European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - January 18, 1990, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Thursday. January 18, 1990 the stars and stripes Page 9 Over Here of chaplains booze Battles Benefit others by Ron Jensen staff writer for years their bibles hid their bottles. They went about the lord s work with bleary eyes and Blurry minds sipping behind the scripture. One counselled alcoholics when he was t on .1 Binge of his own. Even As the other prepared to minister to addicts his lessons vanished into an alcohol induced tog. They never doubled heir Christian Faith yet they worshipped boo a. And when they had fallen deep into alcohol s hell they reached for the heaven they knew would pull them out. I be always believed that whatever happened in my life Good or bad god. Would pull  says the younger one. I always thought. When god is ready for me to Stop drinking then i la gel a direct signal " he got his signal. They both did. They arc sober now and serve together As air Force chaplains on a base in West Germany. One is in his mid-40s, sober for nine years. The other is in his mid-30s. 13 years removed from his last drink. Their commitment to alcoholics Anonymous prevents them from revealing their names. The base commander requested that the base not be identified to further conceal the identities of these men and the other chaplains. But they Tell their Story to let others know that alcoholism can be vanquished and a productive military career can follow. They talk also because they want commanders to know that alcoholics need not be punished for their addiction. The addiction is punishment enough. They have to View the alcoholic As a real human person a person with a problem the older chaplain says. Too often even As the services become More enlightened about alcohol addiction commander continue to regard it As a discipline problem they say. A  with a drinking problem returns from treatment Only to have his Job status lowered. Do not treat them As you would someone who has been sent to correctional  says the older Man. Speaking indirectly to  the alcoholism is worked with the discipline will come  his colleague adds. Let the Man or woman do their Job. Don t say you want to help the person and then continue hurting them by giving them a Lowe Job or trying to get rid of them. The chaplains arc admitted experts on the subject As familiar with a s 12 Steps toward recovery As they arc with the ten commandments. The drinking started when 1 was 14," the younger one says. The first Lime i can remember having More than one drink i can t remember the rest or the  the next seven years of his life were clouded by an alcoholic Haze. Lessons were read and promptly forgotten. Even now. He has bouts of memory loss. Two seizures and a Rush to the emergency room failed to open his bloodshot eyes to his problem. Friends left him. His brother and sister students on the same Campus avoided him. He attended Church and Sang in the choir still planning to follow in the footsteps of his father an Grandfather both ministers. And he received that signal from god. It came when a Friend slyly suggested he go through alcoholic rehabilitation allegedly so he could knowledgeably counsel others to do the same. When the Center director suggested he should seek the treatment for real that too. Was a signal from  older colleague also drank As a teen Ager. And he continued to drink through College and through the Seminary and after he had been ordained and following counselling sessions with alcoholics and during his first years in the service. When he counselled men and women he told them of the tenets of a. He told them of the Healing Power of Jesus Christ s love. He knew what to Tell others because he shared their illness. I m a trained alcoholic Counselor on both sides of the desk he says. One Day he directed his lessons and his Faith at his own problem. After praying for so Many others he prayed for himself. He asked the lord to help him. To show him the Way toward sobriety. At that moment. I fell More Power than i had i m a trained alcoholic Counselor on both sides of the  air Force chaplain Ever Felt in my life he says. With an assist from a. He and god conquered the bottle. Despite their personal Faith neither Man thinks a relationship with god is necessary to heat alcoholism. They say the higher Power mentioned in a literature can be defined by the individual. The higher Power can be the a group one says. If their years of drink robbed them of friends and relationships it has rewarded them with insight. Nothing they studied in the textbooks at the seminaries better prepared them for their work than what they did after class. When they counsel an alcoholic that person benefits from years of firsthand experience. I have credibility the younger one says. And both believe their history of alcohol abuse helps them Deal with any personal problem the might be asked to counsel. I have suffered the younger one says. And i know what it s like to  they suggest a sen  with a drinking problem seek help from the base chaplain. That person might be startled to find a knowledgeable listener across the desk. The main comment i get on bases is. Not you. You arc such a Good Christian. You re a chaplain the younger one says. I m a human being. I was t born a