MARINE COPRS RECRUIT DEPOT PARRIS ISLAND/EASTERN RECRUITING REGION, S.C. - -- On July 13, Sgt. Charles Santangelo, one of the top 10 recruiters from 6th Marine Corps District in Rock Hill, S.C., took his poolees out for a motivational run. After the run and playing a game of soccer with them, Santangelo bid them goodbye and talked with some of the other recruiters. He was complaining of chest pains. He agreed with the other recruiters to have the problem checked out. A couple of hours later Santangelo was found dead. Being healthy and athletic had not protected him from a sudden and tragic death.
Within 40 minutes, Cmdr. Tim Williams, a chaplain with U.S. Navy Volunteer Training Unit-704 in Charlotte, N.C., was at Santangelo's widow's door, prepared to break the news to her and offer spiritual comfort.
Reserve chaplains serve as part of the front line for recruiters who may be miles away from any military installation. The isolation from the rest of the Corps is part of what drives Williams and other chaplains.
"The Marine recruiter doesn't have a base," said Williams. "They're out on their own."
Williams, however, is not. The Marine Corps believes that a casualty assistance call officer, and a chaplain should be the first to contact the next of kin in cases of death, said Williams. Unfortunately in the case of Santangelo, his widow had learned about her husband's death through other means.
"By the time we got there, she had already found out," said Williams, "but I was able to go and minister to her."
With recruiters spread throughout the country, many times chaplain support comes for them through the reserves. When a casualty assistance call goes out from a recruiting district, often it's the nearest reserve station that receives the call. In the case of Santangelo, the Navy/Marine Corps Reserve Center in Charlotte, where Williams drills, was closest. From there, the available chaplains decide among themselves who will be dispatched to meet the CACO and visit the family.
The response time to the scene once the call goes out can be very quick. Though 30 miles from Rock Hill, Williams was at the door in 40 minutes.
"I was able to respond very quickly because it was a drill weekend," he said.
While the CACO handles details such as funeral arrangements, the chaplain handles the intangibles. Chaplains must be ready to handle the family member's expectations.
"When they see us pull up in dress uniforms, they know something is up," said Williams. "We try to get the family to sit down because it's a very emotional time."
Once inside the house, the chaplain's focus remains on helping the family of the deceased through their difficult time.
"I'm there to offer spiritual comfort," said Williams. "If they have a pastor or priest locally, I will contact them."
Prayer, counseling and even hugs are a part of helping the families out, said Williams. Oftentimes the deceased is a complete stranger to the chaplain. Though it's difficult to share such a personal moment with someone you don't know, chaplains draw from their own experience to help them.
"I deal with it from my experiences as a pastor," said Williams. "I've dealt with relatives of family members who have died."
Williams sometimes finds his best ice-breakers in the family's home.
"I look around the room and see pictures of a Marine or sailor, and make a comment about it. That unlocks a flood of information about the individual. They want to tell their story. After a while, I feel like I know them. You have to be a compassionate listener."
Williams has plenty of experience to draw from and a long history with the Navy/Marine Corps family. He has served with the Navy and Marine Corps for 30 years.
He first enlisted in the Marine Corps in 1973, passing through 3rd Recruit Training Battalion. After two years of active duty, he continue to serve in the reserves for eight more years while he studied to become a Baptist minister.
He was commissioned as a Navy chaplain in 1983. He has continued to provide spiritual guidance to Marines and sailors ever since.