What Unites Us

One weekend a month and two weeks a year, I go by the name Chaplain instead of Pastor John.

I completed those two weeks of training at Camp Ripley last week and am grateful for the time spent with soldiers and building my own skills.

I cultivated stronger bonds with soldiers conducting chapel services, spending time in the field during training exercises, and talking to soldiers as issues came up. We honored a soldier who’d died in a car accident at the end of April and grieved with his family.

Each day is a new adventure for me as a chaplain. I never know who I’ll talk to or what concerns will arise. 

Sometimes, external voices influence what’s going on with my soldiers. You may hear from our military leaders, including one with Forest Lake roots, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, that diversity, equity, and inclusion are not part of the military.

He’s right. But probably not for the reasons he believes. What I continue to see are diverse leaders who put the mission and people first. Female Soldiers promoted to positions of leadership feel an expectation that they have to prove their worth more than males. In my conversations with them, they do not take this responsibility lightly. They are some of the finest leaders I’ve ever worked with professionally.

When I see a sergeant or officer with a diverse background, I don’t assume they became leaders because of the color of their skin. I expect a certain level of competence and that their skills will match their rank.

I have yet to see someone promoted because they check a box. I see good leaders who assume positions of responsibility because they’ve earned the right to take on more responsibility.

In a recent speech at West Point, Secretary Hegseth told graduating cadets that the priority is lethality over likability. 

Again, he’s not wrong. That’s our job and that’s our mission. But it has always been that way. How we train hasn’t changed. He added that woke ideology has no place on the battlefield.

I’m not sure what he means by that. I see professional citizens striving to become more proficient in their skills and duties. The standard is the standard. Very rarely do any ideologies come up while groups are working together.  

You might be surprised, but political ideologies are not discussed openly either. We remain an apolitical organization. When conversations about politics or politicians do come up, they risk splitting us apart or isolating a soldier who has a different affiliation than their leader.

The reality is that we are a naturally diverse Army. When we put on the uniform, we take an oath to defend the Constitution against all enemies, foreign and domestic. That is what unites us.  

The past two weeks continued to demonstrate what makes our country great. It’s the people. It’s the soldiers encouraging each other while doing a difficult mission. It’s the commander who took a mistake and turned it into a teaching opportunity.

It’s the privilege to serve alongside people who have vastly different life values and experiences than me. Our number one goal is to build trust with each other.

Leadership comes and goes. This is the third different administration that I’ve served under. Policies and politics are always loudest from the top.

At the level I’m at, I remain proud to serve alongside soldiers of all walks of life. Our Minnesota National Guard remains a trusted and dependable force that you, as a citizen of our state, can be proud of, too.

Pastor John Klawiter is the senior pastor of Faith Lutheran Church, an ELCA congregation in Forest Lake. For more information, email him at