Not enough chaplains in National Guard units

Va. National Guard has chaplain shortage

The Associated Press
Posted : Monday Jan 21, 2008 16:53:07 EST

NORFOLK, Va. — The Virginia National Guard has a chaplain shortage amid the wartime needs of an expanding military, a trend that mirrors the nationwide shortfall.

The Virginia National Guard has eight chaplains, well below the 19 slots it’s allotted, said Chaplain J.D. Moore, who works full time with the Guard.

Prospective recruits know that “if you join as a chaplain, you’re pretty much guaranteed to deploy,” said Daniel Pruitt, who went to the Middle East in September with a Portsmouth-based Army Guard unit, the 2nd Squadron 183rd Cavalry.

Virginia’s shortage is part of the National Guard’s overall shortage of 350 chaplains — out of the 700 it is authorized, said Chaplain Randall Dolinger, spokesman for the Army Chief of Chaplains Office. The Army Reserve only has filled 220 out of its 650 allotted slots, Dolinger said.

Active-duty units without their own chaplain often request a Guard chaplain to fill the post when deployed overseas. Guard chaplains not only accept such assignments, they’re “double-volunteering” and deploying more frequently to make up for the shortage, Dolinger said, and he fears that clergy may burn out with more frequent tours.
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http://www.armytimes.com/news/2008/01/ap_guardchaplains_080121/

Very troubling considering the DOD said they were relying more on the chaplains to fill in the gap for stressed out forces. There are not enough psychologist to fill the need and now we're finding out there are not enough chaplains either. So who is taking care of deployed soldiers with PTSD and a pocket full of pills?