Explosions in woods simulate the battlefield as an instructor barks commands.
“You are not following simple instructions! Cover me while I move! Got you covered! Let’s go!”
This is the U.S. Army Chaplain Center and School at Fort Jackson, South Carolina, where the Army trains clergy of all faiths how to survive in combat.
Once many of these chaplains complete this modified basic training they will head to war in Afghanistan and Iraq, where the explosions and gunfire are not simulated.
Here at Fort Jackson, on a range in the woods, there is a bevy of broken down cars and trucks to simulate an urban battlefield.
The army says being a chaplain in combat is among the most dangerous jobs because the chaplains move from base to base ministering to soldiers.
