Navy Religious Program Specialists (RPs) fill a unique niche within the Sea Services community, offering administrative and ecclesiastic support to Navy chaplains. Their responsibilities also include protecting their chaplains from bodily harm.

When Lori Ihli joined the Navy as a Mess Management Specialist (MS) in 1991, she planned to “do my four years and get out.” She didn’t envision serving for 20 years, nor did she see herself retiring from active duty as a Religious Program Specialist (RP). Call it fate, God’s will or just the way things worked out, but she and others like her have found personal and professional fulfillment serving their nation and their shipmates as RPs.

Ihli (pronounced Eye-Lee), a recently retired Religious Program Specialist First Class, was proud to follow in her father’s footsteps by joining the Navy, but she wasn’t terribly happy being a mess cook. “I wasn’t good at it and I didn’t enjoy it. I learned I had good administrative skills, so was leaning toward asking for a Yeoman or Personnelman assignment. When it came time to request a change, I learned that the RP rating was undermanned and the detailer told me I’d be good at it. When I first started, I thought the detailer was crazy. Everything was so new and different.”

RPs are often called ‘the chaplain’s right hand’ and serving as one is, indeed, different. Navy Chaplains and RPs make up a Religious Ministry Team (RMT) whose responsibility is to manage and execute the Commanding Officer’s Command Religious Program. RPs are trained to support the administrative and ecclesiastic needs of the chaplain.

“Like Navy corpsmen, the Navy provides chaplains for the Marine Corps, as well as the Coast Guard,” explains Lt. Commander Chaplain R. Jeff Etheridge, former chaplain for Marine Corps Recruiting Command. “The RP rating is unique to the Navy.”

“It’s the RP’s responsibility to handle administrative requirements like correspondence, make travel arrangements, prepare performance evaluations and the chaplain’s fitness report,” explains Ilhi, who also received training in managing religious offering funds, budgeting, managing shipboard libraries and assisting the supply petty officer in managing the chapel and dealing with building maintenance concerns. “We also work with a network of volunteers, including retired or Reserve chaplains, so we maintain a connection with them.”

Ecclesiastic Duties
Another area of responsibility includes preparing for worship services, explains RP1 Juan Bejarano, who is assigned to Naval Region Midwest’s Chaplain’s Office. “My duties include preparing the weekly call to service or bulletin, coordinating with volunteers and the choir director to sort out service details and produce multimedia presentations for the service. We also rig and unrig the altar appropriately for the worship services.”

In order to properly prepare for a religious service, RPs must understand the intricacies of various faiths. As a Roman Catholic, Bejarano grew up learning about Catholic traditions and rites. As an RP, he’s had to gain a broader knowledge of world religions.

“At first I assumed I’d only be working with other Catholics,” he explains. “Little did I know what is involved with accommodating the religious needs of all service members and their families. I’ve worked for Muslim, Protestant, Catholic and Jewish chaplains. I think the only major faith I haven’t supported is Buddhism.”

Military chaplains are sanctioned by religious bodies and are authorized to minister and pray according to their own convictions. “There’s no such thing as a vanilla chaplain. All chaplains are endorsed by a church body, because the military has no ecclesiastic authority to do so,” explains Etheridge, whose endorsement comes from the Southern Baptist Church.

And while an RP may be assigned to a chaplain of a specific faith, he/she may be called upon to support services for a variety of religions. “A Protestant chaplain, for example, wouldn’t lead a Jewish worship service,” adds Bejarano, “but we do have lay volunteers who sometimes lead services [for faiths other than those of the assigned chaplain.] It’s my job to support all faiths, and being a Catholic doesn’t interfere with my ability to do that.

“Before becoming an RP, we have to accept and volunteer to support all faiths,” he continues. “After the initial screening by recruiters, prospective RPs undergo a secondary screening process by a chaplain and RP to ensure they understand they’ll be working with clergy and service members from faiths other than their own. We do our best to offer the best religious services possible, and strive to provide for and accommodate all religious preferences, including the hundreds of different Christian denominations, as well as other non-Christian faiths.”

