Exhibit pays tribute to military chaplains

Published 6:45 am Tuesday, July 25, 2017

July 29 marks the 242nd anniversary of the creation of the Army Chaplain Corps by the Continental Congress.

Chaplains from the Washington, D.C., area will gather Saturday at Arlington National Cemetery to pay tribute to what some defense officials believe is the most important position in the armed forces.

Limestone Countians who want to honor chaplains can do so locally at the Alabama Veterans Museum and Archives in Athens through Friday. The “Faith and Courage” exhibit has been on display since the beginning of the month and is focused on chaplains who served during World War I and World War II.

Museum director Sandy Thompson said the idea came about from a volunteer who had an acquaintance that had access to chaplain-related items. Among the items are a field organ and box of Bibles.

“It’s a lot of things you don’t normally see, and most are from World War II,” Thompson said.

She said the exhibit has been positively received by members of the community but added the museum already had a smaller exhibit devoted to chaplains.

“The response has been really wonderful,” she said.

The museum is at 100 Pryor St., Athens. Hours are 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., Monday through Saturday.

About the chaplains

The Navy Chaplaincy was implemented in November 1775. Two years later, a chaplain was assigned to each brigade and received a colonel’s pay. As of 2010, 419 chaplains have died in a war. The breakdown is as follows:

• Revolutionary War: 25

• War of 1812: 1

• Mexican War: 1

• Civil War: 117 on Union side, 41 on the Confederacy side

• World War I: 23

• World War II: 182

• Korean War: 13

• Vietnam War: 15

• Iraq/Afghanistan: 1

For more on the military chaplains, visit https://www.mca-usa.org or https://www.goarmy.com/chaplain.html.