Elder Matthews..

I understand you were the first Chaplain to one of the sections of the American Armed forces. Which on e was this?

Did you have a lot of opposition? What inspired you to take this innovative move?

Did you local Conference support on this? Was there a lot of opposition?

I was the first Seventh-day Adventist clergyperson to become a chaplain in the U.S. Army National Guard. That is an interesting story, at least to me.

A one-star General officer in the Washington D.C. Army National Guard was concerned that several of his units did not have their authorized chaplains. He felt that it was due to a lack of effort on the part of his command chaplain, and "persuaded" him to retire. He told that chaplain that he (the General) could go out and find chaplains willing to join a unit of his.

Background note: Shortly prior to graduating from the Seminary I had been commissioned as an Army officer under a special program for people who might later become chaplains. Once I was ordained, I had transfered to the Chapain Corps.

The General requested a list of Army Chaplains located in his area who were not assigned to a unit, and my name came up (Probably I was the only name, but I do not know.), so he called me and asked me to come in and talk to him. I did, and he asked me what it would take to get me to to join a unit of his. My response: You would have to relese me from drilling on Saturdays. His response: Would you be willing to participate in Summer Camp? My response: Yes. His response: I have the power to release you from Saturday drills, and I will do so, as long as you participate in Summer Camp.

At that point I was in, and I performed all of my drills on Sundays.

The Potomac Conference agreed to allow me to join, and I took vacation to participatein Summer Cammp. NOTE: This was illegal under the law, but I did not want to push it, so I had suggested that.

At the time I joined, that National Guard unit was without a command chaplain. But, shortly after, one had been approved. He was rabidly aginst any SDA clergy person ever serving in a unit under his supervision, and very angry that I had been forced upon him during the time that his status was undergoing approval by the Department of the Army, and he was therefore unable to object.

We worked that our, and he became one of my strongest supporters.