SGT Jonathan Born: A man with purpose

Sergeant Jonathan Born was no stranger to the military life when he joined the 1-116th Infantry Battalion. The Masters of Divinity in Chaplaincy student grew up around military bases because of his father’s career with the American Red Cross. Born said his family moved like any regular military family.

Born felt called to the ministry from a young age, but had not originally planned on continuing the military lifestyle.

“When I kind of felt the lean towards Army Chaplaincy, I had been in school for pre-law,” Born said. “I was going to go with the International Justice Mission, but then I really felt a call to ministry, specifically the military army chaplaincy.”

Born opted to immediately join the infantry so that he could gain experience in the Army before becoming a chaplain.

“I (wanted to) learn what it is like to have the worst job in the military so I can relate better to soldiers when I actually become a chaplain,” Born said.

Born has been deployed to Iraq twice since he joined the National Guard, but the tours have slowed his progress through school.

“It has taken me six years to finish school,” Born said. “I want to get through my schooling so I can actually get along with the career I have planned.”

Born is spending his free time remodeling the house he and his wife of five years are living in, while taking distance learning chaplaincy classes.

“It has never been hard (for me) to adjust back to civilian life,” Born said. “It is kind of like slipping back into an old pair of jeans that you have had for a while.”

During his first tour Born was a driver, but on his most recent assignment in Iraq he was a truck commander (TC).

“When you are a driver all you do is make sure the truck is working,” Born said. “It was very simple. Being a TC, I had to make sure my driver was doing all (of his work), then I had to make sure my gunner was doing his stuff.”

Born said his second deployment consisted of less fighting than his first.

“It was definitely a blessing that this time was much quieter,” Born said. “The first deployment we would go into our briefings and every day we would have several attacks on our stretch of road.”

Born said that an “increase in attacks” as reported by his superiors during his second tour would often refer to a modest number of battles — just three in all of Iraq, as opposed to the expected multiple attacks in Born’s stretch of road during his first tour.