As one who also has little time for organized religion (another ex-Irish Catholic refugee from the Rock), I had little to do with chaplains during my time in the service with a few exceptions such as compulsory church parades or being on a course with a couple who turned out be very "social" in the mess. As was said above there are good ones and some not so good (in terms of quality of service and not their individual spirituality), but it is good to hear of the fine work done by them.
This thread has brought back memories of Rwanda in 1994 and the chaplain who deployed with us on OP PASSAGE. Of all the people on that mission he is the one who stood out the most (for me anyway). No, he didn't save my soul or bring me back into the arms of the Lord (he wasn't a miracle worker). He probably didn't have much of a congregation for his weekly services, a photo I have of that time shows him saying mass for 5 or 6 fellow soldiers which would have been a typical crowd for him. But, I do know that his talks with other soldiers were helpful for them in terms of their emotional or spiritual well being. However, what I remember the most about him is the burying of the dead. Little or no plans had been made for the disposition of the remains of those who passed while in our care; the assumption having been made that they would be turned over to their relatives or the local authorities. However, few had relatives able to assume this task and the "local authorities" didn't care. The first few burials (with the exception of the mass grave) were done by a few available personnel who did not have clinical duties. It was a very sobering task that took a lot out of people. The padre, though, took on this burden as things progressed and oversaw the internment of the deceased, the organization of the gravediggers (locals later hired for the job) and the care of the small cemetery that began adjacent to our medical facility. For that he will always have my thanks and admiration.
