Chaplain Corps (United States Army)
military unit
The United States Army Chaplain Corps (USACC) consists of ordained clergy of multiple faiths who are commissioned Army officers serving as military chaplains as well as enlisted soldiers who serve as assistants. Their purpose is to offer religious church services, counseling, and moral support to the armed forces, whether in peacetime or at war.
Established on 29 July 1775, by an act of Congress to serve the Continental Army, the chaplaincy has been involved in every armed conflict in which the United States has partaken. Many different modes of operation and structures have been used over the course of the Corps' existence; currently, chaplains, duly endorsed by a religious body, serve as commissioned officers alongside an enlisted Religious Affairs Specialist; together, they make a Unit Ministry Team, assigned to battalion-level units and higher.
History
Revolutionary War
Prior to the formal establishment of chaplains within the Continental Army, clergy were already serving within regiments of their respective colonial militias at the pleasure of the regimental commander. However, the Chaplain Corps formally traces its origins to 29 July 1775, when Congress passed a resolution establishing pay for various roles within the Continental Army. Chaplains were allotted $20 per month ($622.70 in 2025)). This action officially recognized the men already serving within the Continental Army, either appointed specifically by their respective colonies or helping on a part-time basis. Throughout the fall of 1775, the number of chaplains fluctuated up and down from as low as fifteen to as high as twenty two. Seeking more stability within the chaplaincy, on 31 December 1775 George Washington asked for a pay raise for the chaplains, noting that some owed more money to the clergy replacing them in their church than they were being paid by the military.
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