A spiritual bridge between not only two armies, but two cultures

Defense

Published: 03 Mar. 2024, 15:45

A spiritual bridge between not only two armies, but two cultures

Capt. Kim Joo-il, who serves as a chaplain with the 532nd Military Intelligence Battalion of the U.S. 8th Army’s 501st Military Intelligence Brigade, speaks during an interview with the Korea JoongAng Daily at Camp Humphreys in Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi, on Feb. 20. [MICHAEL LEE]

With his earnest demeanor and light Southern drawl, Capt. Kim Joo-il appears at first glance as another mild-mannered chaplain with the 532nd Military Intelligence Battalion of the U.S. 8th Army’s 501st Military Intelligence Brigade at Camp Humphreys in Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi.

But not many U.S. military chaplains can say they have experience serving as both a Korean and American soldier, and so Kim is perhaps uniquely placed to serve as a “bridge” between, and confidant to, U.S. service members and local soldiers assigned to the Korean Augmentation to the United States Army (KATUSA).

Kim’s unusual road to chaplaincy began in 2004 when he was assigned to the 2nd Combat Aviation Brigade of the 2nd Infantry Division in Pyeongtaek as a KATUSA soldier, where he met U.S. soldiers for the first time.

“Before joining KATUSA, I had never interacted with Americans, but I had no trouble becoming friends with U.S. soldiers because we shared the common goal of protecting freedom and democracy,” he said in an interview with the Korea JoongAng Daily at Camp Humphreys on Tuesday.

Kim recalled that he immensely enjoyed working with the U.S. Army and often took his roommate and fellow soldiers on trips around the peninsula, including his hometown of Ulsan and nearby Suwon and Seoul.

But throughout his upbringing and before his KATUSA service, Kim sensed a “divine calling” urging him to “serve God and the nation.”

“My grandfather was killed in action during the Korean War, and my grandmother and father struggled with his absence,” he recalled. “As she and both of my parents were devout Baptist Christians, I felt from a young age that the purpose of my life was not about earthly matters but rather about glorifying and serving God’s kingdom. Of course, I also had moments of wandering and feeling lost, but my relationship with God became deeper as I personally encountered God in my life.”

During a trip to Camp Bonifas on the demilitarized zone as a KATUSA soldier, Kim met his own battalion chaplain, whom he said later helped “guide” him to become a U.S. Army chaplain himself.

After completing his two-year KATUSA service in 2006, Kim went on to study at the South Western Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth, Texas. His time as a KATUSA soldier made him realize that he wanted to serve in the U.S. military, and so in 2015, he joined the U.S. Army under the Military Accessions Vital to National Interest program, which also offers a pathway to U.S. citizenship for enlisted soldiers.

After a brief stint at the 16th Combat Aviation Brigade at Fort Lewis, Washington, he found himself posted to Korea — and back at the 2nd Combat Aviation Brigade, where he previously had served as a KATUSA soldier.

Kim said his previous experiences as a KATUSA soldier helped him encourage and empathize with current Korean conscripts during his two-and-a-half years as the noncommissioned officer in charge of the brigade’s orderly room.

“I focused on motivating the KATUSA soldiers under my care and filling them with a sense of purpose, and I drew on my own experience as someone who was once in their shoes,” he said, adding that he “sometimes pushed them to perform better,” but “always advocated on their behalf when they were the subject of complaints.”

Since commissioning as a U.S. Army chaplain in 2020, Kim says that he has worked with many U.S. and KATUSA soldiers, whom he observed struggle with common feelings of loneliness and feeling “stuck” despite their different backgrounds.

“Korea is often the first posting for many junior American soldiers after they complete advanced individual training, and they can sometimes feel stuck and isolated in a foreign culture far away from home for the first time,” he noted, adding that although KATUSA soldiers don’t feel as culturally isolated, “they can feel like they’re wasting precious time” by taking a hiatus from their studies to fulfill their military service requirement.

Regarding his approach to counseling, Kim said that empathy and “active listening” have worked best with soldiers seeking guidance.

“I can offer direct help in some cases, but I don’t have the ability to solve most issues. In those instances, I find that actively listening, showing empathy and asking clarifying questions help soldiers reach their own answers.”

While Kim observed that chaplains can sometimes be “underappreciated” because their visible public activities within a battalion are religious, he emphasized that the paramount significance of their work lies in counseling and offering guidance, which by nature must remain unseen.

“All soldiers know that the things they disclose in the chaplain’s office will never leave the room, and this 100-percent confidentiality is necessary for both U.S. and KATUSA soldiers to feel comfortable coming to the chaplain to speak about their issues.”

Regarding counseling, Kim said that “actively listening, showing empathy and asking clarifying questions have helped soldiers reach the answers they need and perhaps already know.”

The chaplain also observed that more Americans seek guidance from him than Koreans, which he put down to differences in training and cultural attitudes toward counseling.

“U.S. soldiers are informed during basic training that they need to go see a chaplain when they want to speak with someone confidentially, whereas I’m not sure how the Korean Army informs their soldiers about seeking support from their chaplain.”

As a former KATUSA soldier and someone who now spends a lot of time listening to the concerns of American and Korean soldiers, Kim said that members of both KATUSA and the U.S. Army should strive toward more active communication to understand each other.

“For better mutual understanding, I believe constant and active efforts at engaging in communication is the key,” he said, adding that dialogue should not just be limited to discussing issues, hardships, and differences.

“U.S. and KATUSA soldiers should get out of their comfort zones and get to know each other better by not just sharing barracks, but also trying to forge genuine lifelong friendships, mingling with one another, and spending more leisure time together.”

BY MICHAEL LEE [lee.junhyuk@joongang.co.kr]