Army Reserve Chaplain Ready to Serve God and Country

By T. D. Jackson

CAMP ATTERBURY, Ind. - Growing up in the 1970s in Seoul, most little girls wanted to be Ms. Korea in the beauty pageants. Young Grace Bong briefly thought she might want to be a ballerina and then later decided she'd rather be a writer. She eventually got the chance…sort of. You can listen to her read some of her greatest work on Sunday mornings during chapel service at Camp Atterbury. Since she was notified that she would be deploying with the 420th Movement Control Battalion, Chaplain Grace Bong has been writing inspirational sermons weekly to minister to the needs of the Soldiers.

Last week, the 420th's Soldiers deployed to Kuwait where they'll be responsible for coordinating the movement of personnel, supplies and equipment in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom.

Chaplain (Capt.) Grace Bong, middle, prays with her assistant, Spc. John Pyo, right, and Chaplain (Lt. Col.) James Cotter, a chaplain at Camp Atterbury. Cotter led the prayer asking God to watch over and bless the Soldiers and to bring them home safely. Bong and Pyo deployed from Camp Atterbury to Kuwait last week with their unit, the 420th Movement Control Battalion. Photo by T.D. Jackson (Released)

"I was excited and at the same time a little bit nervous," she said, regarding notice of her first deployment.

"Excited because I can be a chaplain full-time and be with the Soldiers seven days a week going wherever they go," she said. Bong said the only nerve-wracking part is being in unfamiliar territory.

Chaplain (Capt.) Grace Bong sits down and talks with Soldiers in order to get to know them better. Bong and the Soldiers are with the 420th Movement Control Battalion, who deployed from Camp Atterbury to Kuwait last week. Photo by Spc. John Pyo (Released)

"I've never been to Kuwait!" she said, laughing. "I don't know anything about it! Everything will be new."

Being in the military is also somewhat new to Bong, although not to her family. She has two younger brothers in the Army, the youngest is in special operations and the other is also a chaplain, but ironically she joined last year only at the urging of the youngest brother, Staff Sgt. Song Ho Bong.

Bong said that Song Ho would often tell her stories about Soldiers who experienced post-traumatic stress disorder, Soldiers in the midst of divorcing and even Soldiers who were involved in domestic violence situations.

"My brother would say, 'There is a need for pastoral care for the Soldiers,'" Bong said.

Chaplain (Capt.) Grace Bong and her assistant Spc. John Pyo deployed from Camp Atterbury with their unit, the 420th Movement Control Battalion, last week. As an Army chaplain, Bong is responsible for performing religious services, counseling, and providing spiritual leadership to Soldiers, their families and Department of Defense civilians. Photo by T.D. Jackson (Released)

"…I prayed for the Soldiers, but I only knew about surface-level problems," she confessed. As fate would have it, when she talked to her other brother, Chaplain (Capt.) Songjin Bong, he cautioned her that indeed the work would be demanding but also very rewarding.

"That's when God put it in my heart to join the Army to serve God and country…and Soldiers," she added.

Not only is Bong following in brothers' footsteps by joining the military, but also in her mother's, since she too is a pastor.

"When I was an elementary school kid and in junior high, I didn't really like [my mother's job] because of the hard time she had with the congregation. Eventually I saw it to be a very rewarding occupation."

Bong said that her mother was very supportive of her decision to join the Army, which makes all three siblings Army-strong warriors.

"My mom said, 'I need to pray a lot for all of you,'" Bong said, laughing.

In her own prayer time Bong said she often prays for her mother and her brothers since her family is very important to her. Lately she's asked God to watch over her mother in the children's absence since all three will be leaving the U.S. shortly. Staff Sgt. Bong is leaving Fort Bragg, N.C., to go to Okinawa, Japan; the other Chaplain Bong is leaving Fort Carson, Colo., to go to Korea; and of course, Chaplain Grace Bong is deploying to Kuwait.

"I pray that she stays healthy," Bong said of her mother. "And I pray that God sustains her while we are outside of the United States."

And of course she prays for the Soldiers. When talking to God about the troops, Bong said she often reflects on Psalms 23.

"The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want. Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will not be afraid because God's rod and staff always comforts me," she said, paraphrasing the popular scripture.

"… Soldiers go through many dangers, and I cite this verse and then pray for Soldiers," she said.

In order to make sure she gives the Soldiers 100 percent, Bong made sure that she was not only prayed up, but trained up, too.

Last summer she finished the Chaplain Basic Officer Leader's Course where she learned about performing religious services, counseling, and providing spiritual leadership to Soldiers, family members, and Department of Defense civilians.

She went back again this year for an advanced course to learn about administrative duties. She completed post-traumatic stress programs and suicide prevention training. Bong also completed the battlemind training where she learned about developing Soldiers' inner strength to face hardship with confidence and resolution during combat, thereby reducing combat stress reactions.

Bong said that the Army's battlemind training helps Soldiers prepare their minds for integration into the combat zone in addition to teaching them how to decompress when they return home.

While at Camp Atterbury she brushed up on her Soldier skills too.

"We were doing road marching and [I was taught to] keep moving continuously, so if there was incoming rounds I won't make an easy target," said Bong.

"I did the CLS training too, so if a casualty occurs I can assist with medical aid," she said regarding the instruction for Combat Lifesavers. CLS is a course at Camp Atterbury designed to teach Soldiers how to care for wounded Soldiers until a medic is available.

Aside from CLS, when 420th Soldiers were hurt or sick during their training at Camp Atterbury, Bong said she made it a point to visit them at the Troop Medical Clinic here. Always lending an ear and a prayer is what Spc. John Pyo, her assistant, says endears her to the troops. Pyo said her compassionate demeanor is precisely why the Soldiers feel comfortable talking to her.

"She's very charismatic, very caring," he said. "Like the way that she greets people," he said. "Even if she's had a rough day, she still puts on a big smile and asks how you're doing."

Pyo said when she they arrived at Camp Atterbury for training, Bong immediately asked for his advice about hosting a prayer breakfast.

"When we finally had the breakfast, I could see she took my advice, and I knew then that she trusted me," he said.

Having the trust of and extending trust to Soldiers is paramount for an Army chaplain; they are expected to serve as confidants. Chaplains are at the front line of a Soldier's life and make themselves readily available whenever needed; this is the benefit of deploying with a spiritual leader. A Soldier can pour out his soul to chaplains like Bong and - thankfully - she can then pray for his soul to be refilled.

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