17 minute read
Honoring and Remembering: TJH Speaks with Chaplain Ephraim Travis
Honoring and Remembering
TJH Speaks with Chaplain Ephraim Travis
BY SUSAN SCHWAMM
Chaplain Travis, I know you served in the military for a few years as a chaplain. Before we start, can you give us a bit about your background?
The truth is, I’d rather not talk about myself or my service for Memorial Day, because Memorial Day really is about honoring our fallen heroes who’ve paid the ultimate sacrifice. It’s a somber, meaningful day to really pay homage to those who pay the ultimate sacrifice so that we can live the life that we do.
A few years ago, in 2015, I was invited to speak to a school on the day after Memorial Day. My message really was that most people, especially, frankly, in the frum world, don’t really pay much attention to Memorial Day. It’s interesting to contrast how, I think, in many ways, the Jewish community here in the United States pays more attention to Yom HaZikaron for the IDF’s fallen soldiers than they do for American troops.
I agree but perhaps that’s because they don’t know so many fallen U.S. soldiers.
That is true. But I can tell you that unfortunately in the global War on Terror, we’ve had close to 60 Jewish fallen. These are people from all walks of life, from various spectrums of Yiddishkeit, who paid the ultimate sacrifice so we can live our lives the way we do. I can give you names. I can tell you a little bit of their stories.
I would love to hear more about them. Before you proceed though, can we talk about what it was like being a chaplain in the military?
Sure. On a personal level, what resonates with me when it comes to Memorial Day was, as a chaplain, one of my responsibilities was to be the escort officer for the next of kin notifications. Those assignments certainly remain the single most honorable thing that I’ve ever done in uniform, and something that I’ll never forget. But as honorable as they were, it was also the hardest thing to do. As an oncall duty chaplain, I had a duty phone. My responsibility was to act and engage and react whenever that phone rung. And whether it was for any kind of emergency on-base where a soldier needed to speak to me, or a family member, or in cases of next of kin notifications. When I got a call, I had to scramble as quickly as possible, change into my dress blues, go to the casualty assistant’s office, and contact the next on-call duty chaplain. And then sometimes it was a very slow drive to a soldier’s family.
And there’s nothing that can prepare a person. There’s nothing that could have prepared me for the tidal wave of anger and grief from parents, a spouse, wife, husband, children, siblings – for just that maelstrom of emotions. For example, I mean, nothing could have possibly prepared me to have gotten spit in the face, slapped by a grieving mother who just lost her son. There’s nothing that could have possibly obviated me when she told me that I disgusted her because, as a representative of a G-d, I should be ashamed of myself that that G-d has taken her son away. There’s no PowerPoint slide that could have possibly taught me how I’m supposed to somehow set aside and stash my own emotions, recognizing the terrible torment, the anguish of this poor mother. And that I’m supposed to stand firm and comfort her, or just pretend to be stoic as she just goes through the five steps of grief.
It’s these kind of things, admittedly, that I actually get really frustrated about within the collective of the frum community, who don’t pay much attention. I am disappointed about the apathy shown towards our brothers and sisters in uniform. Again, some who I would actually call kedoshim.
I would like to see more than just a small percentage of us who are veterans, who know veterans, love veterans, or lost veterans commemorate Memorial Day. I want people to understand what the day is really about and to really spend some time in reflection. I’m not suggesting that people shouldn’t go and have a barbecue and shouldn’t enjoy the day. But at least spend a few moments in quiet reflection. And I’ll go one step further. Even spend a few minutes maybe even saying a kapitel Tehillim or even being misbodeid, if you will, to Hakadosh Baruch Hu that we live in a Medina Shel Chesed, bought and paid for by our brothers and sisters in uniform who paid the ultimate sacrifice.
