KEH
Photos provided from the Kentucky National Guard
[caption id="attachment_4039" align="aligncenter" width="600" caption="Chaplain (Col.) Dolan says mass to fellow Soldiers"]
CONTACT: Lt. Col. Kirk Hilbrecht, 502-607-1556, cell 502-352-8008
Hi resolution photos available at:
http://www.kentuckyguard.com
[INTERVIEW OPPORTUNITY: Chaplain Colonel Patrick J. Dolan will be available for telephonic or on-camera interviews from 4:15pm to 4:45pm on Wednesday 17 November at the Louisville Fairgrounds Armory at 2729 Crittenden Dr. in Louisville. PLEASE call Lt. Col. Hilbrecht in advance to coordinate.]
Frankfort, Ky. (Nov. 16) -- Kentucky National Guard Chaplain Col. Patrick J. Dolan has been selected to serve as the Army National Guard Assistant to the Chief of Chaplains for the United States Army. Dolan becomes the first Roman Catholic priest to serve the Army National Guard in this capacity.
Dolan will be responsible for developing programs and policy in dealing with the 2,800 members of the Army National Guard Chaplains Corps and the 365,200 Soldiers they serve.
Dolan has been nominated for promotion to the rank of brigadier general as is authorized for his new position.
Dolan has been serving as the Chief of Chaplains for the Kentucky Army National Guard since 2004. His new duties require him to assist the Chief of Chaplains of the United States Army with National Guard issues.
"Most of our chaplains in the Army National Guard are traditional (part-time) Guard members and have responsibilities to their local churches and communities that are not easily replaced," said Dolan. "I'll be responsible for advising those unique dynamics to Army leadership."
Dolan, said he, looks forward to working with chaplains of all denominations from all 54 states and territories. "We have to help our chaplains grow and balance their lives with their duties with the National Guard. Each state and territory and the District of Columbia has its own flavor, its own historic character and demographic distribution, its own uniqueness."
When asked what his appointment means to Kentucky, Dolan laughed and said, "It will bring some notoriety to the Commonwealth, I suppose. Seriously, this will allow someone from the heartland to speak to the folks in DC."
Dolan's civilian and military callings have been closely intertwined. Ordained a priest in May 1978, he was sworn into the United States Army as a chaplain in 1986. He later took the same duties with the Kentucky Army National Guard in 1992. Dolan has deployed four times to Iraq and has served on missions in Ecuador, Egypt, Germany, Korea, Kuwait, Panama and Saudi Arabia.
Among his most memorable assignments was the memorial service for Sgt. Darrin Potter, the first Kentucky Army Guard Soldier to die fighting in Iraq. "Death is never easy for any Family and this hit our Guard family hard," Dolan said.
Dolan's education includes a doctorate in inorganic chemistry from Indiana University as well as a doctorate in theology from the School of Theology, Vatican City, Rome. He also attended Harvard as part of his studies in the U.S. Army War College in Carlisle, Pa.
Dolan resides at the St. Bernard Parish in Clementsville, Ky., located in Casey County. He serves there, at Sacred Heart Parish in Liberty, Ky., and the Hispanic community in three counties.
"We are extremely proud of Father Pat Dolan," said said the Most Rev. Joseph E. Kurtz, archbishop of Louisville. "He is a wonderful and faithful priest, always serving others. And his involvement with the Army and the National Guard has been so typical of the unselfish way he has served others in the name of Christ."
Kurtz also recognized the members of Dolan's two parishes for the support they've given him. "They have been extremely helpful in helping him with his responsibilities and I thank them for their generosity."
Dolan's enthusiasm for the National Guard is evident as he prepares to take on his new duties.
"The Guard is spectacular," Dolan said. "There's no two ways about it."
###
[caption id="attachment_4040" align="alignleft" width="224" caption="Chaplain (Col.) Dolan presides over mass in South West Asia"]
[caption id="attachment_4041" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="Chaplain (Col.) Dolan presides over mass in South West Asia"]
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION FOR MEDIA
Army Chaplaincy Background:
http://www.army.mil/info/organization/chaplaincy
Since July 29, 1775, approximately 25,000 Army Chaplains have served as religious and spiritual leaders for 25 million Soldiers and their Families. From military installations to deployed combat units and from service schools to military hospitals, Army Chaplains and Chaplain Assistants have performed their ministries in the most religiously diverse organization in
the world. Always present with their Soldiers in war and in peace, Army Chaplains have served in more than 270 major wars and combat engagements.
Some 400 Army Chaplains have laid down their lives in battle. Six have been awarded the Medal of Honor. Their love of God, Country and the American Soldier has been a beacon of light and a message of hope for all those who have served our nation. Currently, over 2,800 Chaplains are serving the Total Army representing over 130 different religious organizations. Over 800 Chaplains and Chaplain assistants are currently mobilized or deployed in support of contingency operations throughout the world.
Mission Statement:
The US Army Chaplaincy provides religious support to America's Army while assisting commanders in ensuring the right of free exercise of religion for all Soldiers. In short, we nurture the living, care for the wounded, and honor the fallen.
Vision Statement:
Spiritual Leadership for the Army Family.
Kentucky National Guard Background:
http://www.kentuckyguard.com
http://dma.ky.gov
The Kentucky National Guard is comprised of nearly 8,400 Soldiers and Airmen in the Army National Guard, a component of the United States Army, and the Air National Guard, a component of the United States Air Force.
The National Guard is unique because it is the only military force in the world with a dual mission: federal and state.
Kentucky National Guard Soldiers train to assist the federal government in combat and peace-time missions. Since Sept. 11, 2001 the Kentucky National Guard has mobilized and deployed more than 14,000 Soldiers and Airmen in support of the Global War on Terror.
Currently, the Kentucky National Guard has Soldiers and Airmen in Afghanistan, Iraq, Kuwait, Qatar, Greece, the UK, Djibouti, Honduras, Spain, and Oman.
The Kentucky National Guard remains ready to assist communities with disasters on the home-front. Whether it is a flood, tornado or snow storm - or providing security for events such as the Kentucky Derby - the Kentucky National Guard is here for the people of the Commonwealth of Kentucky.