Call to Service for U.S. Armed Forces Hindu Chaplains

This is a call to service for those interested in earning a commission as an officer in the U.S. Armed Forces as a Hindu Chaplain, and serve military families in a humanitarian role.

"The rising number of South Asians in the U.S. Armed Forces has brought about the critical need to recruit Hindu Chaplains to meet the needs of the thousands of Hindus serving with pride in our Nation's Armed Forces."
- Lt Col Ravi Chaudhary
U.S. Air Force

Background

Department of Defense (DoD) Chaplains fulfill a crucial role for military service members. Military chaplains directly support the free exercise of religion for all members of the armed services and their families. They provide spiritual care, counseling and ethical leadership to DoD members as they meet the challenges of military deployment and service. DoD chaplains come from a variety of religious backgrounds such as Catholic, Protestant, Orthodox, Jewish, Muslim, Buddhist, or any of hundreds of religious organizations. Chaplains and their staff form a religious support team for military members and their families. They serve as noncombatants, with a charter to improve quality of life for military members serving all over the world. In 2008, Air Force chaplains alone performed 147,000 counseling sessions, 50,000 worship events, and conducted more than 28,000 religious rites for Airmen and their families.

General Requirements

DoD has established Chinmaya Mission West as an endorsing agency for Hindu Chaplains entering the U.S. Military. Candidates must be U.S. citizens under the age of 42 and possess a Bachelors degree. They should have 2 years of Hindu faith leadership experience, and be prepared to meet global mission requirements for DoD. The prospective candidate should have a strong knowledge of Hindu principals, and also able to work in a pluralistic environment to support troops of all faith groups. Chaplains must also maintain military physical requirements and be ready to accept assignments at CONUS and overseas locations. Chaplains meeting entry requirements will be commissioned in the rank of Second Lieutenant, and then have an opportunities to advance in rank while serving their respective military service (Army,Navy, Air Force, or Marine Corps).

Contact Information and Resources

If you are interested in becoming a military Chaplain, visit the following web sites for frequently asked questions and recruitment of Hindu Chaplains. Contact the POCs listed below for detailed information.

Chinmaya Mission West Website:
http://www.chinmayamission.org/

Chinmaya Mission Reps:
Ramachandra K. Bhat (rambhat@aol.com)
Chaturbhuj N. Gidwani (cngidwani@yahoo.com)

Service Representatives:
Army: http://www.chaplain.goarmy.com
POC is Chaplain Manning (502) 626-4014
Sgt Cantu (502)-626-1082

Navy: http://www.chaplain.navy.mil
CAPT Henry Nixon
henry.nixon@navy.mil

Air Force: http://www.usafhc.af.mil
POC is Chaplain Giannone
1-800-803-2452.

DoD Policy on Military Chaplains: http://www.dtic.mil/whs/directives/corres/html/130428.htm