Logan Lair, an army chaplain based at Fort Leonard Wood in Missouri is reporting that he water-baptized over 150 new training recruits this past summer, Christian Headlines reports.

This included 84 in July and 73 in August.

The new recruits, many of whom have just graduated from high school, find military training very stressful as they are suddenly thrown into a life filled with drill sergeants, demands, and discipline. As a result, they often turn to the chaplains to help them deal with the stress.

“The Chaplain plays a great role in all of that because we create a safe place for a trainee to process and vent,” Lair told the Baptist Press. “As a Chaplain I get a lot of tears, in fact, I carry tissues on my uniform and usually go through about a pack a day. Many times, those conversations are spiritual conversations, and we’re able to talk about that spirituality piece.”

READ: Chaplain Says He Baptized Over 150 Army Soldiers during Basic Training This Summer