The History of the Chaplains Hill Monument Project

The modern history of the Chaplains Hill Monuments Project begins in 2008.

Ken Kraetzer, a New York member of the Sons of the American Legion, recognized an important omission at Chaplains Hill. Four Army chaplains had famously given their life jackets to others and died together when the troop transport Dorchester was torpedoed and sank in the North Atlantic in 1943.

Three of the Four Chaplains were represented among the names memorialized on Chaplains Hill. The fourth—the Jewish chaplain—was not.

That discovery led to a partnership involving the Jewish Welfare Board and Jewish War Veterans and ultimately to an effort to create a monument honoring Jewish chaplains who died while serving the nation.

Congress unanimously approved the Jewish Chaplains Monument in May 2011, and later that year the new monument was dedicated at Arlington National Cemetery.

The dedication corrected an important historical omission. It also focused attention on the other monuments standing on Chaplains Hill.

Recognizing Another Gap in the Record

At the time of the Jewish Chaplains Monument dedication, it became apparent that the Protestant Chaplains Monument contained the names of chaplains from World War I and World War II but did not recognize those who had died in service in the decades following 1945.

The Protestant plaque itself has a long history. It was originally cast for display at the General Commission on Chaplains and Armed Forces Personnel building in Washington, D.C. When that building was later sold, the plaque was transferred to Arlington National Cemetery and incorporated into the Protestant Chaplains Monument.

The National Conference on Ministry to the Armed Forces (NCMAF), as the successor organization associated with this legacy, undertook the effort to update the monument.

Historian Greg Tardieu conducted extensive research to identify chaplains who met the same general eligibility criteria used for the original plaque. From that research, a list of eligible chaplains was developed, and planning began for an additional plaque recognizing those who had died in service since World War II.

From Adding Names to Preserving the Monument

As the proposal developed, Arlington National Cemetery staff identified another important issue.

The existing Protestant plaque was embedded in a concrete stele that required continuing maintenance and repair. Arlington officials recommended replacing the concrete structure with granite.

A granite structure would provide a more durable setting for the historic plaque while bringing the Protestant monument into greater visual harmony with the neighboring Catholic and Jewish chaplain monuments.

The project therefore evolved beyond simply adding names. It became an effort to preserve, renew, and update Chaplains Hill itself.

After years of research and planning, NCMAF delivered a comprehensive proposal to Arlington National Cemetery in July 2019.

On March 10, 2020, the proposal was determined to meet the cemetery’s stringent requirements.

But the path to final approval would prove considerably longer.

Building National Support

Support for the project expanded beyond NCMAF and the military chaplaincy community.

In May 2021, the American Legion National Executive Committee adopted a resolution supporting the project and recommending approval by the appropriate historic preservation authorities, the U.S. Commission of Fine Arts, and the Department of the Army.

Congress also became increasingly involved.

The National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2022 included language giving the Secretary of the Army authority to permit the updating of the monument. Army officials subsequently determined, however, that the provision did not waive an existing statutory 25-year waiting period affecting the addition of names.

NCMAF and its supporters therefore returned to Congress. Subsequent NDAA language authorized the Secretary of the Army to waive the waiting period.

These congressional provisions were important, but they remained permissive rather than directive: they gave the Secretary authority to approve the project but did not require approval.

A Bipartisan Effort

Over the course of the project, congressional support came from members of both political parties and both chambers of Congress.

Among those involved were Senators Raphael Warnock of Georgia, John Boozman of Arkansas, John Kennedy and Bill Cassidy of Louisiana, and Maggie Hassan of New Hampshire.

House supporters included Representatives William Keating of Massachusetts, Doug Lamborn of Colorado, Jack Bergman of Michigan, and Debbie Wasserman Schultz of Florida.

Their involvement reflected the bipartisan nature of an effort centered not on politics, but on properly honoring America’s military chaplains.

Persistence Through Setbacks

In 2022, NCMAF assembled a comprehensive package proposing additions to both the Protestant and Catholic monuments. At that stage, approximately 20 eligible names were included.

When approval did not follow, NCMAF continued refining the proposal while additional legislative authority was pursued through Congress.

By 2024, an even more extensive submission had been prepared.

The Chiefs of Chaplains of the Army, Navy, and Air Force provided names for consideration, strengthening the process by connecting the proposed additions directly to the military services.

The proposal also included a historic mitigation plan designed to preserve the historical record of the original concrete Protestant monument if it were replaced with granite.

Despite years of research, legislative action, and refinement, the project encountered a major setback.

In April 2025, the Secretary of the Army declined to approve the requested monument updates under the authority Congress had previously provided.

For NCMAF and the many people who had worked on the project, the decision was a significant disappointment.

But it was not the end of the effort.

Congress Makes the Update a Requirement

Following the 2025 denial, NCMAF again turned to Congress.

Representative William Keating, assisted by Representative Jack Bergman and others, advanced new legislation addressing the Chaplains Hill monuments.

This time there was an important difference.

Rather than merely authorizing the Secretary of the Army to approve the project, Congress adopted language directing that the monuments be updated.

The provision became part of the Fiscal Year 2026 National Defense Authorization Act, enacted in December 2025.

It was the decisive turning point in the project.

After years in which congressional legislation had permitted the Army to act, Congress now directed that the monument update move forward and that eligible chaplains be appropriately recognized.

Following enactment, the lists supplied by the Chiefs of Chaplains were reviewed again, and an additional rabbi was added to the proposal.

NCMAF continues to work with the Army to refine the project and finalize the names to be included.

A Collective Effort

The Chaplains Hill Monuments Project has never been the work of a single person or organization. Across nearly two decades, many individuals have contributed research, leadership, advocacy, professional expertise, legislative assistance, and persistence.

Among those identified as playing important roles are the Rev. Bishop Derek Jones; retired Chaplain Jack Lee; NCMAF Executive Director Doyle Dunn; historian Greg Tardieu; American Legion leader Brett Reistad; Anita Raines and Loren Mink of the Archdiocese for the Military Services; Rev. Dr. Washington Johnson; NCMAF Board Chair Rev. Renée Owen; and retired U.S. Marine Corps Major William Collins, who provided legal counsel and legislative guidance.

They joined many others from the military chaplaincy community, veterans organizations, faith communities, Congress, and government agencies who helped move the project forward.

Preserving a Legacy of Service and Sacrifice

The Chaplains Hill Monuments Project is ultimately about more than stone, bronze, granite, or names engraved on a memorial.

It is about memory.

Military chaplains have accompanied America’s service members into war and peace for generations. They have served aboard ships, in hospitals, on airfields, at remote installations, and on battlefields around the world.

Some died while ministering to those entrusted to their care. The monuments on Chaplains Hill provide a permanent place within Arlington National Cemetery where that service and sacrifice can be remembered.

From the discovery of a missing chaplain’s name in 2008, through the dedication of the Jewish Chaplains Monument in 2011, years of historical research, repeated submissions to Arlington National Cemetery, bipartisan congressional action, setbacks, and ultimately a congressional mandate, the project has required extraordinary persistence.

Its completion will represent the culmination of many years of work.

More importantly, it will help ensure that the chaplains who gave their lives in service to the nation are remembered by name.

Their ministry accompanied America’s service members in life.

Chaplains Hill will preserve their memory for generations to come.