For more than 150 years, chaplains have been a vital component of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and its predecessors.
They provide high level pastoral care, addressing the religious, spiritual, moral, and ethical concerns of patients, their families, and caregivers regardless of faith. Many chaplains are Veterans themselves and receive specialized training to fulfill their roles.
Former VA Chief Chaplain Rabbi Morris Sandhaus captured the heart of the service, when he said it is to "Bring light where there is darkness, relief where there is pain, understanding where there is confusion, and love where there is hate."
When the National Home for Disabled Volunteer Soldiers (NHDVS) was established in 1867, chaplains were provided housing on NHDVS campuses and paid a salary of $1,500 per year plus forage for one horse. Many chaplains, including Reverend William B. Earnshaw and Reverend Michael Joseph Huston, were Veterans themselves.
Above: Revered Michael Joseph Huston, Northwestern Branch in Milwaukee, WI. (VA) Right: Residence at the Central Branch in Dayton, OH provided to Reverend Earnshaw. (NVAHC)
Blemishes on the pages of the bible suggest that it was frequently opened to the Book of Job. The sermons given by Reverend Earnshaw about Job, a righteous man tested beyond measure, must have provided relief and comfort to the ex-soldiers who had witnessed and endured the horrors of battle.
In addition to leading services, chaplains conducted weekly prayer meetings and Sabbath-school. Chapels were also used for lectures, concerts, meetings, baptisms, weddings, and funerals.
It was reported that large weekly attendance numbers resulted in “much good and largely contributed to the moral improvement of the men and the peace and good order of the establishment.”
Parishioners attend service at the chapel on the Northwestern Branch of the NHDVS. (VA)
As the network of NHDVS and later Veterans hospitals expanded, ministry was handled part-time by civilian clergy from local communities.
After World War II, VA formalized chaplaincy by establishing the Chaplain Service and appointing Reverend Crawford W. Brown, a former Army chaplain, as its first chief. This move marked the beginning of a more structured approach to spiritual care for Veterans.
Right: Reverend Crawford Brown and President Franklin Delano Roosevelt, 1943. (NARA)
Chaplains were stationed in all VA hospitals, representing a broad spectrum of faiths. Their primary mission was to provide spiritual support through various forms of ministry, including leading worship services, making bedside visits, conducting group meetings, and offering individual consultations for Veterans and their families.
Left: Reverend Victoria Hatch became the VA’s first female chaplain in 1978 after becoming one of the first female Episcopal priests in the nation. (VA)
In 1964, the VA further strengthened its chaplaincy efforts by establishing the VA Chaplain School at the Jefferson Barracks VA Hospital in St. Louis, Missouri (right). (Library of Congress)
Known today as the National VA Chaplain Service Center, the school was designed to provide chaplains with specialized training to better address the unique spiritual needs of Veterans, ensuring that those serving in the role were well-equipped to meet the demands of their ministry.
Today, many VA hospitals contain chapels or interfaith centers. Chapels serve as places of reflection and solace and are integral to the hospital environment, offering a space for worship and quiet contemplation. Chapels on NHDVS campuses were among the first federal religious buildings and often built by the Veterans living there.
Altar paraments and vestments come in many different forms and colors. Traditionally, purple is used during the season of Lent, while green is used any time of year. The symbols on the “frontlets“ are based in the Greek language: The left is read “Alpha and Omega,” while the right can be read ΙΗΣ, an abbreviation for the name of Jesus.
This object was used to bless wine used in Shabbat services for Jewish Veterans at the Dayton VA Medical Center. Traditional Shabbat observance includes ceremonial meals starting with the blessing of wine. The cup is engraved with the phrase "creator of the fruit of the vine," which is used in the prayer.
In 2020, the same year as the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, VA chaplains were officially made part of clinical care teams, placing their importance to Veterans health on par with doctors and nurses. Chaplains utilized technology and innovative methods to provide comfort, counsel, and connections to Veterans and their families.
At the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, this jar was labeled and decorated by Chaplain Services at the Atlanta VA Medical Center and filled with prayer requests by VA employees. It was placed in the break room of a medical floor to provide spiritual support for medical providers and their patients during the pandemic.
Today, technology and adaptability have grown with the chaplain service, offering virtual care sessions and online services. The basic need for spiritual care, though, has remained the same since the first chaplains, proving that they are indelible to the fabric of Veterans' whole health. Today close to 1,000 VA spiritual care providers serve our nation’s Veterans, their families, caregivers, and VA employees. For more, visit: https://www.patientcare.va.gov/chaplain/index.asp
Credits:
Department of Veterans Affairs Veterans Health Administration National VA History Center