Toledo diocese priest lauded as military chaplain

12/25/2004

The Rev. Patrick Rohen, a priest in the Toledo Catholic Diocese serving as a military chaplain at Fort Rucker, Ala., has received a Meritorious Service Medal from the U.S. Army.

The award to Captain Rohen, who was serving as chaplain for air traffic services command, cites his "counseling expertise, initiative for increasing morale, and commitment to the soldiers' spiritual development." The award was signed by Gen. Dan K. McNeill.

Father Rohen, 47, who spent 13 years in the military before pursuing the priesthood, was ordained in 1996. He said he will be transferred to Korea early in 2005.