"We were always making contacts with the enemy, and our fellows were being shot, bombs were being blown up, so I had to be cautious about how I held services. I wanted to meet the needs of most of the men there." (Audio Interview, 35:34)

Leo Stanis

War: World War, 1939-1945; Vietnam War, 1961-1975 Branch: Army; Navy Unit: 25th Infantry Division; 3rd Battalion, 4th Marines Service Location: Japan; also: Vietnam; Greece; Okinawa Island, Japan; Camp Lejeune, North Carolina; Walter Reed Naval Medical Center, Bethesda, Maryland Rank: Technical Sergeant; Commander Place of Birth: IN

As an Army medic serving in occupied Japan after World War II, Leo Stanis was inspired to become a minister. In 1967, he re-joined the military, this time the Navy, as a chaplain. His service took him to Vietnam, where he teamed with a Catholic priest to recover religious relics from control of the North Vietnamese. Stanis came under fire several times and earned a Purple Heart for his wounds. He developed a unique way of getting his men to attend chapel, challenging them to a series of one-on-one basketball games, with their attendance depending on his winning.