page_title: Charles Brent
section_title: Chaplain of the American Expeditionary Forces
hierarchical_section_title: Charles Brent / Missionary Bishop / Chaplain of the American Expeditionary Forces
caption_attribution_description: English: John T. Axton in 1921
context_page_description: Charles Henry Brent was the Episcopal Church's first Missionary Bishop of the Philippine Islands; Chaplain General of the American Expeditionary Forces in World War I; and Bishop of the Episcopal Church's Diocese of Western New York. The historian and Episcopal minister Frederick Ward Kates characterised him as a "gallant, daring, and consecrated soldier and servant of Christ" who was "one of modern Christendom's foremost leaders, prophets, and seers."
context_section_description: By the beginning of the first World War, Brent was "a world-renowned figure, a friend of national leaders in many countries, a citizen of the world, a foremost leader in the affairs of his Church." In 1917, he left the Philippines permanently because of ill health.
  Brent suffered from "recurring heart attacks that left him temporarily incapacitated." However, he refused to reduce his work load. As an example, Brent resigned as the missionary bishop of the Philippines on October 20, 1917. Then he began an even more stressful work in Europe as the Senior Headquarter's Chaplain of the American Expeditionary Forces."
  General John J. Pershing was Commander of the American Expeditionary Forces. He knew Brent; he had been baptized and confirmed by him in the Philippines. Pershing invited Brent to be the Chief-of-Chaplains of the American Expeditionary Forces. Although Brent was "a lover of peace," he accepted the invitation. He served in this capacity from 1917 to 1918.
  During his service, Brent was sometimes called "the khaki-colored bishop." He often functioned as "a good-will ambassador" reconciling disagreements between organizations and between nations, especially between Great Britain and the United States. Brent was chosen in 1918 by Pershing to deliver the General's message to the men on the American and British ships stationed in the North Sea. He convinced the French government to take action against the "organized vice which threatened the morality of the army."
caption: Brent, 2nd from Right, while Chief-of-Chaplains of the American Expeditionary Forces, 1917–1918
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