United States Navy Chaplain Corps - Yearbook

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dependent largely upon the interest and initiative of the individual chaplain and the opportunities afforded him by the nature and organization ofthe command to which he was attached. Since the con- clusion of World War II, Character Guidance has become a matter of service -wide interest and con- cern. As such it was discussed by the Armed Forces Chaplains Board as well as by conferences of Navy Chaplains. From these discussions auni- fied Character Guidance Program at the Recruit Level was developed by the Chaplains Division. The basic lectures for the Recruit Level to- gether with the equipment consisting of a Black Magic Board and symbols were disserninated to Training Centers, Recruit Depots and larger in- stallations in May of 1951. Because ofthe enthu- siasm with which these lectures were received and the general interest evidenced by the line officers as well as the chaplains, further develop- ments on an'official basis were undertaken. Chap- lains in key positions and those taking post- graduate work were ordered to a conference in Washington in December 1951. As a result of this conference, selected chaplains were directed to devote their efforts toward the development of Phase ll of the Character Guidance Program de- signed primarily for Service Schools. Six chaplains were ordered to duty at the Naval Training Center, Bainbridge, Maryland, for the purpose of developing this second series ofChar- acter Guidance lectures. This series, having been approved by the Training Division of the Bureau of Naval Personnel, is now in its final stage of development and it is anticipated that the lectures and the necessary materials will be available for Navy-wide distribution sometime during the sum- mer of 1953. In additionto these official activities in the field, individual chaplains throughout the service have shown great initiative in developing their own series of lectures along similar lines. CHAPLAINS' CONFERENCES AND SUPERVISORY CHAPLAINS The place of the Supervisory Chaplain has been greatly strengthened since the close ofWorld War ll. The first conference ofDistrict Chaplains was held in Washington, D. C. in April, 1946. From December 1949 through March 1950, Chief of Chaplains, Stanton W. Salisbury, Assistant Di- rector Daniel F. Meehan, and Chaplain Edward J. Hemphill, in charge of special projects and mate- riel, made extended trips through the country, meeting with groups of Navy Chaplains, both Regu- lars and Reserves. They explained the new devel- opments which had taken place in the Navy of special interest to Chaplains and the organization and plan of operation followed in the Chaplains Division. They visited chaplains at Norfolk, Annapolis, New York, Cherry Point, N. C., San Diego, Long Beach,and San Francisco. Altogether a total of 478 Regular and Reserve Chaplains, both active and inactive, were contacted. Such confer- ences did much to create and maintainacontinuing interest on the part of the Reserves in the chap- lains work. In order to give Supervisory Chaplains a deeper insight into the work of the Chaplains Division, Fleet and District Chaplains were called to Wash- ington for a conference 10- 13 January 1950. A similar conference was held in Washington from 30 January to Z February 1951, when more time was given to panel discussions of pertinent sub- jects. The 1951 Conferenceincluded all chaplains on active duty with the rank of Captain and most of the Force Chaplains. The 1950 Conference was centered on a discussion of the framework in which the chaplain's programis conducted. The 1951 Conference, with the Korean War inthe back- ground, stressed how the chaplain was to do his job with the greatest effectiveness. The recommendations of the 1951 Conference were sent to the Commandants of all Districts and to the Commanding Officers of all chaplains in attendance. Among the interesting replies re- ceived was one from Vice Admiral Felix B. Stump who, writing on 7 March 1951, commented on the importance of a chaplain being interested in the over-all life of the ship or station. Admiral Stump closed his letter with these words: IfI want to make a ship into an outstandingly efficient combat organization, the three most important people I could choose are a good captain, a good executive officer and a good chaplain. Following the 1950 Conference with Fleet and District Chaplains, Chaplain Salisbury made a trip to the Far East, leaving Washington on 15 March 1950. He visited Pearl Harbor, Guam, Iwo Jima, Tokyo and environs, Manila and envi- rons, Okinawa, and returned to the West Coast on 17 April.' These personal contacts with the chap- lains in the field were most helpful in acquainting them with the functions and policies of the Chap- lains Divisions as well as giving the Chief of Chaplains a direct insight into the problems of the field. The major result of the 1952 Conference for Supervisory Chaplains was the production of a Standard Operating Procedure for Supervisory Chaplains. This was published and distributed to Supervisory Chaplains. It represented the com- bined thinking and efforts of the Conferees who put into a finished form the procedures to be fol- lowed in the several areas of religious and pro- fessional supervision. The major work of the 1953 Supervisory Chap- lains Conference was accomplished by six panels. These panels made a thorough study of various phases of the chaplains work. Three ofthe panels dealt with the Character Guidance Program ofthe Navy as to its content and presentation, its in- fluence upon officers and men of the Navy, and its relationship to similar programs in high schools and colleges. The other three panels dealt with the chaplain in his devotional life, his performance

