Thomas Lynn Solhjem (born 1956) is an active

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the primary Land warfare, land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of th ...

major general who last served as the 25th

Chief of Chaplains of the United States Army The chief of chaplains of the United States Army (CCH) is the chief supervising officer of the U.S. Army Chaplain Corps. (Chaplains do not hold commanding authority.) From 1775 to 1920, chaplains were attached to separate units. The Office of t ...

. Solhjem is the first ordained

Assemblies of God The World Assemblies of God Fellowship (WAGF), commonly known as the Assemblies of God (AG), is a global cooperative body or communion of over 170 Pentecostal denominations that was established on August 15, 1989. The WAGF was created to provi ...

minister to attain the position.

Education

Solhjem received a Bachelors of Arts in Pastoral Counseling and Specialized Ministries from

North Central University North Central University (NCU) is a Private university, private Christian university in Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States. It is owned and operated by 11 Assemblies of God USA, Assemblies of God districts of the upper Midwest. NCU was found ...

in 1982. He completed a

Masters of Divinity For graduate-level theological institutions, the Master of Divinity (MDiv, ''magister divinitatis'' in Latin) is the first professional degree of the pastoral profession in North America. It is the most common academic degree in seminaries and di ...

with

Bethel Theological Seminary Bethel (, "House of El" or "House of God",Bleeker and Widegren, 1988, p. 257. also transliterated ''Beth El'', ''Beth-El'', ''Beit El''; ; ) was an ancient Israelite city and sacred space that is frequently mentioned in the Hebrew Bible. Beth ...

in 1988, and holds a second master's degree in Military Strategic Studies.

Military career

Solhjem began his military career in 1974 with the 82nd Combat Engineer Battalion. After serving on active duty for two years, he transferred to the Army Reserve, where he remained for twelve years. After finishing his Masters of Divinity, he accessioned as an active duty chaplain in 1988. Solhjem has given direct religious support to soldiers, totaling more than 68 months in combat zones. Prior to his appointment as the Deputy Chief of Chaplains, he served in various key leadership positions to include United States Army Forces Command (FORSCOM), Command Chaplain, Fort Bragg, North Carolina, as well as Command Chaplain, United States Special Operations Command, AFB, Florida. In July 2015, Solhjem was promoted to brigadier general and assigned as the 25th

Deputy Chief of Chaplains of the United States Army The Deputy Chief of Chaplains (DCCH) serves as the chief strategist for the Chaplain Corps (United States Army), U.S. Army Chaplain Corps and senior coordinating general officer for actions assigned to Assistant Chiefs of Chaplains (Reserve Compon ...

. In May 2019,

Colonel Colonel ( ; abbreviated as Col., Col, or COL) is a senior military Officer (armed forces), officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries, a colon ...

William Green Jr., an African American Baptist minister, was nominated to succeed him as Deputy Chief of Chaplains. On May 31, 2019, Solhjem was promoted to major general and assigned as the 25th

. As the Deputy Chief of Chaplains, Solhjem served as the chief strategist for the United States Army Chaplain Corps and senior coordinating general officer for actions assigned to Assistant Chiefs of Chaplains (Reserve Component) and the USACHCS Chief of Chaplains of the United States Army. As a member of the

Armed Forces Chaplains Board The Armed Forces Chaplains Board (AFCB) is an organizational entity within the United States Department of Defense established to provide advice and recommendations to OSD officials (United States Secretary of Defense, Secretary of Defense and the ...

, he and other members advise the Secretary of Defense and Joint Chiefs of Staff on religious, ethical and quality-of-life concerns.https://www.linkedin.com/in/thomas-solhjem-684b4a64

Awards and decorations

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Solhjem, Thomas L. 1956 births Living people North Central University alumni Assemblies of God pastors United States Army generals Deputy chiefs of Chaplains of the United States Army Chiefs of Chaplains of the United States Army 20th-century American clergy 21st-century American clergy