The only Buddhist chaplain in the Department of the Navy

Photo By Sgt. Matthew Sissel | U.S. Navy Reserve Chaplain Aroon Seeda reunites with his primary school teacher Mrs. Pairor Sa-ngiemrat after more than 30 years during a visit to Wat Sam Nakkaton school on Feb. 14 near Sattahip, Thailand by U.S. service members for exercise Cobra Gold 2017.

THAILAND
02.14.2017
Story by Sgt. Matthew Sissel

Walking along a beach road in Thailand, 13-year-old Aroon Seeda, a novice monk, carries his food bowl while looking for the next contribution to sustain him. The curious boy watches U.S. Marines conducting amphibious exercises along the shore as the morning sun continues to rise. He decides to make his way to their camp up ahead.

The orange robe of the teenager presents a stark visual contrast with the camouflaged uniform of the Marine who approaches and asks him a question. Having learned some rudimentary English at school, the monk-in-training translates the foreign sounds as best as he can and offers a simple response: “I am monk. I’m here for food.” The American tells him to wait and the young Buddhist watches him briefly disappear into a tent. The Marine returns and places a packaged MRE (meal, ready-to-eat) into Aroon’s food bowl. A friendship is born.

Through a series of hand gestures and broken English, the shaved-headed youth offers to escort a couple Marines to his temple and boarding school for a tour. The Marines agree, and spend some of their time at the school helping novice monks with their English homework. Aroon would later say that this interaction with the Marines created a burning desire within him to speak English.

Novice monks are allowed to have an extremely limited number of personal possessions, so when his new American friend presented him the gift of a pen bearing the image of an American flag, it immediately became his prized possession and a powerful symbol.

https://www.dvidshub.net/news/223731/only-buddhist-chaplain-department-navy