The Chaplain Kit
~Online Chaplain Museum~
Providing Chaplain History, Information and Resources
There are a few great brick-and-mortar chaplain museums in the world. The U.S. Army Chaplain Corps Museum is a great place to start, showing the history of the United States Army Chaplain Corps from its inception to the current Global War on Terror. The National Civil War Chaplains Museum is another great one that focuses on chaplain ministry during the Civil War. If you find yourself in England, The Museum of Army Chaplaincy will help you learn about chaplaincy from the perspective of the British Royal Army. There are also many other general military museums which have small displays depicting chaplain ministry and memorabilia.
The Chaplain Kit is not a brick-and-mortar museum. We don’t have a building with a parking lot, permanent exhibits, shelves and shelves of reference books, or a gift store. What we offer is a wealth of information, biographies, histories, examples, news items, photos, videos, resources, and links; all available to you without having to leave your home or office.
While what is available online is growing rapidly, finding information about military chaplains throughout history is like sorting through bins in a Code-B sale to find your size. You have to go from site to site, searching specific key words, checking references and following links to maybe find what you’re looking for. There is a lot of information out there but it is scattered over hundreds (or thousands) of sites, often buried within partially related articles or massive databases.
The goal of The Chaplain Kit is to gather together in one site, the resources you may be looking for. Instead of having to search from site to site for a picture of worship services in previous wars, or a description of field Mass kits (with pictures), or a little background about a Medal of Honor-winning chaplain, you can just go from tab to tab at The Chaplain Kit, or use the powerful search function to find all posts with particular key words.
But, as much as we’d like to, we can’t find it or host it all, so The Chaplain Kit also has a substantial Links page to help you quickly find specific information without having to search the web yourself. These links include official government chaplaincy sites both in the United States and in many other countries. There are links to museums and archives, sites that focus on certain eras or specific chaplain ministry and other links to resources of particular interest to chaplains and those who support them.
There is so much more on The Chaplain Kit than what can be described here in a few short paragraphs so please look around, click on the tabs and follow the drop down menus, use the search function on the sidebar or go to the site map to see the big picture. Most likely you’ll find what you’re looking for, but if you don’t…check back later because we are continually adding new content to make The Chaplain Kit the preferred place to go for chaplain history, information and resources!
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Here’s a short video to introduce you to a little bit of what you’ll find inside:
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The Chaplain Kit 
Hello, I can we submit items for your consideration. I have a worship bulletin from 1947 / Fort Hamilton NY (PDF / clean)
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Tracy:
I would appreciate anything you’d like so send! (Message sent to you via e-mail).
Daryl
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I have a large ww2 chaplains collection that you might be able to use if you like. I can send some photos and if your interested in something I can send more detales.
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Hello Mr. Goulet,
Thanks for stopping by!
I’m always interested, I’ll send you a personal message with my e-mail address to send pictures.
Daryl
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Hello, I am working on a project about Jewish American servicemen and women in WWII, including Rabbi Chaplains. You have some very interesting photos that don’t have source notes that I would like to follow up on, and also see what else you may have in your collection. Thank you!
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Hi, Amanda, Thanks for stopping by. Sounds like a very interesting project you are working on, I look forward to seeing it! I sent you an e-mail about your questions.
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Hi, For your film section I play the Chaplain in Fury in two Lobby cards. https://www.starnow.co.uk/christopherw33618/photos/6202523/
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Very cool! Thanks for stopping by and sharing. Daryl
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Chaplain Densforth,
I’m just beginning a process of looking into Military Chaplaincy from a civilian ministry background. I found Chaplain McCary’s podcast and your page here very helpful to get a sense for what chaplain life and ministry is like. Thank you for the info and your service!
Is there a vehicle for someone in my position to connect with Chaplains and simply talk as I consider this potential move?
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Hello,
I’m glad that you found something on The Chaplain Kit helpful!
To make contact with chaplains, you could go through a nearby military post. Most chaplains would be willing to sit down with you. If you’re looking at National Guard or Reserve chaplaincy, those chaplains are sometimes harder to find since they are not full-time.
The Chaplain branch has specific recruiters. Going into the military recruiting station in town won’t get you much information. You can find the chaplain recruiter that services your area by going to http://www.goarmy.com/chaplain/corps-career-jobs.html.
Another option is to go through your denomination (or another) and talk to their chaplain endorser. They are often very experienced in military chaplaincy and also up-to-date on current requirements.
I hope this helps!
