Chaplains have rendered service to our Armed Forces since the opening salvos of the Revolutionary War at the Battles of Lexington and Concord, where pastors and ministers assisted Patriots and their wounded. Two notable ministers in that era were John Witherspoon, the only active clergyman to sign our Declaration of Independence, and Peter Muhlenberg, who famously rallied Patriots to the cause and commanded the 8th Virginia Regiment.

Nine military Chaplains are recipients of the Medal of Honor.

I have previously profiled Chaplains CAPT Joseph O'Callahan (USN) who served in World War II, CPT Father Emil Kapaun (USA), who served and perished in Korea, and LT Vincent R. Capodanno (USN), who served and perished in Vietnam.

Another Chaplain Medal of Honor recipient for his service in Vietnam was Charles Watters, who was always on the front lines with his soldiers.

Charlie was a native of Jersey City, New Jersey, the youngest of three boys born in a devout Catholic family. As a youngster, his favorite activity was baseball with his brothers Kenneth and Edward and the neighborhood kids. He knew he wanted to be a Priest from an early age.

He attended Seton Hall Prep School and then graduated from Seton Hall University Seminary. He was ordained into the ministry in 1953 and served in several parishes under the Archdiocese of Newark. A classmate, Bishop Dominic Marconi, described “Father Charlie” as an affable man more intent on listening than speaking. But his actions spoke much louder than his words.

He was a flying enthusiast and pilot. In 1962, he joined the New Jersey Air National Guard and became their chaplain. Three years later, as the Vietnam War was escalating, then 38-year-old Watters left St. Michael’s Church and volunteered for active duty as an Army chaplain. Despite being 20 years older than most recruits, he completed the rigorous jump training course with the 101st Airborne. In 1966, he was assigned to Company A, 173d Support Battalion, 173d Airborne Brigade, the “Sky Soldiers,” and in June, deployed to Vietnam for his first tour as a combat chaplain.

He earned a reputation for serving his brigade on the front lines in the thick of battle. According to Alpha Company’s radio operator, Wambi Cook: “He felt more comfortable out there with the troops. … He was omnipresent, always mobile.” Cook added: “I’m not Catholic, but I can assure you that half the attendees at any of his Masses were non-Catholics. I can hear his voice now, calling out. He walked through the lines beckoning all the guys to Mass — and he always had a good turnout.”

In February 1967, Charlie took part in the only mass combat jump during Vietnam, with the 2nd Battalion, 503rd Infantry, as part of Operation Junction City. He earned a Bronze Star (Valor) for administering last rites under heavy fire to a fatally wounded soldier.

When he returned from his first tour, Charlie’s brother Ken recalled, “He couldn’t wait to get back to ‘his boys.’” And soon thereafter, Charlie asked for a six-month extension with the 173rd. Asked about being unarmed under fire, he responded: “I’m a peaceful kind. All I shoot is my camera. A weapon weighs too much, and, after all, a priest’s job is taking care of the boys. But if we get overrun, I guess there will be plenty of weapons lying around to be picked up.”

As the Army Historical Foundation records, “Every time his unit began to charge the front line, Watters was ahead picking up the wounded and administering the sacraments to those who had fallen.”

It was during that second tour, serving with 2d Battalion, 503d Infantry during the battle to take Hill 875 near Dak To on 19 November 1967, that Charlie, while rushing to assist the injured and dying, was killed in action.

Radio operator Robert Fleming, who knew Watters, was among the last to see him alive. Fleming was digging a foxhole during his last encounter: “Father came in and said, ‘Hey, Bob, throw me my rucksack.’ It was right next to me, so I pitched it to him. Then he sat down and started eating his C-rations because he hadn’t eaten all day, and I went back to my digging.”

D Company’s John Berry recalls speaking to Charlie as he was returning to the front: “As he passed by, we asked him where his helmet was. His reply was ‘I carry my protection a little higher.’ With that, he was off to attend the wounded. That was the last time I saw him.”

For the valor he demonstrated, Watters was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor.

His Medal citation affirms his repeated acts of heroism over the course of many hours of battle:

Chaplain Watters was moving with one of the companies when it engaged a heavily armed enemy battalion. As the battle raged and the casualties mounted, Chaplain Watters, with complete disregard for his safety, rushed forward to the line of contact. Unarmed and completely exposed, he moved among, as well as in front of, the advancing troops, giving aid to the wounded, assisting in their evacuation, giving words of encouragement, and administering the last rites to the dying. When a wounded paratrooper was standing in shock in front of the assaulting forces, Chaplain Watters ran forward, picked the man up on his shoulders, and carried him to safety. As the troopers battled to the first enemy entrenchment, Chaplain Watters ran through the intense enemy fire to the front of the entrenchment to aid a fallen comrade. A short time later, the paratroopers pulled back in preparation for a second assault, Chaplain Watters exposed himself to both friendly and enemy fire between the two forces in order to recover two wounded soldiers.

His citation continues:

Later, when the battalion was forced to pull back into a perimeter, Chaplain Watters noticed that several wounded soldiers were lying outside the newly formed perimeter. Without hesitation and ignoring attempts to restrain him, Chaplain Watters left the perimeter three times in the face of small-arms, automatic-weapons, and mortar fire to carry and to assist the injured troopers to safety. Satisfied that all of the wounded were inside the perimeter, he began aiding the medics — applying field bandages to open wounds, obtaining and serving food and water, giving spiritual and mental strength and comfort. During his ministering, he moved out to the perimeter from position to position redistributing food and water and tending to the needs of his men. Chaplain Watters was giving aid to the wounded when he himself was mortally wounded.

His citation concludes, “Chaplain Watters’ unyielding perseverance and selfless devotion to his comrades was in keeping with the highest traditions of the U.S. Army.”

Father Watters is remembered for his faith, courage, and valor. The U.S. Army Chaplain Center and School at Fort Jackson in South Carolina is named Watters Hall. At Fort Bragg in North Carolina, there is the Watters Family Life Center. And at Seton Hall University, the Army ROTC Ranger Challenge team is named the Charlie Watters Ranger Company.

Chaplain MAJ Charles J. Watters: An ordinary man faced with extraordinary circumstances, he summoned the greatest measure of courage to place his life in imminent peril to save others. His example of valor — a humble American Patriot defending Liberty for all above and beyond the call of duty — is eternal. Live your life worthy of his sacrifice.

“Greater love has no one than this, to lay down one’s life for his friends.” (John 15:13)

Join us in daily prayer for our Patriots in uniform — Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, Marines, and Coast Guardsmen — standing in harm’s way in defense of American Liberty, and for our nation’s Veterans, First Responders, and their families.

(Read more Profiles of Valor here.)

Semper Vigilans Fortis Paratus et Fidelis
Pro Deo et Libertate – 1776

Follow Mark Alexander on X/Twitter.

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