According to Bejarano, RPs do not provide pastoral counseling, but help their shipmates get the help they need in troubled times. “It’s an RP’s job to know what resources are out there and be able to make the appropriate referrals. One of my first goals [when I get to a new duty station] is to network and get to know the resources that are available. I want to be aware of the benefits available to my Marines and Sailors – the Fleet Family Service Center, Navy/Marine Corps Relief Society, as well as the chapel itself. We help them connect with the chaplain if that’s what’s needed, but not everyone needs a chaplain or pastoral care. Some may need debt counseling or financial assistance, for example, and it’s our responsibility to triage their concerns and make sure they get the assistance they need.”

And sometimes, RPs just listen. Simply being available and knowing the troops are big parts of the job.

“I’m more able to socialize with all elements of the command and am better able to keep an eye on everyone,” says Ilhi, who served two tours in Iraq. “I could often tell when things were wrong and I could then go to the chaplain, share my concerns and ask him to check on an individual. Not everyone’s comfortable going directly to the chaplain. I can see things at a different level than the chaplain can, which is particularly important to many junior personnel. Some of the troops started calling me ‘Mom,’ which made me feel old at first. But then I came to realize it was really a term they used because they knew I cared.”

“Folks who aren’t particularly religious sometimes view going to see the chaplain, who’s an officer, as a sign of weakness,” explains RP2 Don Snyder, who is currently serving at Naval Station Great Lakes. “They often see an RP as a brother or sister, because we’re enlisted. We sometimes have to say, ‘Hey, I can’t really talk with you about this kind of stuff” and refer them to the chaplain, but we can always listen and lend a supportive shoulder.”

“Some might be intimidated by the chaplain’s rank or perhaps they’ve never felt the need to talk with a chaplain before. Some have grown up without any religious background in their lives,” Bejarano adds. “Sometimes people feel more comfortable coming to me than going to the chaplain. And sometimes Sailors or Marines just need a simple ‘hello’ or acknowledgement, particularly when they’re far from home. It’s easy to feel forgotten. I try to make everyone feel appreciated and, if a problem arises, they’ll usually ask for help.”

Bejarano makes a point to visit different duty sections on a regular basis, especially when he’s deployed with a unit. “I just walk through the work areas and get to know the people we’re serving. I introduce myself and explain my role. It helps that I’m in a Navy uniform,” he chuckles. “Most people’s first impression is that I’m a Navy corpsman, so they say, ‘Hi, Doc!’ I tell them they’re close, and then take the opportunity to explain how I can help them.”

Deploying with Marines
The administrative requirements don’t go away when an RP deploys with an operational unit, explains Bejarano. “It’s a lot of the same duties, but in smaller spaces,” he chuckles, but deployed ops bring additional responsibilities and require additional training.

Before a Navy RP can deploy with a Marine unit, he/she must attend a Chaplain and Religious Program Specialist Expeditionary Skills Training (CREST) course. It’s similar to the Marine Corps’ combat training programs and participants learn the basics of Marine Corps operations and history, and receive firearms and martial arts training.

Ihli had been in the Navy 15 years before she experienced CREST training. “I was one of the most senior people in the class – older than most – and I was the only female RP in in the group,” she recalls. “It was rewarding and great preparation for deploying with Marines, but painful!”

Bejarano, who deployed as part of the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU) while stationed in Okinawa, believes that training with Marines allows him to better assist them. “They see me in the field and see me qualify on weapons. They know I’m doing the same work they are and I think that helps them see me as one of their own. They know I’m Navy, but they forget I’m an RP. They know they can count on me and that I’m there for them.”

Part of that trust is rooted in RPs’ commitment to confidentiality. “We are bound by the same confidentiality policies as chaplains,” explains Bejarano. “I work to build that camaraderie and sense of trust.”

Protecting the Padre
RP2 Don Snyder wanted to join the Navy to become a Master at Arms (MA). “The recruiter told me that rate wasn’t available,” he explains, “but if I joined as an RP, I could carry a gun and protect the chaplain. That sounded pretty cool to me, so I signed up. My first assignment was at the Naval Academy, so it was a while before I actually got to perform the duty I joined to do.”

