhausted primary and alternate air assets and involves transporting by sea.
“The intent is to bring our Soldiers home,” said Jung. “The likelihood of a ramp ceremony like this is when there are mass casualties, like in the Korean War or Vietnam War, where we don’t have the assets and capabilities, nor do we want to bury our heroes overseas, but instead we will bring them home.”
The team coordinated with and learned about causeways, ramps, and toured an Army Logistics Support Vessel (LSV ), a large watercraft that could be tasked with the transport. They spoke with Army mariners and logisticians regarding the scenario and what capabilities could be utilized in this specific problem set, and then received a briefing and question and answer session regarding capabilities from Sgt. 1st Class Jarrett Ransom, 111th Quartermaster Co. (Mortuary Affairs), 11th Transportation Battalion, 7th Transportation Battalion (Expeditionary), Fort Lee, Virginia.
Ransom has previous experience identifying, processing and returning Soldiers to their families from Iraq, Afghanistan, during the COVID pandemic response operations , and more. He explained that the Army may send only five mortuary affairs specialists to an entire division.
“That number of Soldiers would not be able to process remains during a large-scale operation, so with that in mind, the LSV is a very good option,” he said.
According to Ransom, a total of 760 could be transported with one watercraft.
“The complication however, is how to stay refrigerated?” he said. “The equipment we have, called the Integrated Collection System, which is 16 shells per system, has a 15,000-watt generator. There are so many considerations and issues, including the support of that power, how to travel from point A to point B, ice, refrigeration, and time. Loved ones need their Soldier home as soon as possible.”
Currently, chaplains do not engage in this activity, but Capt. (Ch.) Caleb Miller, 7th TBX Chaplain, pointed out, historically responsibilities change during wartime. During World War I, the Office of Identification assigned this duty to the Chaplain Corps, which they continued to do in several other conflicts.
Although U.S. Army chaplains may not currently engage in these duties, the very Soldier referred to as the “Father of Mortuary Affairs” was a chaplain, Col. Charles Pierce.
“The story of Chaplain Pierce exemplifies what we have been discussing, and chaplains in the next conflict may be asked to do more,” Miller said. “Future conflicts and needs are unpredictable, and we might be stretched in new ways, especially if there were mass casualties.”
The three core competencies of chaplains are to honor the fallen, care for the wounded and nurture the living. “In times of grief, we are here focusing on honoring the fallen, the chaplain provides this support for the hero,” Jung said. “When we get the call we respond and provide the religious support, we are there to escort and provide religious support when needed. We are experienced in gravesite memorials and religious services, so what we do in the provision of religious support is provide prayer, words of meditation and provide grief counseling after the event.”
Jung discussed potential chaplain responsibilities related to the training, including accompanying notification officers, a role in the notification process, providing religious support for gravesite or funerals, contacting families and other memorial-related needs.
Ultimately, according to 733d Mission Support Group Chaplain Lt. Col. Brian Tung, the assurance of knowing if a son or daughter dies in combat that they will be taken care of on the journey home is a powerful takeaway.
“What we are rehearsing now is something that we will have the muscle memory for in a time that if everything else could be going on in the midst of a huge confrontation, one must unfortunately be prepared for it if it does come,” said Tung. “It’s heartfelt in moments like this, a great assurance to the fathers and mothers of America’s sons and daughters who go to war, to know that even if your son or daughter gives the ultimate sacrifice for our nation, that by any means necessary the leadership and chaplains and everyone together are committed to bring that loved one home with respect and reverence to the United States of America.”
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| Date Taken: | 03.09.2023 |
| Date Posted: | 03.09.2023 15:42 |
| Story ID: | 440059 |
| Location: | FORT EUSTIS, VIRGINIA, US |
| Web Views: | 165 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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