Photos by Steven Boitano, Steve Janssen and archives
The collegiate Gunhus graduated from Seattle Pacific College in 1962.
YOU'RE INVITED TO A PENTAGON TOUR WITH MAJOR GENERAL GUNHUS!
On April 20, 2001, SPU's Alumnus of the Year,
Chaplain (Major General) G.T. Gunhus, will host alumni for a personal tour
of the Pentagon and lunch in the Executive Dining Room. Lunch begins at
12:00 noon, with the tour at 1:30 p.m. For more information, or to make
reservations,
call 206/281-ALUM.
Reflecting on his fallen comrades, Gunhus pauses at the Vietnam War Memorial in
Washington, D.C.
As the 2001 Alumnus of the Year
The Pentagon, headquarters for the U.S. Department of Defense, is virtually a city of 23,000 employees. Somewhere along 17.5 miles of highly polished corridors is a door leading to the office of Major General Gaylord T. Gunhus. The chief of chaplains for the U.S. Army, he is a man at the nerve center of the "best-trained, best-equipped fighting force on earth."
For Gunhus to hold that position, it was necessary for the President of the United States to "repose special trust and confidence in the patriotism, valor, fidelity and abilities" he possesses. Along with that trust came a promotion to two-star general and the oversight and care of 2,323 active duty, National Guard and reserve chaplains worldwide.
Because of his contribution to countless American soldiers in more than
three decades of service, Seattle Pacific University has also awarded G.T.
Gunhus, Class of 1962, its highest honor: Alumnus of the Year for 2001. Gunhus and his family will be special guests during SPU's Homecoming
celebrations in February. At several venues, including Homecoming Chapel on
February 1, the chaplain plans to relate the keys to his successful rise in
the military ranks.
"The principles of faith, as taught at Seattle Pacific, can never steer us
wrong," says the certified paratrooper, father of three and grandfather of
six. "I will challenge students to live by those values. They are what hold
us steady. By them, graduates will spread throughout the world and become
beacon lights. That is the significant impact of SPU. That is what has
lasting and eternal effect."
"When General Gunhus talks about the influence of SPU alumni, I listen,"
says President Philip Eaton. "He embodies the University's vision for
preparing graduates of competence and character who go on to change the
world. I'm so pleased that we are honoring his achievements in this way."
Time and again in a career spanning the Vietnam War, the end of the Cold
War, the Persian Gulf War, and multiple peacekeeping missions to The Balkans
and elsewhere, Gunhus has seen the Christian gospel make a difference.
During the height of the Vietnam War, except for his own combat tour, the
former Centurion and resident of Moyer Hall was stationed at Ft. Lewis,
Washington. The central processing facility for new draftees on their way to
the war zone, Ft. Lewis was a sea of frightened faces looking toward an
uncertain future. It was a war to which the nation was not fully committed,
and the raw recruits did not want to die for an unpopular cause."They were lined up from six in the morning until nine at night getting
processed," Gunhus remembers. "There were three of us chaplains to minister
to this unusual community. We might have them for six or seven days at most,
then a new batch took their place.
"They needed assurance, so we talked to them and prayed with them. Many were
looking for a way out, but we prayed for their courage. The next time we'd
see them was a year later when we'd do a discharge service for them upon
their return. They had survived by the grace of God. They would ask,
'Remember me? You listened to me and heard my pain. You prayed with me. You
were the only thing that stood between me and going AWOL and a dishonorable
discharge.'"
Optimism and grace in difficult circumstances is what drew SPU Alumni
Director Doug Taylor to Gunhus. Taylor flew to Fort Myer, Virginia, in 1999
to attend the confirmation ceremony that placed Gunhus at the head of Army
chaplains. "It takes a kind, approachable person of great fortitude to
minister to the needs of soldiers," says Taylor. "G.T. is the consummate
diplomat, and the other chaplains at the ceremony expressed a tremendous
respect for the man."
