First Native American U.S. Army chaplain grateful to serve in Vietnam, despite injuries

Charles LeClair grew up on a small farm in East Bressie, Okla., that was given to his father as a member of the Ponca tribe. At 14, he began attending Chilocco Indian School, an agricultural school for Native Americans.“ At Chilocco Indian School, I started attending Sunday School provided by the Home Mission Board of the SBC,” LeClair said. “That was where I first accepted Christ as my Savior. That decision has carried me my whole life.”

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What a Story! Glory to God! Veterans Day is this Monday! Give them your thanks for serving America!

Baptist Press

By Tobin Perry, posted November 8, 2024 in National NewsNorth American Mission Board

SHAWNEE, Okla. (BP) – The impact came out of nowhere — but Southern Baptist Chaplain Charles LeClair will never forget it. Suddenly, another truck barreled toward them, slamming into their jeep and sending LeClair hurtling to the ground.

It was September 1969. LeClair and his assistant were traveling a dirt road in South Vietnam between Long Binh Army Base — the largest U.S. base at the time — and Phu Loi Base Camp. As the chaplain for the 103rd Engineer Company at Phu Loi, LeClair had an important job to do — a memorial service for a battalion soldier killed in action.

They stopped at a narrow bridge crossing a river and waited for oncoming traffic to pass. As they waited, LeClair and his assistant were listening to a replay of Super Bowl III from six months earlier, when Joe Namath led the underdog Jets against the heavily favored Colts.

After serving as a Southern Baptist pastor in Alaska, Oklahoma, and Kansas, Charles LeClair became the first Native American chaplain in the history of the U.S. Army when he was commissioned in 1967. Submitted photo

Then came the crash.

“When I regained my senses from being thrown to the ground, I discovered severe lower back pain,” recalled LeClair, the first Native American to serve as a chaplain in the U.S. military.

The impact was powerful enough to bend the steering wheel. Yet, even in that moment, LeClair’s thoughts remained fixed on the duty ahead.

When he arrived at the base, his commanding officer, also a Southern Baptist, said: “Give me your Bible. I’m going to take care of the service.”

“I can do it if I can stand up,” LeClair said. And that’s exactly what he did. More Here

Pastor Jerry McCullah served in Vietnam, I asked him to write about his time in the war Here

Pastor Jerry also leads us in Veterans Day Prayer 2024

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