Another member of the battalion is the Navy chaplain, Lieutenant Junior Grade Holmes (William Redfield) whom Kate notices is a changed, silent, and saddened man since she last knew him. During a battle the Chaplain had gathered some Marines together in prayer. A Japanese soldier, thought to be dead, used the group as a target for his hand grenade, killing several and wounding their sergeant with a spinal injury. Black demotes the wounded sergeant in rank because he should have known better than to let his men gather in the open. Black constantly harasses the Chaplain by never letting him forget that his presence caused their deaths, with the bodies of the Marines shielding the Chaplain from any injury. Holmes's guilt is compounded by a tropical fever and exhaustion from working that has taken its toll.