You know, several years ago, the organization Kosher Troops sought to work in conjunction with many of the shuls in the New York, New Jersey area because Shavuot and Memorial Day coincided. They sent flyers with the various names of Jewish fallen, just from the global War on Terror, and asked shuls to set aside just 30 seconds during Yizkor to remember those troops. Unfortunately, it was not well received at all.
I’m blessed that my parents are still very much alive and well. All my siblings are alive. And yet, as a chaplain, as a veteran, I received permission
from my parents, as soon as I put on the uniform, to start saying Yizkor for our fallen. Baruch Hashem, I don’t have a chiyuv, but I’ve been saying Yizkor for the past 10 years.
Did you know any of the Jewish fallen personally?
Yes. Were you their chaplain?
Not officially. I was their Jewish chaplain, but in Iraq, for example, I was the Jewish chaplain for all of Iraq in 2011. I had a soldier who joined me for Pesach in Baghdad. He came from an extremely challenging background. He was adopted, and he did not know his birth mother. If I recall correctly, it was his father-in-law who convinced him to join the army. Shortly before he deployed, he was able to get his birth records unsealed, and he discovered that he was born to a Jewish mother. He was so taken by that, that he actually legally changed his name to a Jewish name.
That’s beautiful.
Really, the Passover that he spent with me was the only Passover that he ever had in his life. Tragically, he did take his own life. But I do consider him to be a casualty, because, unfortunately, he suffered from PTSD there, as a result of combat and the various other things. Anybody who really knows about combat-related PTSD knows that somebody who commits suicide, it really is a casualty of war. And when I say he was a brother, he was a friend, he was a congregant of mine. He was married and had a son. I’ve been wearing a memorial bracelet to honor his memory for the past three and a half years.
That is so very tragic. How many years were you a chaplain in the army?
I was on active duty for four and a half years. And then I was in the reserves for three and a half.
What years were you in active duty?
Providentially, my very first day of active duty was the anniversary of D-Day. June 6, 2010, at 13:00 hours, is when I reported for duty at Fort Jackson, South Carolina, to begin my army career.
What does being in the reserves entail?
It’s not like millu’im in Israel. I had monthly obligations. I’d go for training weekends every month. And then there were two weeks of training during the summer that were obligatory. And of course, I could’ve been called up. Unfortunately, my career ended prematurely because I have a chronic illness that’s not letting me continue with my service. But I have no regrets. I would do it all over again in a heartbeat if I could.
How do you get trained to become a chaplain in the army?
The army has a chaplain school. There are prerequisites to becoming a chaplain. But in terms of basic soldiering skills and chaplaincy, the army has the Chaplain Center and School in Fort Jackson, which is in Columbia, South Carolina. The schooling is around three and a half months.
Aside from the schooling that you went through were there any Jewish lessons that you would impart to your soldiers?
Sure.
What lessons did you try to convey to the members of the unit who unfortunately experienced a casualty in their unit?
So often I would just give them the L-R: SSG Miriam Elisheva Aumann; PFC Steven F Shapiro, a”h, who passed away on Shemini Ateres 10/21/2011; SGT opportunity to debrief and to decom- Arasha Reece; and Chaplain (CPT) Ephraim Travis, as press and just to share their experienc- Chaplain Travis sells his chometz to his chaplain assistant, es, allow them to cry as much as possi- SGT Reece, on erev Pesach 2011, in Victory Base Camp, ble. Often, in the world as we know it, Baghdad, Iraq emotions and tears are somehow synonymous with weakness.
