I found my chief spiritual/religious support from civilian clergy.
I visited my U.S. chaplain in his role as chaplain one time. I was very taken aback by his reaction to what I shared with him. Up till then, I had met privately for different matters with many different clergy. I later read the manual for chaplains. I don't recall the exact words, but the description indicated the chaplain's responsibility was not primarily the spiritual welfare of anyone. The primary role of the chaplain was to inform an individual's commands of issues that might compromise his ability to perform his duties, and to otherwise provide the support the individual needed in order to maintain their ability to "perform their military duties". That would include combat, fighting, bombing, taking part in executions, whatever.
If the chaplain could also provide genuine spiritual counseling or anything else, I guess that was okay. But it was secondary to his primary role. I never held a personal conference with a military chaplain again. After the service, I met chaplains in social situations, where relations were normal.
This may have changed over the years. But I doubt it. It seems different nations at different times, under different political ideologies and sociological fads, assign different orders of priorities. I'd say, before someone went to see a chaplain, they should first figure out what that chaplain's primary responsibility is. Then figure out what his perspective is - you won't get the same sort of advice (in some instances) from a Catholic, a Protestant, a socialist, a libertarian, a new chaplain, one ready to retire, and so on. But if you are wise enough and energetic enough to do that, you undoubtedly have the energy and wisdom to figure out for yourself whatever you might have thought you needed to see the chaplain for.