Daryl
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I’ve been reading your posts and thumbing through the pictures of chapels with interest — noticed there were no photos of the Fort Lawton, Washington chapels, so I thought I’d send a link (https://web6.seattle.gov/DPD/HistoricalSite/QueryResult.aspx?ID=-165495688) to some information and one shot of the remaining Chapel on the Hill that is now a Seattle Historic Site. Thank you for your service and please keep writing. (I was an Army brat who had the privilege of living at Fort Lawton for a brief period in 1959-1961, and have visited many of the other post chapels around the country.) Almost all the old buildings at Fort Lawton, now Discovery Park, are gone, and Seattle is still trying to figure out what to do with the rest, but the history is fascinating. I did not know until I read this summary the real origin of the other two chapels on the fort. (When I was there, Chapel in the Pines, I believe was Catholic, and Chapel by the Sea was Jewish.)
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Adrienne, Thanks for sharing the links and your personal memories of the chapels on Ft. Lawton. I’m always looking for more pictures and information! Daryl
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Sir, I came across a class “A” and NOK dog tags belonging to Chaplain Maj. Kent M. Dale s/n o-425798. It is double patched 6th and 2nd Armored Division. The DUI’s are for 67th Armored Regiment. It is WW2 and the ribbon bar has a B.S., P.H. and 5 stars on the ETO ribbon. It has the Belgium aiguillette and below the ribbons is the Grand Dutches Charlotte 1944 Luxembourg Liberation medal. Maj. Dale was born 1908 and passed 1971. Other than he had prior service as an enlisted man and he was the 1st Chaplain for what would become the 6th Armored. His Uniform makes it clear he was at the Ardennes, I can find nothing else. Do you know of any place that fill in the blanks on his service? Yours David
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Wow, sounds like a great find! Records for military members from WW2 are kept in the St. Louis branch of the National Archives. You might be able to find more information about him there, though many of the records from this period were lost in the fire in the ’70s, but it’s worth a shot! You can find out more here: https://www.archives.gov/st-louis/archival-programs/military-personnel-archival
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Thanks-I appreciate this site!
QUESTION: I am looking for RB 16-100 as well as JP 3-50 OCT 2015. Can’t find them anywhere. Can you help and perhaps post them on your site?
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Jeremiah,
If I come across them, I’ll post them!
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Is there a way to tell who a chaplains kit was issued to? A serial number or other ID or list? The kit may be Korean era or a bit later.
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Pam, There really is no way to determine the owner of a chaplain kit unless his/her name or military service number is on it. I’ve never seen a kit with any type of identifying serial or other identifying number on it (like would be on a weapon or computer), so the chaplain would have had to put his/her name or service number on or in it.
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Thanks, Daryl. I’ll keep looking for clues to the original owner of the kit. It is in an archive, and people have been saying it is a “sample” but I really think it belonged to a chaplain yet to be identified. I have been reading your site, and think it is a post Korea pre Vietnam type kit, and Protestant type. Thanks again.
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Pam: Another thought: If you had a date of use and unit name, you might could find who was chaplain for the unit was at the time, but that would be circumstantial at best. Also, if you had a record of who donated it to the archives, perhaps you could track down what family member had been in the military.
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I can find no serial #
Only gold letters on the outside of the set
and in memory of
Ensign Harry Harrison?, Ford Jr
December 25, 1915 August 15, 1942
Jim carlin
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Jim: Likely the name listed as “in memory of” was someone significant to the chaplain and wanted to memorialize him. If there is no chaplain name or serial number, it would be tough to identify. If you had a date of use and unit name, you might could find who was chaplain for the unit was at the time, but that would be circumstantial at best.
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Thank you Daryl for your attention to my questions. I have just one more and then I’ll leave you be. Who made and distributed the kits? Was it the specific service Army, Navy, etc.? or based on demonation of chaplain?
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Pam: You’re welcome. I’m glad to help!
Each of the services would procure and issue their own kits. Some were very similar, others very different. Often, the chaplains’ endorsers would give them their kit; if not, the service would issue them one. There were several different manufacturers who produced them for procurement by the endorsers and services.
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Pam: You had mentioned your kit being in an “archive.” What organization are you with? (Feel free to e-mail me that information at TheChaplainKit@gmail.com, if you’d prefer.)
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Hi, I have something to ask. Something about english. I watched old tv show the combat this week. Vic morrow was angry and then lieut. said “Take your ticket to the Chaplain and he’ll punch it for you”. I don’t know what it means. Google tell me this site. Would you tell me the meaning? plz
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HI Kim,
This post will tell you more about it:
Let me know if you still have questions!
Daryl
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You mean the chaplain is a counsellor who give soldiers advices about their complaints. Now i see. Thank you very much.
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One of our church members brought her husband’s WWII chaplain’s kit that he wore on his belt for across his chest. These all look much bigger. DO you know of these more transportable to the field?
