CUMMING — U.S. Army Capt. Wallace A. Jackson IV has a big job.

Speaking to members of the Cumming Chapter of the Vietnam Veterans of America, Wallace said his role as chaplain to the Army’s 5thRanger Training Battalion is to provide both religious and moral support to troops undergoing some of the most arduous military training.

Based at Camp Frank D. Merrill in the mountains of Dahlonega, Wallace knows that soldiers aspiring to become Rangers must master training which tests their mental and physical stamina to the limits. The mountains are the second of three phases.

While formal Ranger training began in the 1950s, Rangers can trace their role in America’s military dating back as far as the French and Indian Wars.

And the role of chaplain has been around for nearly as long — back to George Washington, who insisted that soldiers of the Continental Army have adequate religious support as they fought for the nation’s independence.

Wallace said one reason he is equipped to help the soldiers overcome the challenges is because he graduated from the same Ranger course in 2013. He said he relishes his role and spends as much time as possible in the field with the trainees.

“I believe that the chaplain needs to be right there with them so he can understand what they go through,” he said.

Wallace was the first speaker for the veterans’ group as it began 2016 in a new meeting venue, the Georgia National Guard Readiness Center on Aquatic Circle, off Pilgrim Mill Road near Ga. 400’s Exit 16 in Cumming.

The chapter meets at 7 p.m. the first Monday of each month. All Vietnam-era veterans are welcome.