Veterans Day Interview With My Dad

What branch of the military did you serve in? US Army

How long did you serve? 28 years

How old were you when you enlisted? 25

Why did you enlist? I wanted to be an Army chaplain. I felt that God was calling me to do it.

What was your highest rank? Lieutenant Colonel…and I was a Command and General Staff College Graduate.

What were your jobs in the military? I first served as a Supervisory Chaplain for the 171st Support Group, US Army Reserve. I then served as a Command Chaplain of the Civil Affairs Psychological Operations at Fort Bragg. My last assignment was Deputy Chaplain of the Special Operations Command of the US Army at Fort Bragg.

What did you do as a Chaplain? I led worship services, coordinated interfaith workshops, provided personal counseling, maintained personal proficiency so that I was ready to fight, and evaluated Chaplains in my chain of command.

Did you ever go to a combat zone? No. But I was deployed to Equador to support nation building efforts. I served 1100 troops from various countries.

What was the hardest part of being in the military? Having to be away from my family.

What was the best part of being in the military? The sense of bonding and belonging to people who loved you and would die for you.

What do think the most important part of your work was? Bringing men and women to God and God to women and men.

How did you serve people who were not believers? I accepted them as being created by God and being deserving of all the compassion, counsel, and help that I could give them.

You currently work with the Veterans Treatment Court in Harnett County. What do you do in that role? I am the Chaplain to the Core Treatment Team that includes the Judge, Clerk of Court, District Attorney, Defense Attorneys, Probation Officers, Veteran Service Administration, and Mentor Coordinators. I also counsel with individuals when asked and visit the jail as directed by the Judge.

What is the goal of the Veterans Treatment Court? To assist Veterans who are in trouble with legal issues in finding a wholesome lifestyle and understanding of self that will enable them to function as an asset in our society. In other words, working with broken people and trying to make them whole by utilizing all the resources we can find.

How do you think we can best honor our Veterans? Value Veterans as ordinary people who have been called upon to do extraordinary things under very difficult circumstances and listen to what they have to say. If someone presents a need that we might be able to meet, then meet it. Someone may need a ride to the doctor or need their grass cut or somebody might need help retrieving medicine. That’s stuff we can do. But we have to know people in order to meet their needs. In short, be a good neighbor as we understand how Jesus meant to be a neighbor.

What else do you want us to know on this Veterans Day? We need Veterans and their families who come from and represent all parts of our society, and we need to maintain our desire to uphold the constitution of the United States and defend the idea of democracy that values all people.