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Hello and thanks for stopping by! It is very possible that he put together a kit that was more portable than the kits WW2 chaplains generally used. It is also possible that he was in the service during WW2 but remained in a sufficient number of years that he acquired a later-issued more portable kit. The first chaplain kit that I received (before I knew anything about them) I was told was a WW2 kit but it turned out to be a Vietnam-era kit which is much more portable.
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This is an awesome resource and community I stumbled upon. How can I receive some of the Chaplain prints. I would love to have a few framed and hang in my office. I am a CH in the GAARNG.
Blessings
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Sharonda: Thank you for your kind words about the site! As for the prints, they are no longer in print, but you can sometimes find them for sale on eBay or other “used” sources. You could also download them from this website and have copies made.
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The Chaplain Kit I have is the same as shown in the Catholic section, 1952 type. Would this kit have only been issued to and for use by Catholic chaplains, or was it also used by Protestant religions?
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Pam,
Most of the crosses in kits of this period were reversible with the corpus on one side and an “IHS” or blank on the other so they could be used by either Catholic or Protestant chaplains. Some of the kits would come with the corpus unattached so it only needed to be attached if the kit was issued to a Catholic chaplain.
Daryl
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Please, looking for assistance
I would like to contribuite the Foreign Chaplain section with details on the spanish armed forces chaplaincy services, history, uniforms and insignias, etc ,Please anyone can help me with a proper email addres to forward information,
Warm regards
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That would be very much appreciated, thank you for your offer! Send to: thechaplainkit@gmail.com.
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Lt. McCrae was a Canadian. Just fyi.
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Did someone say he wasn’t?
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Hi Daryl,
I was excited when I found your website. My dad was an Army Air Force Chaplain in China during WWII, serving as the only US chaplain in China for about a year with the unit that replaced the Flying Tigers (23rd Fighter Group). When he left China in late 1943, he was the longest serving combat zone US chaplain of the war at that time. I have written a manuscript about his WWII service and have numerous photos from the China-Burma-India theater that you may be interested in. Let me know.
Jim Tull
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Jim,
I’m glad you found the website!
Very interesting about your father’s service! I would be interested in some photos, if you wouldn’t mind sharing. I’m particularly interested in pictures showing chaplain activity, worship, chapels, etc. Best to send through email to TheChaplainKit@gmail.com
Thanks!
Daryl
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I enjoyed looking at the chaplain photos on your website. My dad was a protestant Army chaplain. He trained at the Chaplain School at Fort Benjamin Harrison in June 1942, then went with the 43rd Infantry Division to New Caledonia. Unfortunately he spent about 8 weeks in the hospital there and was shipped back stateside, where he did chaplain work at Camp Roberts, CA, and at the German POW camp at Camp Robinson, Arkansas. It’s great that people like you are preserving this bit of our national history.Many know the bravery and sacrifices of the troops, but few realize how many chaplains were out there with them.
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Where can I purchase Chaplin’s Kit, Christian besides the DLA/Parts Base? I’m looking for a manufacturer or multiple vendors that assemble the parts under NSN 9925-01-305-3411 for so i can obtain the parts to make the kit.
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Sometimes you can find them for sale on ebay. Otherwise you may be able do a Google search to find what company has the contract to be able to go direct.
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Adding a comment on here after a search,on Friday 25/09/2020 on the TV programme “”THE REPAIR SHOP”” a chaplains box was brought in by a Vicar ,it was given to him by a grandmother whom a relative of Chaplain whom owned/used in the 1940 s,.But in poor condition,so the repair team brought back to life with a new shine/straps/new communion bottle with other for wine..So it was very intresting .
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My grandfather was a chaplin on Christmas Island during WW2. His name was Jerl Zimerman. He died while on the island and the chapel was renamed Zimerman Memorial Chapel. In the letter from the Office of the Chaplin that was sent to the family, it says, “it was the unanimous wish of everyone here that the name of the chapel just opposite his headquarters office should be re-named and re-dedicated as a memorial to him.” The letter was signed by Lawrance J Mitchell, Chaplin (Captin), dated July 8, 1943. I know it is a long-shot, but does anyone have any pictures of the chapel on Christmas island? I have several programs from services there with a drawing, but stumbled on to your site and thought perhaps someone had an actual picture. It was American Task Force A.P.O. 915. Thank you in advance.
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My grandfather’s kit: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j1pRyBTwm_g&t=5s
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What a treasure, to have your grandfather’s kit! Thanks for sharing it.
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I am portraying a Army WWII Chaplain and I am needing the dimensions fir a portable field kit carrying case?
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Hi Marc, there were different types based on denomination and source. What type are you looking for dimensions for?
