National Civil War Chaplains Museum

Before the familiar symbols we know today, U.S. Army chaplains debated for years how to represent faith on their uniforms. In 1880, the Army introduced the first official insignia for chaplains: a shepherd’s crook, a silver staff symbolizing pastoral care and spiritual guidance. The insignia lasted only briefly, as the Army removed it in 1888, leaving chaplain uniforms plain and without symbols. In 1898, the Army approved a new insignia: a silver Latin cross, symbolizing the Christian faith and service. Christian chaplains embraced it, but as more Jewish rabbis joined the Army chaplaincy, they needed a symbol of their own.

Jewish leaders petitioned the War Department, requesting a design that equally represented their faith. Secretary of War Newton D. Baker initially attempted to eliminate all crosses, proposing the shepherd’s crook for everyone, but many Christian chaplains opposed the change. On October 15, 1918, the Army reached a solution: Jewish chaplains would wear a unique insignia, the Tables of the Law topped with the Star of David. This decision marked an important step toward religious inclusion, recognizing that spiritual service in the Army came in many forms.

Come visit the Chaplains Museum to learn more about the different chaplain insignias used throughout US military history!

Images: Jewish Chaplain Insignias from 1990-2000 displayed in the Chaplains Museum.

Help the Chaplains Museum expand our collection and add new exhibits! Look for the "Donate" section at the link in our bio. 

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On this day in 2001, the Bush Administration, supporting the Northern Alliance, sent U.S. troops into Afghanistan. In the months that followed, U.S. forces captured key cities like Kandahar and Kabul, significantly weakening the Taliban’s grip and paving the way for the democratic election of Hamid Karzai as president in 2002. Despite this, the Taliban regrouped in Pakistan, prolonging the conflict. U.S. forces targeted their strongholds in Afghanistan and Pakistan with success, ending active combat in 2014 and fully withdrawing by 2021, marking America’s longest war.

Serving among the soldiers during the prolonged war were chaplains, including Chaplain Daniel W. Thompson. Chaplain Thompson served in Kabul Afghanistan from September 2019 to July 2020. When discussing the unique hostile environment during his time in Afghanistan, Chaplain Thompson stated, “We were fighting ISIS on one side and COVID-19 on the other.” For his chapel team’s courage and commitment during their deployment, Chaplain Thompson received the HC Chaplain Corps Patch.

To learn more about the service of Chaplain Thompson and the legacy of other chaplains who supported U.S. troops in Afghanistan, visit the Chaplains Museum!

Image 1: Chaplain Thompson took this chaplain field kit with him when stationed in Afghanistan from 2019-2020. Generally, a chaplain field kit would contain a communion set and linens, holy water, a stole, and other items to conduct worship.

Image 2: Chaplain Thompson’s HC Chaplain Corps Patch.

Help the Chaplains Museum expand our collection and add new exhibits! Look for the “Donate” section at the link in our bio.

#chaplainsmuseum #libertyuniversity #chaplain #militarychaplain #afghanistan ...