For nearly a quarter century, the Rev. William Ziegler has answered a call to God and to his country simultaneously, serving as both a pastor and a chaplain with the North Dakota National Guard.
While he first felt the call to seminary, and later to basic training, Ziegler will leave his pulpit at Fargo's First Congregational Church Sunday to focus on his military career until mandatory retirement in 2009.
In December, Ziegler begins a three-year assignment with the Pacific Air Command, based in Honolulu. The colonel will oversee the chaplaincy programs on the Hawaiian Islands, in Guam and in Alaska.
But first, Ziegler will be deployed to the South Pole for a two-month stint as a chaplain at the McMurdo Station.
Temperature will be at freezing to 32 degrees below zero while he's there, he says.
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"I figure after living in North Dakota for 25 years, I'm well prepared to handle the cold," he says.
Ziegler was campus pastor at North Dakota State University before becoming pastor of First Congregational, his home parish, in 1997.
He credits the United Church of Christ congregation for making the sacrifice that allowed him to be both pastor and chaplain.
After 9/11, Ziegler was placed on active duty for nine months.
The congregation has made outreach to military part of its mission, Ziegler says.
His predecessor, the Rev. Nelson Stone, was activated by the Army Reserves in Operation Desert Storm. He was stationed overseas for about a year, Ziegler says.
The Rev. Wade Schemmel, conference minister for the United Church of Christ's Northern Plains Conference, says that outreach gives the church a unique understanding of the challenges servicemen and their families face.
"It helps us to understand the commitment we're asking for," Schemmel says.
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He says Ziegler demonstrated discipline by having his feet in two camps throughout his pastorate.
Ziegler spent most of his military career as chaplain for the Air National Guard's 119th Fighter Wing in Fargo.
He was named chief of chaplains for the North Dakota National Guard in June 2002.
The functions of a chaplain and pastor are similar, Ziegler says - lead worship, provide the sacraments and counsel those in need.
At McMurdo, Ziegler will be chaplain to both military personnel and scientific researchers.
He says his undergraduate degrees in biology and chemistry, as well as his doctorate in pastoral counseling, will serve him well at the Antarctic base.
"In some sense, I see God has been preparing me throughout my career to go to the South Pole," Ziegler says. "I kind of see it as the culmination of my career."
This September marks Ziegler's 24th year in the military. He's been a pastor for 26 years.
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He says he felt a strong call to enter the military while in seminary. His father served in World War II as an air controller with the U.S. Navy. As a young child, Ziegler saw himself as a chaplain in the military.
"I grew up with a sense of debt that one should serve one's country," he says.
Readers can reach Forum reporter Sherri Richards at (701) 241-5525
