JERSEYVILLE - Being a chaplain in the military is one of the most rewarding jobs one can have while serving their country. The chaplains help out their fellow soldiers with their spiritual needs in all branches of faith, no matter what his or her beliefs are.
And in the case of U.S. Army Lt. Col. Steve Pace of Jerseyville, it was a very rewarding experience indeed. Pace just returned from duty in the Middle East, serving as Command Chaplain in 17 different nations in the area, supervising local chaplains, making sure that the soldiers' spiritual needs were being met and serving as a mentor to the younger chaplains under his command.
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"I was Command Chaplain that helped serve 17 different countries in the Middle East," Pace said during a recent interview. "During my deployment, I traveled to Afghanistan, Jordan, Iraq, Qatar and Saudi Arabia, so I had counties scattered throughout the Middle East. I was Command Chaplain for support throughout the Middle East."
Pace began his military career in the Illinois National Guard, and after his tour with the Guard, reenlisted at the age of 39.
"As a prior server, I was 39, so if I had to do it, I had to do it then," Pace said.
Pace was first deployed to Afghanistan in 2008-09, then returned to the country in 2011 as a chaplain, during which time he switched over to the first Army. He's been a part of the Army Reserves since then.
As a chaplain, Pace's main job is to make sure that the spiritual needs of each soldier are taken care of, no matter the faith or religion.
"We take care of everyone across the spectrum," Pace said. "Christian, Muslim, Hindu, Jewish, the whole spectrum. We also have Spiritual Stories for those who aren't religious, but who considered themselves spiritual."
Non-traditional religions, such as Wiccan, Norse Pagans, Ethical Humanist and others, are also seen to by the chaplains.
"A lot of people who were curious, they would go to the Full Circle gathering, which was a gathering of pagan religions," Pace said, "which were Wiccans, Norse Pagans, Ethical Humanists. Whatever their religious views, we made sure they have what they need to practice their religions."
Another part of Pace's job was to mentor young Chaplains, and help them out i whatever they needed.
"Part of my job included mentoring young Chaplains, and we also had a contemporary service," Pace said, "and I was the lead chaplain for the service at Camp Airfjan in Kuwait."
Many of the services took place at the National Evangelical Church, the only approved Christian church in Kuwait, but also big enough to host services of all faiths and denominations.
"It has over 100 different services in 17 languages," Pace said, "and in all denominations. There are probably 11 different services going on at one time in different languages, and that's a very cool thing that we don't get in America."
During his deployment in the Middle East, Pace went through some major events in the region, such as the Iranian Aggression against Saudi Arabia, and that country's military build up for their protection, Iran launching an Inter-Continental Ballistic Missile attack on various targets, and more recently both the COVID-19 pandemic and the Syrian Civil War, where American troops were withdrawn during the fighting. Pace feels that there's many similarities between the United States and the Middle East during the pandemic.
"It's a different environment, but we're seeing the same things there like we're seeing here," Pace said. "Masks, social distancing, limited gatherings and virtual church service online."
