Father Ike to serve as chaplain at Rickenbacker

By Tim Puet
Catholic Times Reporter

While growing up in Nigeria, Father Hilary Ike wanted to be a soldier, but ultimately discerned that God was calling him to be a priest.

He now will get to fulfill his boyhood ambition, for Father Ike will be serving as chaplain, with the rank of captain, for the U.S. Army Reserve’s 718th Transportation Battalion, which has its headquarters in the Army Reserve Center at Rickenbacker Air National Guard Base. He also will continue to be administrator of Groveport St. Mary Church, which is not far from the base.

His unit meets once a month for training at Rickenbacker and trains for two weeks each summer at a location determined each year by the Army.

Father Ike, 44, was at Fort Jackson, South Carolina, from Jan. 22 to April 22 to train for the chaplaincy. The first half of that period was spent in the basic training every soldier undergoes when joining the Army, and the second half consisted of training for the dual duties of being a chaplain and a staff officer.

“The desire to be a soldier is one that I nursed since childhood,” said Father Ike, a native of Nigeria. “During my elementary school days, while other children wanted to be doctors, engineers or lawyers, I often voiced out loud that I wanted to be in the Nigerian army. That career wish did not turn out in the way I desired because I came to realize my true calling was to the priesthood.

“Now as I celebrate my 17th anniversary of ordination as a priest, I see this as a God-given opportunity to fulfill my childhood desire. Becoming a military chaplain is for me the best way God intended that I serve in the military.

“I have dedicated my life to serving God and humanity through my priestly ministry. This same consideration is why I wanted to be an Army chaplain – to extend my services to men and women of our country who equally dedicate their lives in service to the nation. In becoming a chaplain, I strongly feel like a servant of the servants of God and country. This is where I want to be in my life and for what I wish to be remembered.”

Father Ike was commissioned in 2019 to enter chaplaincy training, which was to have taken place in 2020 but was delayed by the COVID-19 pandemic.

“If I can sum up my mission in one phrase, it’s to bring God to the soldier and the soldier to God,” he said. “I’ll be focusing on two things, providing religious support to my unit and advising its commanders. Chaplains get to know the troops they are serving in ways no one else can.

“My duties will include serving soldiers of all faiths by leading them in worship, counseling them and teaching. I feel the inner confidence of being able to fulfill these roles. Conducting worship is a service I enjoy performing. My academic endeavors and experiences in the ministry also have prepared me to be a confidant and counselor. 

“I want to be a chaplain with the hope of getting the opportunity to teach soldiers good morals, to offer counseling and to pray for their success in the service. I also want to conduct productive academic research on improvement of the quality of life of service members and the mission of the Army.”

Father Ike was ordained to the priesthood on May 8, 2004 in Nigeria and spent five years there and three years in Rome studying canon law at the Pontifical Urban University. After receiving his canon law degree, he came to Columbus in 2012 and has been here ever since. He was in residence at Columbus St. Joseph Cathedral from 2012 until he was appointed to his current position in 2020. He has been a member of the diocesan Tribunal since coming to Columbus.

“One of the marvelous things I learned in studying to become a chaplain is the great history if the chaplaincy in our nation’s military,” Father Ike said. That legacy goes back to 1775, when the Continental Congress authorized one chaplain for each regiment of the Continental Army. 

“Among the most notable Army chaplains is Father Emil Kapaun, who has been declared a Servant of God, the first step in the process toward sainthood. He served in World War II and the Korean War, died in a prison camp in Korea and was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor posthumously for his selfless dedication to his troops. Another is Father John Washington, one of four chaplains who gave up their life jackets so other men could be saved when the USS Dorchester was sunk in the North Atlantic in 1943. I’m honored to continue their legacy and feel I’m standing on the shoulders of giants.”

One priest of the Diocese of Columbus, Father Daniel Swartz, is on active duty as a U.S. Navy chairman. Father Louis Iasiello, an instructor at the Pontifical College Josephinum, served as chief of Navy chaplains from 2003 to 2006 and retired from the Navy with the rank of rear admiral.

The 718th Transportation Battalion, which Father Hilary will serve, has about 50 members. As a Reserve unit, it may be called into combat at any time. Its history dates to World War I, when it was organized as the 53rd Engineers Battalion. It was renamed the 718th Battalion in 1941 and served in World War II in northern France, the German Rhineland, Alsace-Lorraine and central Europe. It was deactivated in 1951 and reactivated eight years later, with headquarters in Columbus.

Its most recent active service came in 2010 and 2011, when it was assigned to control transportation operations to southwest Asia, coordinating, scheduling and dispatching trucks and ships. Its headquarters detachment commanded more than 1,000 soldiers at the time. Throughout its history, it has loaned members to other units to assist with logistics.