Chaplain's Corner

Dear wives and families of 1/4,

You may wonder what a battalion chaplain does for your Marines and Sailors . . . especially when they are "in the field" or deployed. So I‘d like to take this opportunity to explain what I do for the Marines and Sailors of 1st Battalion, 4th Marines.

Part of my job is to find the "pulse" of the battalion, emotionally, spiritually, mentally and morally and then relay this "pulse" to our Commanding Officer (CO) and his staff. This requires me to spend a lot of time with your men in all phases of training in order to give a fair and accurate "pulse" to our CO about how they are really doing. Many times these casual conversations lead to a longer discussion or maybe even a counseling session in my office.

During the course of the upcoming training operation in the field or the "at sea" periods before our deployment, I will always be available to your Marine or Sailor. I will make every effort to get around to every Company and every training area so that I can assess how your men are doing and be available for those who need to talk. I will also be holding religious worship services (for Protestants, in particular), Bible studies, and other small group settings where men can seek God in a non-threatening setting. For Marines and Sailors of other faith grounds, I will facilitate opportunities for them to worship as well. Know that it is very important to me that your men are given the opportunity to worship God as their conscious dictates.

I am available 24/7 for the Marine or Sailor in your life! And my commitment to them is ongoing. In fact, my wife, Aundrea, and I are available for couples counseling as well. We‘ve already told you about our SoulMates Seminars, which are conducted just about every month or so (the next one is February 20), but we are also available during the week as well to provide couples counseling. Aundrea and I both have many years of training in individual and couples counseling, but we also have the advantage of learning so much during our 15+ years of marriage. So please don‘t be shy! Let us know how we can help you succeed in marriage! We want to help you deal with any problems BEFORE deployment.

So this is what I do as a battalion chaplain for your Marine or Sailor. I would encourage you to continue to support them, since your support goes a LONG way towards giving them the strength to continue the important tasks before them. And while they are away, you can count on me to be there for them too!

Chaplain Foskett