RICHMOND, Va. –
First Lt. Stanley Bouadi, a chaplain assigned to the Virginia National Guard’s Virginia Beach-based 529th Combat Sustainment Support Battalion, 329th Regional Support Group participated in the International Young Chaplains Course with military chaplains from 12 other nations Sept. 25-29, 2023, in Helsinki, Finland.
A total of 30 chaplains from the United States, Finland, Belgium, Denmark, Estonia, Germany, Latvia, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, United Kingdom, Sweden, and Ukraine participated in the event, hosted by the Finnish Defense Forces.
Joining Bouadi from the U.S. was Capt. Michael Kearney, an active-duty chaplain assigned to the 10th Mountain Division.
Participants in the International Young Chaplains Course shared capabilities and limitations of their respective nation’s chaplaincy corps through mixed media presentations, according to Kearney. A team of Ukrainian chaplains provided a presentation on chaplaincy during the current conflict and shared insight into their struggles.
The chaplains also received training on military ethics and an overview of special operations forces Soldiers’ expectations for chaplains, according to Bouadi.
In addition, Bouadi and Kearney provided a presentation on U.S. Armed Forces chaplaincy, with an emphasis on Army chaplaincy and the National Guard.
“I was delighted that Chaplain Bouadi was provided this opportunity to represent the Virginia National Guard's Chaplain Corps during this international engagement,” said Col. Seung Lee, the Virginia National Guard state chaplain. “He did an outstanding job in providing insight to our international mission partners on how the Chaplain Corps not only provides ministry to our Soldiers and Airmen, but also how this type of incarnational ministry is a force multiplier for commanders. Chaplain Bouadi is a great representation of the future of our Chaplain Corps."
“This is a first and further shapes successful development of Multinational Religious Support Interoperability across the European Theater,” said Col. Ben Sprouse, a Virginia National Guard Soldier, who is currently serving as the V Corps deputy chaplain (forward). “Chaplain Bouadi’s upcoming mobilization to Europe [with the 529th CSSB] and Virginia’s relationship with Finland made him the ideal candidate for this significant opportunity.”
One reason Bouadi was selected was because of the VNG’s enduring relationship with Finland, which includes military training exchanges between Finnish Defense Forces and VNG Soldiers and Airmen.
Finnish troops served with Virginia’s 29th Infantry Division during the Stabilization Force 10 rotation in Bosnia-Herzegovina in 2001-2002, sparking enduring friendships, and VNG personnel have trained shoulder-to-shoulder with their Finnish counterparts for many years, building deep professional and personal bonds.
In recent years, Soldiers and Airmen conducted cyber training with their Finnish counterparts, competed in a Finnish sniper competition, and learned from Finland’s expertise operating and thriving in Arctic conditions, among other exchanges.