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Chaplain Densford, I want to express my appreciation not only for your continued service to our God and our nation but for your work here on The Chaplain Kit. I stumbled across it a number of years ago and have been following it periodically. I find it to be a great source of information (and also no small opportunity to reminisce!)
I also wanted to share that I just added one of the volumes of the Army chaplaincy history for required reading for my Doctor of Theology students at Evangelical Theological Seminary and encouraged them to check out your site. Yours was the only source for a usable, readable .pdf of “Struggling for Recognition.” Thanks for all your hard work!
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Thank you very much for your kind words and affirmation. It’s great to know that my work is making an impact, even in a small way!
Please let me know if I can do anything more to assist you. -Daryl
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Hello,
In Brazil, the film “Homens da Patria” (24’00” – 27’25”) was produced, which portrays the participation of the Brazilian Expeditionary Force in Monte Castelo, Italy, during World War II. The film, in Portuguese, can be seen through the link: https://fb.watch/7w_TDqE8id/
Thanks,
Naval chaplain Heliton Marconi.
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the film “Homens da Patria” (24’00” – 27’25”) in this excerpt of the film, he represents the military chaplain, Friar Orlando
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Dear chaplains, I share with you the summary of my doctoral study in social communication:
The representation of the military chaplain in war films: Saving Private Ryan, Pearl Harbor, Paisan and The Great War.
This work aims to elaborate an unprecedented analysis on the representation of the military chaplain, as a character, in Hollywood war films “Saving Private Ryan” and “Peal Harbor” and in the authoral films “The Great War” and “Paisan”. For this, it was observed the historical trajectory of cinema, its use as a communication and propaganda language, its theoretical references, which corroborate the construction of the character in the religious and social field. The research is qualitative in nature, following a methodological procedure of bibliographic review of books, articles from scientific journals and internet sites, which report facts, stories and academic works aimed at the object of study. Surprisingly, although the chaplain develops a remarkable work in the socio-religious field, there is a lack of knowledge about the mission and the activities carried out by him with military and religious institutions. Thus, this study provides a certain visibility and notoriety to the military chaplain, having as reference a critical reading of war films. The research, carried out in the field of cinematographic communication, in particular, in film narratives, aims to extract, aggregate and justify – directly – the main themes that are present in the images, texts and sounds of the scenes, whose character the military chaplain fits, and – indirectly -, through the elements that refer to his institutional mission, added to the religious field in which the chaplain is immersed as an official of the cult. The research lists, above all, based on content analysis, the virtues, qualities, defects, vices, stereotypes and clichés, as well as the gestural and verbal expressions that characterize and feed the imagination of the construction of this character in the cinematographic world. Therefore, the elements present in the representations of the military chaplains greatly evidence the symbolic power that the character exerts, both in the religious field and in the military, social and political field.
Thanks,
Héliton Marconi
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Anyone have a copy of the Chaplains folding organ manual? TM 10-750 . I can’t find a copy anywhere on the internet
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I’m trying to identify a piece that I think is from my grandfather’s WWII kit. It is a small silver cup with a flat side, 3.5″ wide, 1.75″ deep, 1.5″ tall. No handle. There is a curled lip around the curved part of the lip. The metal colors match the chalice. It looks similar to one in the box in the first set of WWII Protestant pictures on your website. Do you know what this piece is?
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Ken, from your description, it sounds like an intinction insert. It should fit in the chalice with the “curled lip” sliding over the lip of the chalice.
I have seen this used two ways, I’m not certain which is correct: 1) it holds hosts to be received then dipped into the wine in the chalice. 2) it holds some of the consecrated wine to have the hosts dipped into, rather than dipping into the large chalice.
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Are the photos on this website copyright free, or would a person need your permission to utilize one in a high school play based during the Civil war?
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Hello, it depends on the photo. Some are public domain. Send me an email with what you would like to use and I will let you know. thechaplainkit@gmail.com
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I am pursuing a source to have the foam insert For the Vietnam era Chaplin kits made Buy a 3D printing method.I have 1 of these kits And believe that most of them are And the foam crumbling.
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I would like to extend a Heartfelt Thank you and a Very Merry Christmas to all who are Actively Serving in all of the Branches of the Military. My Family all Served either in the Army, Air Force, Navy and the National Guard. I would like to be able to write Letters and send Cards in order to Convey My Appreciation to Everyone.
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The State of New Hampshire has erected an official roadside historical marker in honor of Chaplain Benjamin Balch, the first chaplain of the Continental Navy in Barrington. It is located on State Route 9 in front of Pine Grove Cemetery, where Chaplain Balch rests. It also honors Aggie, an emancipated slave woman that served as domestic help in the Balch household after the Revolution.
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