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spiritual, and religious values consistent with the religious beliefs of the individuals concerned. To this end, itis the duty of com- manding officers in every echelon to develop to the highest possible degree the conditions and influences calculated to promote the health, morals, and spiritual values of the personnel under their command. This traditional responsibility of command is of especial importance at this time when the Congress is preparing to broaden the base of inductions into the armed services. The people of this country have made it plain to both Houses of Congress, that they are determined that adequate effort be made both in military installations and in adjacent com- munities to safeguard the moral welfare of members of the Armed Forces. The Depart- ment of Defense, sharing this determination, directs that increased efforts of commanding officers be directed to insure the accomplish- ment of this objective. General Marsha1l's Memorandum to the Chief of Naval Operations was forwarded through official channels to Chaplain Salisbury, Chief of Navy Chaplains, for proper implementation. This took form as a joint letter signed bythe Chief of Naval Personnel and the Commandant of the Marine Corps to all commanding officers under their jurisdiction. This letter dated Z4 October 1951 appeared in the Navy Department Bulletin of 31 October. The main point of the new directive is to be found in paragraph 3, which reads as follows: The protection and development of moral standards is a direct responsibility of every general and flag officer, commanding officer, and subordinate officer. Noncomznissioned officers and petty officers must be required to share in and assume this responsibility of leadership. It is obvious that vulgarity and the cheapening of moral standards must in- evitably result in the lowering of morale and in the undermining of legitimate authority. Every means must be exercised to strengthen the moral, spiritual, and religious lives of the officers and men of the Naval Establish- ment in order that the service may not fall into disrepute and to assure the country of a responsible and disciplined naval component. To implement this policy, the directive stated 'that Commanding Officers in every echelonwill: a. Insure that all personnel are reachedby group instruction and by personal interview on all matters that promote the realization and development of moral, spiritual, and religious values consistent with the religious beliefs of the individuals concerned. b. Take a personal interest in the off-duty activities of personnel and insure the availa- bility of a well-rounded program of religious, educational, and recreational activities. c. Insure that the type of entertainment presented, the contents of publications sold or circulated, including ship, station, and post newspapers, and the activities of offi- cers' and enlisted men's clubs conform to established moral standards. d. Cooperate with agencies, civilian and military, which may contribute to the moral and social well-being of personnel. Subsection a of the above provided an addi- tional basis for the character guidance program which the chaplains were already carrying on. Subsection c ' dealt directly with a problem which has long been a concern of the Chaplain Corps. This directive will continue to be of tre- mendous help to chaplains since they know that the official stand of the highest authorityis solidly behind their efforts to promote and protect the moral standards of naval personnel. Sections five and six of the same directive ern- phasize the responsibility of the commanding officer and places special emphasis upon the work of the chaplain. These sections read as follows: It is emphasized that the protection of moral standards is and must remain the responsi- bility of the commanding officer. Certain sub- ordinate officers, by virtue of their specific functions and professional training, are par- ticularly well qualified as advisors to the command and can be expected to contribute materially to the establishing and conduction of an adequate program. Among these officers are the chaplain, the specialservices or wel- fare and recreation officer, the medical offi- cer, the training or information and education officer, the personnel officer, the legal offi- cer, the public information officer, and the provost marshal. as a specialist in the field of religious guidance and as an advisor to the command- ing officer on moral matters, the chaplain is one of the key officers in promoting the moral, spiritual, and religious welfare of personnel. District, fleet, and force chaplains are available to assist commands to which chaplains are not assigned and to advise, counsel, and offer suggestions to unit chap- lains concerning their work. This directive spells out the position of the chaplain and the importance of his work more precisely than has ever been done before. Older and more general regulations about maintaining moral standards are herein sharpened and given implementation. CHARAC TER GUIDANCE PROGRAM Character Guidance has been promoted by chaplains in the United States Navy as long as there have been Navy Chaplains. Through the years, however, it has been an individual project

