CH (Maj.) Larry Neal (U.S. Army retired) could have been a colonel.

When he enlisted in the Navy in 1963, he became a corpsman.

He finished his enlistment as an HM2 — hospital corpsman second class.

Years later, he returned to service and received a significant promotion.

Chaplains join the Army as officers, often as captains.

It is a measure of the education and civilian requirements required for the post. To become a chaplain, Neal had to be ordained and had to be endorsed beyond his local church.

With the rank does not come the leadership requirement. They do not command nor engage in combat.

“Chaplains are special duty officers,” Neal said. “I sat in on all the briefings. Once in a while, I was asked for my input.”

After combined service of about 20 years, including four of active duty in the Navy, two in the Navy Reserves, 10 in the National Guard, and the rest in the Army Reserves, Neal was called to active duty.

He was a major and up for a promotion.

“I got called up to go to Germany,” he said. “I was eligible for lieutenant colonel. I said, ‘Can I get promoted in Germany?'”

“‘Of course,'” he was told. “I got to Germany, he called me and said, ‘No.'”

The good news is his retirement pay is the same.