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01.25.07 Lt. Gen. (ret.) DeWayne Patrick, right, administered the oath of office to Capt. Charles Phillips.
Chaplains complete course at Erskine Theological Seminary A group of military chaplains was honored Thursday during a luncheon in the Founder's Room at Moffatt Dining Hall on the Erskine campus. The chaplains, who are returning to the their duty stations after completion of a three-week course, were recognized by Erskine Seminary Dean Robert Bell. Guest speaker for the occasion was Lt. Gen. (ret.) DeWayne Patrick, who recounted the day of and weeks following the Dec. 12, 1985, Gander, Newfoundland plane crash that killed 248 soldiers and eight crew members. It remains the deadliest plane crash in Canadian history and is the highest one-day death toll for U.S. Armed Forces since World War II. The crash of Arrow Air Flight 1285 came during a flight that was taking U.S. servicemen from a six-month peacekeeping deployment in the Sinai to Fort Campbell, Ky. Shortly after takeoff from Gander International Airport, the aircraft crashed to the ground, causing a fire that burned for four hours. Patrick, then commander of the 101st Airborne Division at Fort Campbell, Ky., used the recollection to honor the chaplains who helped the families of the plane crash victims and to salute the chaplains at Erskine as they return to their duties. The 36 chaplains who dealt with the Gander tragedy stand out in his mind and his heart, he said. "Never have so few done so much for so many," Patrick said. The talk was Patrick's first to any group about the incident. "Of the branches in the Army, other than the infantry," Patrick said with a chuckle. "I respect the chaplains the most." The retired general, who had 31 years of service, served two combat tours in Vietnam, was awarded five Bronze Stars for valor, a Silver Star and two Distinguished Service Medals. After his emotional recollection of the Gander crash, which Canadian officials said was caused by icing, Patrick offered the following advice to the chaplains: "Don't lead by remote control behind a desk. Be interested in what your troops do and be an encourager," he said. "Listen, reward success at every turn — a short note or a kind word is a tonic to a soldier's soul." Patrick also administered the oath of office to Capt. Charles Phillips, who had crosses pinned onto his uniform by his parents, Danny and Ann Phillips. Capt. Phillips will become the chaplain for the 108th Division in four to six weeks, Dr. R.J. Gore said. The chaplains recognized at Thursday's luncheon were: Geoffrey Nicholas Bailey, Roger Michael Benimoff, Diana Louise Crane, Beth Marie Echols, Bret Joseph Gilmore, Bobbie Jean Gunn, Chul W. Kim, Daniel R. Middlebrooks, Simon Kwame Obeng-Kyeremeh, Darin Monroe Powers, Steve William Prost, Pablo J. Rivera, Myung Yuk Ryu, Steven Arthur Slauson, David James Snyder, Michael Wayne Spikes, Earl Wayne Vanderhoff, Michael Keith Weaver, Timothy Eugene Wilson and Sang Joon Won.
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