Chaplain's Kit 3.0 // May 30, 2007

2. The Stole

As I noted in an earlier post, the stole I was issued was utterly useless. I used it one time and soldiers made fun of my "cammo neck thing blowing all over the place." It is made of nylon and only reached to your waist. The idea is to be "tactical" but if you are wearing BDU's you can't even see it - what's the point? Oh, and did I mention it was BDU? Yeah... that's SO Cold War...

So, I had our local sew shop make me a new one out of black cotton duck (that's the material Carharts are made out of) This thing is HEAVY! Its also machine washable, doubles as a tow strap and (if you will note the cross piece in the middle) has a Velcro bar that goes across the middle so that it will not blow away. I even have small fishing weights to drop in the bottom pockets to keep it in place. It would have to be quite the service to have the need for that kind of addition, but you never know where you'll need to have church...

3. The Extras...

I added to the kit:
A stand alone battery operated light I acquired from another kit, two candlesticks my Assistant found in an Iraqi marketplace (nothing says church like some candles - whether you light them or not...) A pad and pen (records etc), leatherman (a good pocketknife would work too but I have been in spots where the leatherman was just the ticket) and a lighter. Next to the lighter is a small case that is for holding the Ashes for Ash Wed. I also use a small vile for anointing oil. The other items you see are the cross, the chalice (it has a small dish that fits inside the cup so you don't have to use as much juice), a dish for the bread (in the back I have a larger one that contains more as a backup), the alter cloths (the big tan one (also cotton duck) you see under the small green ones I had made for me - again, so that the cross would stand out and people would know that church was happening!), the WWII edition of the military song and prayer book - I just like it, and my Bible. That Bible was given to me when I was ordained by my church. I had asked for a Bible that would fit in my cargo pocket and it does a fantastic job. That little Bible has been soaked in Iraqi channel water during an air assault attack, soaked with the tears of soldiers and my own...), and of course, the all important picture of my wife...

The one thing not shown is a small vile that contains juice. Mostly, I just use either a tiny can of grape juice or a box of it. When I want to use wine, I use the vile.

And there you have it. That's what I take to the field with me every time I go. Perhaps in the future I will get a kit that actually attaches to my MOLLE gear, but I find that this fits into my ruck quite nicely and does the trick.