The military chaplain: stories of strength, courage and need
Movie, speaker to share voices of the chaplains, past and present
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When the movie, "Fighting Spirit: Combat Chaplain's journey" is shown Sunday night at the South Marion United Methodist Church, there will be a special bonus. One of those present finished a deployment of nearly a year while serving as a chaplain for Iowa, and will be on hand to explain his experiences and talk about the film
Captain Tim Hadley, is a chaplain assigned to the 1st Battalion, 133rd Infantry, 2nd Brigade team, 34th infantry division in Waterloo. He graduated from the U.S. Army Airborn school at Fort Moore, Georgia several years ago, and returned from his deployment to Syria this past winter.
He will be there to talk about the film and his experiences as a chaplain.
"I'm very excited," said Greg Carlson, one of the organizers of the movie and their special speaker, Hadley.
Hadley is not in the film, but has seen the movie and now has the real life experience of serving the Iowans were were deployed last year.
"There have been chaplains as long as there have been militia," Hadley said. He will be there for both the movie, which begins at 2 p.m., and will be there to talk about his own mission.
"It's really a neat educational piece," he said, "but it also speaks to the caregivers."
When Hadley deployed with his division last year, he left behind his wife, a son in high school and a daughter in college. He currently is the the Cardinal Community School District, serving as principal of the High School.
"I'm just going to open with some things I've experienced," he explained. "It's an afternoon of fellowship, I just hope we inspire someone."
As a high school principal, he realized his deployment would put him with those taking that next step after high school, with most between 18 and 22 years of age.
"I have an online presence," he said, "Especially on new deployments, lots of moms and parents reach out, and I try to provide a source of inspiration. It's scary having people across the world."
With his own deployment, the impact on the family left behind became clearer.
He hopes with this film, that others will want to do more to assist with the spiritual and emotional challenges, that everyone faces, not just in the military.
"Everyone can be that person to someone," he said. "What's neat about the chaplaincy, a lot of hospitals, business, educators are now putting this into their operations."
"I like to think on any given day you will encounter someone who is having either their best day or their worst day," he said, and he wants people to consider, "Who am I going to be on that day."
It's a missing piece, he explained, especially since Covid. "I think we are looking at a generation that is just craving something, someone who can help them with a spiritual, emotional journey."
Hadley was a principal at Oelwein High School, when he learned he might be able to serve the Iowa National Guard as a chaplain. He had made attempts to join the service when younger, but had suffered a football injury, which created barriers to serve. At the age of 38, he accepted a direct commission into the Iowa Army National Guard.
Hadley has served churches, but has not taken an assignment since returning from Syria.
"I do some pulpit rotation now, and I still serve different churchs," he explained. "I've been at the MAC Life church in Blairsburg, and ,have filled in several times.
He will be there again on Sunday morning.
"My church on Sunday mornings are middle class farmers from southern Iowa," he said. It was different when he was deployed.
"When you are there, you serve with the British, had a contingent of soldiers, some French, and everyone co-mingled with all the different branches of service."
And it wasn't just military. "There are also the Syrian locals that you minister to on the base. I moved from this homogenous group to groups of all different types.
Hadley will be home here in Iowa at least for a while.
"The Iowa National guard is on a 5 year rotation for deployment, but we will be up in another 4.5 years," he said. I don't have plans, but if asked I'll go."
But he also sees there is a place he is needed here in Iowa.
"There's a mission field in our own back yard," he concluded.
The movie should begin at 2 p.m. and last for about an hour and a half. When the film is over, Hadley will speak, and there will be refreshments and fellowship to follow.
The South Marion United Methodist Church is located at 1392 390th St. in Stratford.