During Snyder’s 12 years of service, he’s done three rotations to a combat zone – two tours in Iraq and one in Afghanistan. Although the religious ministry team is never on the “first push,” they often see plenty of action. Chaplains never travel alone in the combat theater.

“There’s only one chaplain and one RP. The enemy knows that if they can kill the chaplain, they can do a lot to damage the troops’ morale. The chaplain doesn’t carry a weapon, so the RP is their weapon,” says Snyder.

Religious Program Specialists are the only Navy rating tasked with protecting a non-combatant, says Etheridge. “The Geneva Convention allows chaplains to carry weapons – just like docs and corpsmen do – but the U.S. Navy does not. So part of an RPs responsibility is to protect their chaplain and those to whom he’s ministering.”

“Each tour to the combat theater has been different,” says Snyder, “but all required me to protect the chaplain. During my five-month tour in Afghanistan, we’d take mortar fire inside the perimeter and I’d grab the chaplain and find cover. I volunteered for my first Iraq deployment, where we took mortar fire almost daily. I traveled with the chaplain to forward operating bases (FOBs) so he could minister to the troops. We traveled at night by chopper and often took enemy fire.”

Snyder’s third deployment was a three-week whirlwind to every FOB in Iraq. “I was selected to accompany an Eastern Orthodox chaplain as he visited Marines during high holy days. There aren’t very many Eastern Orthodox chaplains, but quite a few Marines who subscribe to that faith. The chaplain wanted to visit as many service members as he could during this important period in the Eastern Orthodox calendar. We hit every FOB in the region and were never in one spot for more than two days.”

The RP Road
The path is different for each Sailor who becomes an RP. Ihli and Snyder started their Navy careers pointed in decidedly different directions, but came to enjoy the camaraderie and fellowship they found in the RP rate.

“I was 22 years old and when they told me I had to work on Sundays, Christmas Eve, Easter and other holidays that everyone else got to spend with their families, I wasn’t very happy,” Ihli recalls. “I was pretty convinced I’d picked the wrong job. But after a while, I came to enjoy it, mostly because of the people. I’ve had the pleasure to work with some great folks and I also enjoy helping people. It’s very satisfying.”

During Snyder’s first assignment as an RP, he did everything he could to position himself for a rate change. He was still focused on becoming an MA, “but things changed for me on September 11, 2001. Four days after the attack, I was in the Pentagon with Special Forces troops, going through the rubble and doing what I could to help people. I realized how important an RP’s work really is. As an RP, I won’t ever head up a patrol or be on the offense, but I now understand that others have to do things that most American’s can’t imagine. Those folks really count on the chaplain and RP to do their jobs; they lean heavy on us for support.”

“The best part of my job is serving with Marines and the brotherhood and sisterhood that go with that,” continues Snyder. “Being forward deployed is a stressful situation, but to be honest, I find it less stressful than the day-to-day drama of paying bills and things like that. When we’re deployed, we have only one concern: keeping ourselves and our fellow service members alive. We are like family and the stress is reduced knowing that my brothers and sisters are looking out for me.”

Bejarano joined the Navy specifically to become an RP. “I wanted to be an RP from Day 1 and the job has exceeded my expectations. Being able to help anyone who comes through the door, regardless of where they’re coming from, is the most rewarding part. If I can meet the needs or expectations of one person each day, I feel it’s a good day.”

Bejarano was led to join the military because of his older brother’s Marine Corps service. “My older brother is a gunnery sergeant assigned to Special Operations Command and, when he returned from his first Western Pacific deployment, he had all kinds of great stories and adventures to share. I wanted to travel, have a career, get promotions like my brother was doing and get money for college. Because I’d been involved with the youth group at my church, my brother suggested I become a chaplain’s assistant.”

After doing some research, Bejarano learned that only some Marines perform such duties, and then only as a side note to their primary military specialty or MOS. He’d have to join the Navy to become an RP.

