In this third of three interviews, Chaplain (Major) Merrell D. Knight talks about his deployments to the Philippines as the chaplain of 1st Battalion, 1st Special Forces Group between January and November 2005 in support of Operation Enduring Freedom-Philippines. Knight begins the interview by noting that since the battalion was stationed in Okinawa, his time with them was an accompanied tour and his family was excited at the prospect. Since the battalion had an ongoing relationship with the Philippines, it quickly became apparent that he would have to travel there frequently to give the deployed Special Forces (SF) soldiers the ministry coverage that they deserved. He explains that his previous experience in SF helped him reestablish some old relationships in the battalion and establish his bona fides with others. Knight says that he spend all of his time in the southern Philippines, including Mindanao, Basilan, Jolo and Tawi-Tawi. He participated in a program wherein the State Department brought in a noted Muslim scholar, and along with an imam from the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), the three of them visited several mosques and madrassas to let this scholar teach the moderate aspects of faith. This program was very well-received by the local people, and since the extremists relied on the ignorance of the largely illiterate Philippine Muslim population, it was very effective in combating the spread of the radical brands of Islam. He also worked closely with several orphanages in Mindanao, assisting other soldiers to paint and clean up the facilities, and side-stepping bureaucratic rules from the Red Cross to give the children much needed clothing. He did experience several disappointments in the Philippines, including the involvement of some of his unit's soldiers in prostitution and his failure to prepare them for that, and not being able to work more closely with the AFP chaplains to provide better ministry coverage to all of the soldiers in the Philippines.

Approved for public release; distribution is unlimited