Chaplain Candidate Sojourn 4
Hey everyone. My last Chaplain Candidate post was on May 26, 2010 and my packet has been approved by the Chaplain Board. And 90 days later I received my AR form 71 “Oath of Office” paperwork. Once you receive your oath of office you should already have in mind how you will execute the oath. I was thinking about a ceremony for friends and family, however the timing was not right. And the next question was, “who” can perform such an oath? I was told by my recruiter that a current officer in any branch of service, along with, any retired officer. There are other qualified people outside of the service to help with this but I recommend an officer that you know. The AR form 71 also lists who can perform such an oath. I began thinking about the length of time it took to receive my paper work and so I wanted to execute the oath as quickly as I could and send it back. Luckily, my Dad is a retired Reserve officer, captain, and he was able to perform my oath. I sent the paperwork back and in a week and a half I received my appointment letter stating that I have been assigned to the USAR or US ARMY RESERVE.
So, I am now an official Second Lieutenant in the US ARMY RESERVE!!! I need your support/accountability from here until January when I begin (CHBOLC) Chaplain Basic Officer Leadership Course. Also, I will be breaking out the old P90X workout in October and hopefully in good shape at the start of CHBOLC.
From this point I can only assume that the next step is being assigned to a reserve unit here in Kentucky. I am eager to begin drilling with soldiers once again and learn as much as I can under a seasoned chaplain.
If you are starting the process of becoming a chaplain candidate one thing to keep in mind is that things will feel very slow, but be patient. God has things under control, lean on Him and He will make straight your path.
Love God Love People
2LT Ryan Marcum
Lord willing, I will be in the Jan. CH-BOLC also. Just waiting to be “scrolled”, take my oath, and receive my orders. Looking forward to meeting you!
Dave, Sounds Great! I am excited about CHBOLC and cannot wait to meet everyone. Will you be attending the whole school?
Hi Ryan, congratulations on your acceptance as a chaplain candidate. You mentioned that it took 90 days to receive your Oath of Office. I was accepted as a candidate on 10 December 2010 but the communication from my chaplain recruiter is limited. Do you know of anything I can do, other than e-mail for updates, to receive my DA 71 earlier than 90 days? I have been working with him for several months and know that he does not communicate well. Is there a chaplain candidate manager who would be better to work with instead of my recruiter to be scrolled and received my Oath of Office? In all honesty, I think he may actually forget to have me scrolled. After having my completed packet he missed the chaplain candidate board three times. I just don’t want to see a repeat of that. Any suggestions?