Adonai is Semper Fi: At Last!

Friday, June 17, 2011

At Last!

I am officially a chaplain in the California Army National Guard!

Thursday afternoon I attended the Federal Recognition Board to determine whether or not I would be selected to become a chaplain. It was supposed to be a video teleconference (VTC), but somehow they were having connectivity problems, so it ended up being a phone conversation between me and several board members. They asked about my prior service in the Marines, and whether or not I understood what would be expected of me as a chaplain. They also asked about how I would support Army policies that I might find offensive or contrary to my beliefs (such as the repeal of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell"). Finally, they asked where I saw myself ten years from now. Apparently, my answers must've been satisfactory, for I was told that they thought I had what it takes and they were pleased to inform me that they were recommending me for immediate accession as a chaplain! Woo-hoo!

I must say, it's been quite a long time coming - and I'm nowhere near the end of my journey. But this is a pretty significant milestone and I'm thrilled that I can finally wear the cross and call myself "Chaplain Harvey" now.

Adonai is Semper Fi!

2 comments:

Anonymous said...: Congratulations!
-Sarah Hobson; June 18, 2011 at 2:00 PM
Anonymous said...: I'm late to the party here, but Congrats!

-flatlander; August 18, 2011 at 9:41 PM

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About Me

I was born in Atlanta and grew up in Virginia Beach. Since I'd wanted to be a Marine since age 10, I enlisted in the Marine Corps Reserve after high school and attended Wheaton College, graduating in 1994 with a degree in Graphic Design. Having completed OCS, I was commissioned as an active duty Marine Corps artillery officer in 1994 and served with 1st Battalion, 11th Marines at Camp Pendleton, CA. I completed two West Pacific deployments before leaving the Corps in the fall of 1999. I stayed in the Reserves and eventually assumed command of an artillery battery (Oscar Btry, 5/14) in Seal Beach, CA in 2001. I returned to active duty in April 2002 and served in several staff positions at both Marine Corps Forces, Atlantic (Norfolk, VA) and Marine Corps Forces, Europe (Stuttgart, GE). While in Germany, I deployed again to the Republic of Georgia as the XO of a task force training the Georgian 23d Battalion for duty in Iraq.

In the spring of 2004, before we left for Germany, I felt the Lord calling me to ministry. After praying about it, my wife and I both felt strongly that the Lord was leading me to serve as a military chaplain. In pursuit of this goal, I resigned my commission in the Marines in May 2006 and entered the Army's chaplain candidate program. I enrolled at Bethel Seminary San Diego that fall, and received my Master of Divinity degree in June 2010. Around the same time, I was ordained as a minister in the Baptist General Conference (BGC). After serving as a chaplain candidate in the California National Guard for several years, I became a full-fledged chaplain in June 2011. I recently deployed with an aviation unit from the Rhode Island National Guard. I am currently pursuing other ministry opportunities while hoping that one day I will eventually return to active duty as a Navy chaplain.

I've been married to my beautiful wife Tamara since May 2001, and we have two wonderful children - Rachel (10) and Dash (7).

Adonai is Semper Fi

Friday, June 17, 2011

At Last!

2 comments:

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