In Saudi Arabia, there were chaplains right behind the front lines. He has been awarded the Bronze Star for disarming a soldier who planned to end his life and Barefield's with a live grenade. Over the years Barefield has learned that going above and beyond the call of duty and wearing many hats is a fact of life in the topsy-turvy world of the military. I've been a mechanic, confidant, psychologist, electrician, mailman and minister all in one day. I've learned that to be a successful chaplain I have to be good in many areas, not just one.
Today is no different.
After preaching in the first service, Barefield, the regimental chaplain of the Sergeants Major Academy, joins a dozen third graders for Sunday school. Later, he counsels a couple in their late 40s who plan to marry. Neither attends his chapel. We provide specifically for people of our own faith group. The opportunities for evangelism and discussion with soldiers about their spiritual condition, then leading them to a relationship with Christ, are numerous, given that a high percentage of them express no religious preference.