Donald Demaray, the Senior Beeson Professor of Biblical Preaching at Asbury
Theological Seminary, was Gunhus' former professor and dean of the School of
Religion at Seattle Pacific. Thirty-eight years later, he continues to send
Gunhus occasional letters of encouragement. "He is marked by integrity and
care in work, and enjoys a happy family life," says Demaray. "He is
thoroughly dedicated to the Lord and his kingdom. I am so proud of him."
Gunhus' diplomacy is firmly tested by the sheer diversity of faith
traditions represented in today's Army. When his father, H.J. Gunhus, was a
career Army chaplain in WWII, soldiers were basically Jewish, Orthodox,
Roman Catholic or members of one of seven Protestant denominations. Today,
G.T. Gunhus works with 238 separate religious affiliations, including Islam."It's become a very complex world and under the First Amendment, we must
facilitate the free exercise of religion," he explains. "Each cleric agrees
to what we call cooperation without compromise. As a Lutheran Brethren
clergyman, I can do sacramental ministry for Protestants, but I can't do
mass for Roman Catholics. I must find a priest to do that. And while I wish
to win
everyone to Jesus Christ, I must make accommodation for the Muslim soldier.
We currently have six imams, or Muslim clergy, in the Army."
Sometimes such accommodation can be hard to come by. Gunhus' greatest
challenge is the dwindling number of Catholic priests nationwide. While
approximately 27 percent of Army soldiers claim to be Roman Catholic, only 8
percent of the chaplains are Roman Catholic. "They work very hard. We have
100 active duty priests when we need 300."
A balance of faith traditions is not the only challenge to today's Army.
While recruitment quotas were met in 2000, they fell short in 1999. Since
1989, the total number of Army personnel has dwindled from 785,000 to
485,000. The end of the Cold War, the lack of a unified national resolve
such as the country experienced in World War II, and the absence of a
central threat to national security are the primary causes."And yet we're being deployed to 10 times the number of places than ever
before," Gunhus says. "We now have American soldiers on peacekeeping
missions in 66 different nations from Kuwait to East Timor. We're there to
preclude warring factions and to help with a return to normalcy. It's a
highly fluid, unpredictable environment for the soldier to be in."
It is those uncertainties and the far-flung deployment of troops that keep
the chief of chaplains on the move. At the Pentagon, his days typically
begin between 7 and 8 a.m. and rarely end before 7 or 8 p.m. He might be
"called to the Hill" to testify before Congress, and there are frequent
receptions when he must "put my bow tie on" and rub shoulders with the
administration, members of Congress or officials from Defense.
Among the casualties for dedicated denizens of the Pentagon like Gunhus is
any semblance of free time. Gaylord and his wife, Ann, like the water and
soon after arriving in Washington bought a boat in which to cruise the
historic Potomac River and Chesapeake Bay. But in one year, the boat stayed
moored for 363 days and was sold soon after.
The life he leads is consuming. One of Gunhus' primary duties is to visit
his flock around the world, to be "a pastor to the pastors." Another is to
be a spiritual advisor to the Army's senior leadership. He is chaplain to
four-star generals and has immediate access to the highest ranking general
in the land.
"It is through God's providence and divine will that I find myself here," he
says. His is a position of influence that is limited by statute to a
four-year tenure. That suits Gunhus. Laboring in what he calls "the glass
fish bowl" is not something he'd want to do forever.
Gunhus credits his wife for the sacrifices she made to hold the family --
two sons and a daughter -- together while his career took him away from home
so much of the time. "She's my greatest hero. You can take away the medals
on my chest because my greatest credentials are my family. Theirs was a
greater sacrifice than mine. They had no choice in the matter." Still the 6'2", 187-pounder he was a generation ago, G.T. Gunhus
accepts that his time is not his own. It's a reality that comes with doing
what he loves, and he knows that it will one day come to an end. For now, he
keeps mind and heart fixed on the lives and eternal destinies of America's
warriors.
"Chaplains are the one safe haven soldiers have," he says. "They know it's
OK to ask for our help."
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