Dawn Dimick
Chaplain Dawn Dimick researched the history of Latter-day Saint women in chaplaincy and discovered that the first came long before Tami Harris who was believed to be the first Latter-day Saint woman chaplain. Harris now serves as the Church’s chaplain services manager.
Dimick is the first woman to enroll as a graduate military chaplaincy student at Brigham Young University, the first to graduate, and the first female military chaplain for Army endorsed by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. BYU also offers a graduate healthcare chaplaincy program. Prior to transferring to BYU, Dimick pursued a Master of Divinity at Chicago Theological Seminary.
The U.S. Army didn’t allow for female chaplains until 1974. She has been serving at Fort Carson, Colorado.
As part of the BYU program, Dimick received clinical experience working at St. Mark’s Hospital in Millcreek. “The work is slightly different from that of a military chaplain — Dimick works as part of an interdisciplinary team along with doctors and nurses to care for patients and their families.”[1]
On the U.S. military side, chaplain candidates must earn a master’s degree in theology or a related field of study. The U.S. Department of Defense and the Church have established faith-based requirements that candidates must complete to receive Church endorsement for selection into the chaplaincy.
Prior to 2021, female Latter-day Saints could obtain endorsements to serve as chaplains in hospitals, education, hospice care, corporations, and prisons, for example, but not the military. Dimick is part of a growing field of Latter-day Saint female chaplains.
A chaplain in the U.S. armed forces is a non-combatant commissioned officer charged with providing religious services and spiritual support to fellow soldiers, sailors, airmen, Marines, and Coast Guardsmen. A chaplain is also responsible for advising commanders on moral and religious issues. Chaplains provide care to people of all faiths, helping coordinate specific rites when necessary. For those who are not religious or without a specific faith tradition, chaplains still play a valuable role of support and comfort.[2]
Dimick joined the Army ROTC when she was 17 to help pay her way through college. As a reserve cargo specialist she worked hard for “a challenging couple of years.” She graduated from Utah State University in 2020 with a BA in International Studies and BA in Religious Studies, minoring in Russian and Military Science. While at USU, Dawn participated in the Interfaith Leadership program, the Aggies First Scholars program, and as a Project GO scholar in Latvia.
Dimick also served a Latter-day Saint mission in Russia. While serving, “she had the word “chaplain” distinctly come to mind three times. She was only vaguely familiar with the profession, but said she held the thought in the back of her mind until she returned home.”[3]
