Chaplain Guthrie Awarded Medal

By Dr. Scott Carson, Director • BMAA Chaplaincy

BMA Chaplain (Colonel) Kevin Guthrie, a Chaplain and 2003 graduate of the BMA Seminary, was recently awarded “The Order of Martin of Tours” medal, a prestigious U.S. Army Chaplain Corps regimental award during the 2022 Religious Leader Symposium in Southbridge, Mass. Chaplain Guthrie was awarded for “Demonstrating the highest standards of integrity and moral character, displaying an outstanding degree of professional competence, selflessly serving soldiers and families and contributing to the promotion of the Army Chaplaincy.”

“I’ve learned, from my service in the Army, that the success of individuals is due to the many team members who support them,” stated Chaplain Guthrie. “I’ve been incredibly blessed through the years to have served on so many great teams that were singularly focused on the mission as well as taking care of their people, along with the great support of chaplain assistants who serve with an absolute commitment to the Army. It has been my honor to be able to influence the shaping of the Army to become more receptive to religious freedoms and religious expression among our military service members.”

Chaplain Guthrie went on to say, “Chaplains represent two professions, the profession of arms as a military officer and the profession of the clergy. While chaplains minister to the chapel congregants, they also minister to people at their job sites, whether on post or on a patrol in combat. The responsibility of advisement to our commanders regarding religious matters is part of our professional duties, as well as the mentorship of many young chaplains. Lastly, our acumen is tested daily as we navigate the bureaucracy of the largest employer in the world.”

Chaplain Guthrie is scheduled to retire from active duty on Nov. 1, 2023, after serving over 36 years in the Army, with the last 20 years as a military chaplain representing the BMA of America. Guthrie noted, “A chaplain’s primary job is to nurture the living, care for the wounded and honor the fallen. Our day-to-day jobs insert us directly into the lives of soldiers and army civilians who are giving everything they have to ensure the United States stays protected from our enemies.” He continued, “As chaplains, we are honored and privileged to be able to serve the best our nation has to honor… our soldiers and their families. We meet people where they live and work when they are at their best or at their worst during life’s most important events.”

Chaplain Guthrie is now assigned to the United States Army Materiel Command as the command chaplain. This command consists of 190,000 soldiers and army civilians who ensure materiel readiness for a globally dominant land force. The Army Materiel Command oversees 10 major subordinate commands across the global Army footprint. These include:

• City management-like services of 73 Army garrisons

• Contracting services for the Army,

• Financial management for the Army,

• Foreign military sales,

• Supply for all soldiers,

• Aviation and missile maintenance and resupply,

• Electronics and communication across the U.S. Armed Forces,

• Bomb and ammunition production and storage for all U.S. Armed Forces,

• Global distribution service over land and by sea implementing more ships than the Navy and

• Production and maintenance of ground combat systems for the U.S. Army.

The Order of Martin of Tours medal Chaplain Guthrie was recently awarded is titled in honor of a soldier’s religious experience. Martin of Tours was a Roman soldier who served in the fourth century and was stationed in Gaul, now modern-day France. One winter, he encountered a beggar outside of the city gates and although Martin did not have coins to give him, he cut his wool cape in half and gave it to the beggar. That night in a dream, Jesus appeared to Martin wrapped in the same cloak.

Today, the remaining half of Martin’s cape is enshrined for protection in memory of that selfless act. In Latin, the word for cape is “capella” and from it is where the military chaplain derives their title and where we also get the word for our military chapels.