Not every veteran’s duty was training for combat. Navy Chaplain Brad Thom is one of those whose military service took on a different role.
Growing up the youngest of three brothers, Thom’s father served in the National Guard in Mankato. He encouraged his sons to enter the military, but with the Vietnam War going on it wasn’t a popular time to enlist.
Thom entered seminary as a young man and was considering the army, but ended up attending chaplain school in Rhode Island after speaking with a chaplain about his duty stations all over the world.
“It sounded like a fun adventure,” said Thom. “I never looked back at the army again.”
After serving as a reservist in the Navy for a few years, he received a call from Washington D.C. informing him they were looking for liturgical protestants and his name had come up as a candidate.
“It was a wonderful opportunity if you wanted to be in active duty, which I did,” said Thom.
He moved to 29 Palms Marine Corps Base in California with his wife Ruth and two young children, serving as a navy and marine corps chaplain for two years. In 1994 he went on active duty with the coast guard, serving three years on a ship based out of San Francisco Bay.
“My duties were to serve and oversee the spiritual needs of the crew and their families,” said Thom. “There were between 380 and 400 sailors on board and between them we had six different faith groups; protestant, Roman Catholic, gospel service, The Church of Latter-day Saints (mormon), Jewish and muslim.”
Along with worship services he also taught classes such as stress management and suicide prevention.
One incident that remains with him was having to notify a sailor that his child had died. At the time their ship was stationed in the Persian Gulf.
“It doesn’t matter where you are, life happens,” said Thom. “It’s one thing when you have to tell someone their grandmother passed away, but it’s another to tell a sailor their eight year-old daughter died. You need to pull all your resources together and spend time in grief with that person, help him deal with the pain that night and send him off in a helicopter in the morning to be with his family.”
When the ship was docked, Thom and a group of the crew members would perform what he calls ‘com-rels’ (community relations) whenever they could, such as painting a homeless shelter.
After his time in California, Thom moved his family to Virginia where he served as chaplain for the officer candidates school for the marine corps.
“That was fun, because I was ‘actively present,’” said Thom. “I got to do everything the candidates were doing, like hiking and going through courses, so I was among them on a daily basis. They knew I was one of them so it helped build trust and camaraderie.”
After returning to parish life in Glencoe, MN, he was mobilized to the ‘seabees’ (navy construction battalion) in California as they prepared to go to Iraq. After six months he shipped out with them, spending another six months in Iraq.
He was next asked to work in the Chief of Navy Chaplains office in Washington D.C., where he served as their representative, keeping them connected with combat veterans reintegrating back into ‘real life.’
“I learned a lot of things and met a lot of people carrying the burden of being a returning vet,” said Thom. “It’s a long adjustment coming back. My family knew the anguish and challenges I faced when I came back.”
After taking an assignment in the prison guard system (joint task force) at Guantanamo Bay in Cuba for nine months, he retired and moved to Palmer Twp., where he started his current position as a veterans service officer for the St. Cloud VA.
“I connect vets with programs and services,” said Thom. “It’s a lot of fun, I get to meet with people of all ages and stages.”
He said his service has been an honor and a privilege, and shared the four words that guide the ministry of all navy chaplains. Facilitate for others (serving and meeting needs), provide for our own (members of the Lutheran faith), care for all (whether or not it’s a person of faith), and advise the commanders and their families (resources).
“The job I do today isn’t so different than what I was doing before,” said Thom. “It’s about connecting people to resources and fostering hope.”