The Life of a Chaplain on a Missile Unit LOI 1963-2

• LOI 1963-2: "The Life of a Chaplain on a Missile Unit":

"Mr. Kyle was commended to work with the Lord as a military chaplain in August, 1957, by the Polk Street Assembly in Cedar Hill (Dallas), Texas, He began his present term of work in Germany, in January 1962. He was promoted to Captain in June."

"A missile unit of the type I serve is mobile; we must be capable of protecting it with ground weapons or, if need be move out to a new location. It takes only an hour or so after arrival at another location to get set up and become tactical. Our periodic field maneuvers may last seven days. Then one eats off the end gate of a truck or wherever he can find a spot for his tray. The men sleep in or under whatever cover they can find; pup tents are used in most cases. It is a hard mission, and in many ways like the Infantry. But each man has a task, and most are specialists at some phase of the operation.

There are about 60 men in our unit with slightly over 100 in each of the five batteries. These batteries are scattered over a 150-mile irregular line. Round-trip travel to our most distant battery takes six hours by jeep. I am fortunate to have a fine young soldier as my assistant. He enjoys his work, is a good driver, and makes a fine companion through many hours and over many miles. Keith took leave over Christmas in order to return to Milwaukee to marry a sweet American girl.

Most families are now back together again. Families are housed in large apartment type buildings three stories high. For all but one of our batteries, a kaserne is nearby; here are the facilities for all necessities: PX, commissary, chapel, dispensary, etc. We are hoping to establish a permanent facility at “Charlie” in the near future. In the meantime we gather for worship in the site dayroom.

I minister from time to time in all chapels serving our people. But each Sunday (at some time) I am at the remote sites with services. A congregation may be large, or very small. It may be filled with families, or a group of hard-working troops who gather as they are for a time around the Word. It may be in a beautiful chapel comfortably heated, or out on a hill between a tree and a truck. These are my congregations. Following is a brief sketch of a normal week’s activity:

Sunday: I travel to one of our five sites for worship services. The closest battery is two hours away via jeep (longer in foul weather) ; the most distant battery is three hours away. A helicopter is used periodically when 1 have more than one site to visit on one day. For an hour or two prior to the service I do visitation through the billets, mess hall, and all outposts. The afternoon is usually filled with individual counseling with the men where they are. In some cases there is an evening service, distinctly evangelistic.

• Monday: Headquarters staff meeting where recommendations are given the commander and where new insights arc often gleaned. I keep up on the top level workings of the battalion in these meetings. 0900: Off for one of the batteries. Many times, due to distance and weather, we stay overnight on the sites. It is normal to have a steady flow of counseling for the full time; a sixteen-hour day is not highly unusual. Many are “welfare" problems:
  • “How can I get my wife over here? It's rough for her with the ten kids.”
  • “We’d like to adopt a German baby,”
  • “Can I get married over the telephone? My girl is pregnant and is in the States.”
  • “Do you think I should marry this girl, Chaplain? She has two children but has never been married.”
  • "I can't stand this outfit any longer. The cussing and filthy living sure do get a fellow down."

But always there is the opportunity along the way to present the message of Christ.

• Tuesday: Another site visit and late return to headquarters.

• Wednesday: A day for rest and for preparation of messages.

• Thursday: Another site visit. I'll go through the billets, motor pool, mess, arms area, and supply. Then off to the site, usually no more than three miles from where the men are housed. The site is on a hilltop with missiles, ready for action, pointed toward the border. The sites are manned at all times.

• Friday: Hospital visitation. This is in Munich. Great are the openings for witness. In the afternoon I visit the few men we have in the stockade, in Dachau. The buildings were used during the war by the Nazi party. The concentration camp, now a memorial, is nearby. Friday evening if I am back, Ruth and I usually attend the Officers Christian Union meeting in Augsburg. This gives a time of spiritual refreshment for us.

• Saturday: Office. Plans for the next week. Schedules, reports, and answering all correspondence.

A number of our men have made professions of faith, and, along with many others, are going on in Bible study and Christian growth. I am currently delighted with the interest shown in Bible correspondence courses. We supply these to all interested troops and officers.

The relationship between Germans and Americans is an area of common interest among chaplains. A number of our men are actively concerned with orphanages in their respective towns. It was my privilege to be the speaker at the huge German-American Easter Sunrise Service last April. The message was presented in English and translated by an interpreter. Copies of the program and the message were given each person in his own language.

Ruth is active in the work too. She has a Sunday School class in the Augsburg Post Sunday School and actively takes part in a wives' Bible study each week. She is a member of the Post Officers’ Wives' Club and the PWOC. She is also taking a leadership role in our battalion officers' wives' monthly meeting. Recently we hosted the weekly Officer's Christian Union meeting in our quarters. There were 35 present. This is an excellent group of solid, growing believers.

It has been a joy to minister by the side of a number of other chaplains who know and love the Lord and who boldly preach the Word. Perhaps not many Christians realize just how many chaplains are faithful and fervent in the Gospel. They all need our prayer support. It is the evangelical chaplains who are drawing the crowds. One very beautiful chapel has been practically closed down because of the steady decline in attendance. On the other hand, a rather shabby chapel, by comparison, has become a place of capacity crowds. I am convinced that men and women want to hear God's Word, not our psychology or philosophy alone. And they will come when it is attractively and creatively presented."

Also See

• LOI 1960's
• Letters of Interest#Archives

Sources

• Letters of Interest 1963-2