I would always tell my soldiers that “there’s one with counseling with people from all walks of life as place that you should be able to cry. It’s with me well, which included, many times, grief counseling. as your chaplain. You should be able to cry on my shoulders.” I had some of the toughest soldiers in Can we talk about some of the Jewish serthe world cry on my shoulders. I had some special vicemembers who lost their lives in the operations guys and special forces guys who had global War on Terror? come to me as well, just because I was the chaplain I’ll be happy to. I’d like to talk about Specialist on-call. When I was in Iraq, for example, on my Daniel Agami. I’m actually in touch with his mother base, I was one of two on-call duty chaplains for a on a very regular basis, through social media. He base of over 10,000 personnel. was originally from Cleveland. His parents now live in Coconut Creek, Florida, not far from Miami. How many years were you in Iraq? Daniel was in an infantry unit out of Schwein-
I was in Iraq for 10 months. furt, Germany. Unfortunately, he was KIA in Bagh-
You asked earlier, but as far as the idea of im- dad in late June 2007. Daniel was known for his parting lessons, it’s really about being able to rec- integrity. He was a big guy. Even though he was ognize the contribution of the soldier who passed part of an infantry unit – there’s a reputation that or who was killed or died – just being able to truly infantry personnel are rough and tumble and gruff memorialize that soldier, ensure that we honor his because it’s a tough job and part of the job as an infantryman is to really hunt down the enemy – and yet he had a soft heart. He mentored Iraqi orphans. He had gone to a Jewish day school.
How did you know him? soldiers in the world cry on I did not know him personally. Actually, he was killed before I even joined the army. But I got to my shoulders.” know his parents, particularly his mother, a little bit as I was joining the army. And then I met his mother and father on several occasions at military Shabbatons. And we connected, and we keep in or her life by living a life of purpose and meaning, touch on social media. and truly finding whatever small bits to truly per- Because of Daniel’s adherence to Torah and sonalize the connection of that soldier and what it mitzvot to the best of his ability, he was affectionmeans to have lost that soldier. ately known by his fellow soldiers as “GI Jew.” Even
I like to describe my job as a chaplain is that in Iraq, he kept kosher while he was in the army, to I was a chaplain that happened to be Jewish. The the best of his ability. He slept with an American important distinction there being is that my job as and an Israeli flag over his bunk. His rifle had a sign a chaplain was to provide and to be available to peo- that was titled the Hebrew Hammer. ple from all walks of life, regardless of background, He was so proud of being Jewish. He really was. religion, race, creed, etc. It didn’t matter. I wouldn’t quite say secondary to that, but perhaps equal to What a kiddush Hashem. that, was that wherever I was based, my job was Very much so. also to provide and lead services for Jewish person- Another person I would like to highlight is Navy nel. I was a unit chaplain. I was part of command Lieutenant Miroslav, or Steve, Zilberman. Every staff and guiding and advising commanders about time I think of him, in my opinion, I believe that a various things. Ironically enough, even as a divor- building should be named after him because of his cee, I led many marriage retreats. I was very busy heroism. He was originally from the former Soviet
Offi cer Michael Brodsky Coast Guard Petty Offi cer Nathan Bruckenthal Navy Lieutenant Steve Zilberman Specialist Daniel Agami
Union, but he came to the United States and lived in Columbus, Ohio. He was a pilot and was assigned to an aircraft carrier. His plane was the E-2 Hawkeye, which is a propeller plane that has a disk on the top. He was based out of Norfolk Naval Station in Virginia, but he was on a mission in the Persian Gulf.
In late March 2010, he was heading back to the aircraft carrier. Now, an E-2 Hawkeye, if I recall correctly, has a crew of four or five. And unfortunately, the plane suffered catastrophic engine failures. Lieutenant Zilberman knew that, if he left the controls, then the plane would hurdle into the sea. So, knowing full well that he was going to die, he remained with the aircraft after all the engines died, allowing the rest of the crew to eject safely. They survived, but unfortunately, the navy searched for Lieutenant Zilberman’s body for three days, but his body was never recovered.
That is more than a hero.
The way I put it, rather soberingly, is imagine staring down the Malach Ha’Maves knowing that you are absolutely going to die, just so you can save the lives of four of your comrades.
So now you can understand when I speak of these people, I refer to them as kedoshim. Whether he was observant or not, to me, is irrelevant. He was a Yid who gave up his life for his battle buddies, for his fellow brothers and sisters in uniform in service to our country.
