"COVID started when we got here. We've been dealing with it every day for the past few months," said Army Chaplain (Lt. Col.) Douglas Brock, the chaplain for the New York Army National Guard's 42nd Infantry Division.
One of the largest impacts COVID-19 had on the task force's installation was the suspension of church services, Brock said.
"So we moved the chapel part of Sunday services to virtual," he said. "For example, my chapel has a Facebook page/group in which some of my chaplain team are posting Sunday messages, or daily messages and engaging with people."
The Facebook group Brock runs is called "AJ Contemporary Family." The Spartan chaplains believe the group makes it easier for soldiers to fulfill their spiritual needs, even if they cannot physically attend services.
"I don't know how well that's impacting our soldiers here on the camp, but we see that people are looking at it," Brock said. "They’re liking it. You have visibility on how many people have looked and how many people have liked and shared, and we’ve seen some action there, so it’s doing its mission."
Brock's social media group isn’t the only service in town. Others have followed suit.
"There are others; in fact, every chaplain program on post has a Facebook group." Brock said.
Army Chaplain (Capt.) Matthew Granahan, the chaplain for Task Force Hellhound, 3rd Ordnance Battalion, also has an online group. While keeping up to date with his own social media group, Granahan also works to provide support to soldiers who reside in quarantine or isolation.
"I will stand outside the wire, and soldiers will come up to me on the other side to gather together for a small service," Granahan said. "Sometimes, only one or two will show up, but I'll be there for whoever needs to hear the message."
Virtual services are not the only method for tending to the faithful. Some small-scale services take place outdoors to maintain some semblance of normalcy.
"'When is service?' is one of the questions that I've been asked my whole career. Being able to answer that question reinforces that sense of normalcy, at least for National Guard soldiers that are used to field services."Brock said.
The services appear to have a positive effect on the soldiers who attend, Brock said, but the real struggle concerns current events on the home front. "In talking to my soldiers and talking to my chaplains," he said. "I'm finding that the biggest impact on morale is what's going on at home."
While Spartan soldiers deal with COVID-19, their families at home deal with multiple issues, including quarantine, potential loss of jobs and the increasing civil unrest related to recent events that have taken place in the United States. Without being able to be there for their families, soldiers are turning to their faith to cope.
"According to one soldier, what's hurting morale is the general feeling of ‘My wife and children are going through so many crises at home, and I'm not there to be a part of that,'" Brock said.
With all that going on in the world, Brock still sees this as a chance for soldiers to grow, and he looks at the situation with optimism, which he tries to share in his message.
"We talk a lot now about finding joy in trials and hardships," Brock said. "It's about recognizing God is in control, he can be trusted, he is good, there is hope and justice. We're recognizing that trials and hardship build us; it builds character and makes us stronger."
Brock and his three chaplains from the 42nd are all Christians, but they have made sure to provide opportunities to soldiers of other faiths to practice their beliefs.
"Since COVID, services have largely been virtual. Usually, Ramadan would include celebrating in gathering, and even surrounding nations cut that off," Brock said. "Like the Christians, they are not able to gather in large numbers, but we made provisions for that and provisions for Passover."
Brock wanted to give a message of hope to all the soldiers of Task Force Spartan.
"Rejoice in trial," he said, "Rejoice in trial because we recognize that hardship in trial is how we grow. Think of a gem. Think of basic training. Whatever it is you think of, it's in the hardship that you grow. I encourage you to reconnect with your faith and look for hope outside of your circumstances. Connect with someone, and if you need chaplain help, please reach out to us. So Amen, and Rainbow, never forget."
(Army Sgt. Andrew Valenza is assigned to Task Force Spartan.)
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