“I wanted to be like my brother, but not exactly like him, so I joined the Navy. I didn’t want to steal his thunder,” Bejarano jokes.

His younger brother followed in his older brothers’ footsteps and joined the Marine Corps, where he is currently assigned to an Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) unit. Their father has a special room in his home dedicated to his sons’ broad-based military service.

“Being an RP is quite a departure from what my brothers do, but I like to think I keep a balance. RP and Corpsman are the only two Navy ratings that get assigned to the Marine Corps. I have a Fleet Marine Force (FMF) warfare rating and I can relate to the things my brothers … and other Marines … share.”

A Conflict of Interests?
When asked if he found it difficult to reconcile his ecclesiastic responsibilities and desire to help his fellow service members with the possibility that he may be required to take a human life, RP2 Snyder didn’t hesitate.

”I see it as a them-or-me situation. I don’t just start shooting, but if they’re trying to kill us, I see it as self-defense.”

Chaplains aren’t expected to engage in combat, but Etheridge sometimes takes exception to his inability to carry a weapon. “In Romans 13, particularly Verse 3, [which talks about doing what is right] God authorizes government to take action to defend its citizens. Sometimes I feel it would be more immoral NOT to take action against evil.”

Serving Shipmates and Others
Snyder chuckles when he recalls his first encounters with those unfamiliar with the RP rate. “They don’t know what to call us. Some think RP stands for Religious Petty Officer or Religious Person. I just try to let them know we’re here for them.”

In an effort to raise awareness and make a positive impact on their local community, Bejarano and Snyder are actively involved with the RP Association (RPA). The group meets regularly to give RPs in the Great Lakes area an opportunity to connect, participate in community-service projects and strengthen their own professional community.

“We do some training, but we’re mostly here to share the road ahead with one another. There are less than 1,000 RPs in the whole Navy, so it’s important that we support each other,” says Snyder, who is the president of the RPA.

“We have some chiefs and first-class petty officers, but it’s really the RP2s and below who make the organization tick,” says Bejarano. “Our purpose is to let these young RPs know they aren’t alone and that they can rely on their fellow RPs for mentoring and support.”

“We want people to know about the good work RPs are doing, not only within the military, but in our local area as well. As RPs, we often see the need within our communities, so it’s great to be able to do something to support those in need. For example, we recently collected 27,000 pounds of food for the Northern Illinois Food Bank,” says Bejarano, crediting Snyder and RP2s Alejandro Vallediaz, Mark Machemer, Darryl Nelson and John Huey for strengthening the organization. “They are really the backbone of our region.”

“We want people to understand that RPs, as well as chaplains and the entire military religious community, are here to help. Our doors are open to all – active duty, Reservists, veterans, retirees, family members – everyone.”

SIDEBAR
Evolution of the RP Rate
Although the concept of a chaplain’s assistant has been around for more than 130 years, it wasn’t until 1942 that the Navy officially established a specialist rating, (W) for welfare, to assist chaplains during World War II. In order to qualify, Sailors had to be able to play the piano or organ for religious services and direct the choir. Like today’s RPs, they were not expected to serve as religious leaders or perform any of the ministerial functions reserved for the clergy.

The Navy’s Religious Program Specialist (RP) rate was formally established in 1979 and the responsibilities have changed over the years as the Navy saw the need for more specialized assistance for chaplains.

“Today’s RPs are a vital part of what chaplains do,” says Chaplain R. Jeff Etheridge. “They provide all the logistics, like making travel arrangements and ensuring the necessary equipment gets where it needs to be. They’re responsible for all the admin functions and so much more. This is particularly true of shipboard RPs or those serving at the command level, where they provide ministry support, are responsible for the chapel and are often tasked with overseeing the library, including a variety of multi-media responsibilities. The RP really frees the chaplain so that he can minister.”
END SIDEBAR

This article first appeared in FRA Today, the monthly magazine of the Fleet Reserve Association, a congressionally chartered, non-profit organization that represents the interests of the Sea Service community (Navy, Marines, Coast Guard) before the U.S. Congress and is used with their permission.