Another Jewish hero I’d like to talk about resonates very deeply with me. I have a service dog, so his story really connects with me.
Petty Officer 2nd Class Michael J. Brodsky was from Tamarac, Florida, and was assigned to a security detachment out of San Diego. He was KIA in Kandahar Province, Afghanistan, on July 21, 2012, from injuries related to an IED.
He was an EOD tech, which is an explosive ordinance disposal technician. In other words, he was the bomb squad. In those kinds of situations, he had a working dog whose job was to go out ahead of the rest of the patrol to sniff for possible explosives. In this case, the insurgents detonated one bomb, and his dog was injured. The relationship between the dog and its handler in the military – it’s something that I can’t describe. It’s even closer than that of other dog-human relationships. They’re quite literally relying on each other for each other’s lives. To the point where, at least in the U.S. Military, to really underscore how paramount that construct is, the dogs always outrank their handlers.
Petty Officer Brodsky’s dog was injured. And then Petty Officer Brodsky went out to rescue his buddy, his four-legged buddy, who was not just a companion. And unfortunately, when Officer Brodsky went out to rescue his buddy, a second explosion was set off. And unfortunately, Officer Brodsky was mortally wounded and passed away.
As I said, there are 60 plus Jewish servicemen who lost their lives in the global War on Terror.
Petty Officer 2nd Class, Nathan Bruckenthal was originally born, I believe, in the Netherlands but he lived in the United States. He was part of a special operations team in the Coast Guard, providing port security in and around the Iraqi port in the Persian Gulf. There was a boat that was coming to launch an attack, filled with explosives. Petty Officer Bruckenthal intercepted the boat along with another, I think, three people. But unfortunately, he was killed. He was the first of the Coast Guard’s men to be KIA since Vietnam. Because of his heroism, there’s actually a Coast Guard ship that was named after him.
These people are true heroes. Serving our country and giving their lives for our freedom. Are we any closer now to ending the War on Terror?
That’s a great question. Because the struggle, of course, is that this is really a war of an ideology. Not to get too political, but case in point what’s going on in Israel right now is a similar ideology. And that’s always a struggle.
Why did you decide to join the army?
I heard the food was good.
But really, there are several reasons. Number one – and this is not in any order of preference or import – it was a childhood dream. Growing up, we all have dreams as little kids. I never really shared this with too many people growing up, but to be a soldier was always my dream, to be particularly an American soldier. It was also an opportunity to show our hakaras hatov to this country. For the opportunity to walk around, to serve Hakadosh Baruch Hu the way we do, without fear.
I’d just gotten divorced shortly a few months beforehand. And it was also the best opportunity for me to be able to support my children financially, being able to provide for them.
Additionally, there’s a family legacy of service. I grew up hearing stories about my forbearers. My father’s half-brother served at Vietnam. My father’s father served in World War II in the navy. My grandmother, my mother’s mother, worked for the Department of the Army for 29 years. My mother’s uncle served in the army as well, as a tank mechanic. My father had uncles who served during World War II as well. So I grew up hearing these bits and pieces. And it was just an honor to be able to carry on a family legacy of service, within the framework of hakaras hatov.
What message do you have for readers for Memorial Day?
Memorial Day is a day of reflection. And when you hear the term, or you might be inclined to say to a veteran, “Thank you for your service,” really spend a few minutes reflecting on what that really means. It shouldn’t just be a reflexive, knee-jerk type of thing. Really reflect on it.
Especially on Memorial Day, if the readership happens to come across a veteran, understand that there’s a certain amount of reverence, in my opinion, that should be carried forth. Understand that that veteran might be in a place of reflection, thinking about his or her battle buddies, whether here or no longer with us. And that’s really what Memorial Day is all about. It’s a day of recognizing and acknowledging those who paid the ultimate sacrifice in defense of our country.
