One day while I was "mopping" the quarterdeck, the Chief Petty Officer came to me and told me to immediately go to the Chaplain's Office and that the Chaplain wanted to see me. He stressed there was not a family emergency but the urgency to drop the mop and go "now" was stressed.
I went to the Chaplain's Office and was met by the Protestant Chaplain and I told him why I was there. He welcomed the opportunity and took me to his office where he told me he was looking for a Chaplain's Assistant and my name came up. From that first meeting, my life changed forever. I was now serving the Navy Chaplains Corps and worked under Protestant and Catholic Chaplains both who were genuine men of God who cared deeply for the sailors.
. Since I liked to fly I had the opportunity to travel to other duty stations and set up the services for the chaplains.
One day the Protestant Chaplain came out of his study and showed me his Dakes Annotated Reference Bible and suggested I purchase one. To make a long story short, he shared that he felt I was called to ministry and should get this Bible and study it.
Long story gets even shorter, I am now a disabled veteran with a severe hearing loss and almost deaf, but I retired from pastoral ministry after having served for 26 years. All because of a opportunity to work for the United States Chaplain Corps and a Chaplain that deeply cared. That is why I do not regret one minute of my time of service and proud to be called a Navy Veteran.
Akron, OH
