When I attended seminary, I enrolled in the chaplaincy course, which focused exclusively on hospital ministry. I had no idea that military chaplaincy even existed; it simply wasn’t part of the curriculum. Later, when I joined Freemasonry, several of my lodge brothers -- many of them veterans -- told me I would make a good military chaplain. Their encouragement planted a seed.

In 2011, at age 42, I received a direct commission as a first lieutenant in the Army Chaplain Corps. I completed the Chaplain Basic Officer Leader Course (CHBOLC) in 2012, and in 2013, I was deployed to Afghanistan.

I chose the Army because it allows me to be fully myself -- faithful to my Christian tradition while supporting soldiers of all backgrounds in their right to freely practice their beliefs. I come from a non-military family, with only one grandfather who served briefly. Even so, military discipline has profoundly shaped my personal, professional, and ministerial life for the better.

Chaplain (Maj.) Julio Vargas, American Legion Post 160, San Juan, Puerto Rico