Student training in ROTC to become Army chaplain

The first time Tanis Arnold wondered if God had a purpose for him, he barely survived the experience.

Several years ago, Arnold was driving on a country road when he stopped at a four-way stop. Noticing a large oncoming truck racing down the other side of the road, Arnold felt a sudden urge to turn right instead of left as originally intended.

“I get this little pull, and I don’t know exactly how to describe it,” Arnold said. “So I go with it for some reason and take this right, and as I finish my turn, I see the truck race through the stop sign in my rearview mirror.”

Driving a small Ford Focus, a shocked Arnold knew immediately that if he had turned left, the truck would have T-boned him.

“I probably wouldn’t be on this planet anymore,” Arnold said. “I would have been taken off the road instantly. I think about this very often, because how many times have we gone through something and felt a pull like that, but we have ignored it.

“I think I know what that voice was, and it’s obvious to me. I think that was saying that God has a plan, and I think He needed me for something.”

Arnold, now a senior at Purdue University Fort Wayne, started listening to those hunches, and he’s about to graduate with a degree in art and design and a minor in military science. He’s finishing his college commitment to the ROTC program in a few weeks with a career goal of becoming an Army chaplain, following what he says is God's plan.

A year after the truck incident, as a 17-year-old junior whose passion was serving others, Arnold enlisted in the Indiana Army National Guard. Although not the strongest, most athletic, or tallest soldier, he loved the experience of meeting people from all walks of life, hearing their stories, and being inspired by them.

Arnold said he was born in a small town, and it would have been easy to never change. Instead, he was forced to explore his capabilities, grow, and learn to relate to others—things a chaplain must do.

“I believe Tanis’s best trait is his ability to be quick to listen and slow to speak,” said Scott Elliott, Arnold’s stepfather. “His passion to help others reminds me of when he was young and excited about something new. He was all-in and wanted to explore whatever it was with his whole being. He doesn’t jump in with a one-answer-fits-all approach, but rather a sympathetic ear to best understand the person he’s talking with and their perspective.”

The same kind of acceptance and learning happened, Arnold said, when he decided to attend PFW. He loves metalsmithing and collaborating with artists who push each other. Although he may be somewhat unique among art students because of his outwardly expressed faith and dedication to service, he’s learned to appreciate what other artists think and feel, and to carry that attitude across campus.

“There are all these resources you can use to become stronger and grow yourself as a person, learn new things, meet different people,” Arnold said. “There are so many activities and experiences. I didn’t know I was going to be able to canoe down a river on a random Thursday, or make so many relationships and acquaintances with others.”

Arnold’s mentor, chaplain candidate, and National Guard section leader, Stanley Nihart, said Arnold has always been a selfless servant leader who never judges. He's a leader, no matter how low his rank or his level of experience in a situation, who has grown stronger as a man because of his time as a student, Nihart said.

“He’s actually inspired me personally, even though I’m 30 and he’s 22,” Nihart said. “He’s known what he wanted to be from the beginning, and I’m late to this and trying to figure it all out. He’s driven in the best way to live out his faith and calling.”

One of his weaknesses, Arnold said, was learning to ask others for help because he’s always been the one others turn to for advice or a helping hand. PFW’s biggest impact, Arnold said, was showing him people who have found a balance in life and then helping him find his own.

“It wasn’t just the professors, but also some of the students,” Arnold said. “They’ve helped me grow as a leader and a person, exposing me to so many different ways to serve the community. This whole place helps you grow if you let it. There are a lot of connections that you can make by being involved. Both ROTC and PFW have helped me grow out of my shell as a shy teenager. They have helped me become the best version of myself.”