He supported US Special Forces – now he's helping the next generation of British recruits
A war-torn American flag hangs on the wall. Next to it, copious items picked up from two decades of active military service, often in far-flung parts of the world.
"That flag flew at FOB Wolverine in Afghanistan in 2012. I got in the helicopter to leave and it was still up, so I hopped out, cut it down, and brought it home."
I’m standing in Captain Luke Redmond’s office, a US Army chaplain currently working in the British Army under an exchange programme between the two allies.
His role here, at ITC Catterick in North Yorkshire, is to be on hand for any spiritual guidance or advice infantry recruits might have as they navigate the rigours of basic training.
But don’t let the softness of the job fool you.
Before becoming a man of God, Redmond served in the US Army for years, including with the 101st Airborne Division – the admired Band of Brothers unit made famous by its exploits on D-Day, and of course, the hit TV show.
When his time as a combatant concluded, the 39-year-old Ohio native continued to serve as a military chaplain.
But faith-based service has been anything but peaceful.
Until July, Redmond was "Chappy" – the nickname used to describe military chaplains stateside – to US Special Forces based in Germany.
In preparation for that role, he undertook jump training and moved his family to Stuttgart to be with him in post.
Supporting Special Forces with significant problems
How do you actually do that, I ask. What sort of problems do the world’s most elite soldiers knock on his door with?
"I would say the biggest difference is when you look at the Special Operations community, whether they are SEALs, Green Berets, SAS or SBS – and I had the privilege of working with SBS in Afghanistan – they recruit, assess and select for problem solvers," Redmond says.
"So, a lot of times, by the time they get to you, they’ve been trying to work on whatever that thing is pretty diligently, right? The low-level stuff, they get it sorted and they’re fine.
"But when they do finally come to the conclusion that they need those subject matter experts – whether it be the chaplain, operational psychologist, welfare or whatever it is – that problem has often matured quite a bit.
"And so, you have a mature population, with mature problems. And sometimes, they’re pretty significant."
I want to pry further; wouldn’t it be fascinating to understand more about the types of operations he’s been on hand for when it comes to supporting Navy SEALs?
But I can’t; there’s a press minder sitting in the corner of the office, making sure I don’t stray too far down these sensitive matters.
Redmond is, however, happy to give his view on supporting elite personnel grappling with things like taking another person’s life.
"Having gone on missions and deployments [before becoming a chaplain], I have a certain lens that I look at my ministry through, and I’ve been successful up to this point.
"It goes back to God’s plan for my life, you know; what I did then got me to now and if it took going through some stuff to get somebody else through some stuff, then it was worth it."
Hegseth reforms - recent changes for faith in the US military
The role of military chaplains in the US has recently been the focus of reform under Secretary of War Pete Hegseth.
In July, chaplains like Redmond were ordered to remove their rank insignia and instead wear only badges denoting faith. The so-called 'Hegseth Reforms' also saw the list of approved religions and beliefs reduced from over 200 to just 31.
Trump’s man in the Pentagon also sacked the Army’s Chief of Chaplains, Major General William Green Jr, and cancelled the service’s 'spiritual fitness guide' – which had served as a pocket guide to faith in the military.
Hegseth had taken issue with the frequency which terms like 'feelings' had been used in the publication.
It’s a chapter to his military service that Redmond perhaps didn’t expect to encounter, but he’s characteristically calm about the changes, the result of which means he no longer wears the badge of an Army captain.
"We don’t make the policy, we follow the policy," he says, adding, "when that policy changes we adapt and overcome; we head out and meet the mission."
A cool guy for the next generation of Army recruits
Redmond’s role here in the UK might appear to be worlds away from some of his earlier experiences, which prior to serving with "the glorious" 101st, included time as a chief in a helicopter unit working on Black Hawks.
It will be vastly different to supporting the likes of the Green Berets on ops, but his job nurturing the next generation of British soldiers, in his view is equally important.
“My job is to make them as comfortable as possible. If their corporals or sergeants have them with their berets on sitting at a modified position of attention to meet with me, the first thing I’m going to do is say, 'Hey, take off your beret. Relax. Do you need a tea or a coffee?’
"My job is that they’re comfortable with me to converse with me, and it’s [the corporals’] job to maintain that level of discipline outside here."
As we wrapped up our conversation, which included Redmond showing me a special coin handed to him by the commander of the SBS for the time he worked with the unit back in Afghan, I asked if any of the Phase One recruits in Catterick had yet plucked up the courage to call him 'Chappy'.
"Not yet," came the answer.
But apparently, it will be fine when somebody does.
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