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as a clergyman, and his work in religious educa- tion. One of the most significant developments within the Navy Chaplain Corps in 1952 was the advancement of the Character Guidance Program beyond the Recruit Level. The entire second day of the conference was taken up with apresentation of this material to the Supervisory Chaplains, the Training Division of the Bureau of Personnel, and representatives of the Marine Corps and Coast Guard. At the meeting of the Fleet, Force, and Dis- trict Chaplains, 'held in Washington in the latter part of January 1953, the following report was made regarding the seminars held under the di- rection of the District Chaplains. Naval District Chaplains have completed a series of nine seminars in their respec- tive districts on the subject of what the Navy is doing to aid the moral, religious, and edu- cational progress of its young men and women. ARMED FORCES By a directive dated 18 July 1949 the Secretary of Defense established an Armed Forces Chap- lains Board, within the Office of the Secretary of Defense, consisting of the three Chief of Chaplains and an additional chaplain member from each of the three services. Chaplain Joseph P. Mannion, as Assistant Director ofthe Division,is at present the second official member of the Board fromthe Navy. In addition, Chaplain Joshua Goldberg, Dis- trict Chaplain of the 3rd Naval District, serves as special consultant on Jewish matters. The Chairmanship of the Board rotates among the three Chiefs. Commander Francis L. McGann, ChC, USNR, was ordered to Washington, D. C., in December 1952, to be the first Executive Director of the Armed Forces Chaplains Board. He prepares agenda for meeting of the Board and coordinates the work of all its committees. All incoming and outgoing correspondence for the Board passes through his office. He will serve for a two-year term. The Board has the responsibility of making recommendations to the Secretary of Defense on These seminars were conducted at naval in- stallations as a result of a plan inaugurated by the Chief of Navy Chaplains in March 1952, and were designed to acquaint religious leaders and educators with the Navy's pro- gram of welfare, moral guidance, and char- acter improvement. Seminars have been held in Boston. Mass., New York City, Norfolk, Va., Asheville, N.C., Pensacola and Jacksonville, Fla., Chicago, Ill., San Diego, Calif., and Washington, D. C, Over 7000 in- vitations were sent out by the commandants of the districts concerned, and 1253 religious leaders and educators attended these con- ferences. Indoctrination talks by District Chaplains to Naval Reserve Officer Training Corps units were authorized in April 1952. District, Fleet, and Force Chaplains now .receive the monthly reports from the chaplains under their supervision from which a condensed report is forwarded quarterly to the Chief of Chaplains. CHAPLAINS BOARD all matters relating to a unified policy on pro- curement, qualifications and training ,of chaplains, and on standards of equipment and supply. One of the projects of the Board was the promotion of the Armed Forces Chaplains Character Guidance Program. The first series of sixlectures together with visual aids were ready for use in November 1950. In April 1951, Chaplain Roy Marken, District Chaplain of the 12th Naval District, conducted an Orientation Conference for distinguished religious and educational leaders. These leaders were taken to Treasure Island where Chaplains and other Naval Officers explained what the Navy was doing to conserve and develop spiritual and moral values amongst naval personnel. This project was so successful that the Armed Forces Board adopted the plan on a national scale. Six such conferences were held under the sponsorship of the Board in 1952. The Armed Services Board sponsored the preparation of a standard religious education curriculum for Service Sunday Schools, working with educational representatives of Protestant Churches. ECCLESIAS TICAL RELATIONS With a keen appreciation of the value of public relations, the Chaplains Division has demanded more in the last two years from this Branch than ever before. During 1952 some 800 press releases and 2,000 pictures were sent out to the religious press and to endorsing agencies of the churches. The result has been that more publicity has been given through the religious press to the activities of the Navy Chaplains than ever before. This in turn has been of great value in the procurement program of the Division. Personnel of the Chap- lains Division appeared on or assisted in prepar- ing over 20 radio and television programs in 1952 and tape recorded many prayers by Navy Chap- lains to be used over NBC and ABC networks. The work done in the field of orientation for religious leaders and educators is indicated under the section on Supervisory Chaplains.