A Navy Update

Ok, now that we have the news about our puppy Tirzah out of the way, I can tell you about my Navy future. As of Monday, I have official orders in hand for the Seabees at Port Hueneme. I will be attending TEAMS from 25 March-07 April 2006. Then, I will have ten days to get Melissa, Jordan, Tirzah and our stuff out to California. I have a one week indoctrination class at Port Hueneme, where I will learn all about being a Seabee. Afterward, it is off to Okinawa until early-to-mid June.

Melissa and I are hoping to get into base housing as Ventura County is awfully expensive (third highest in nation based on the average cost of a house). However, I doubt we’ll have it lined up when we get there, so Melissa will live with her parents in Yucaipa until a house opens up for us. In the meantime, our stuff will live in storage.

I must say that I am excited to be working with the Seabees. I know that it is a tough assignment and that the Seabees deploy frequently. I also know that as the Navy’s construction workers, they will likely be a little rough-around-the-edges. However, I will be the only chaplain for the 600 member unit, which means that I get to be the official "command chaplain." One of my collateral duties is to also serve as the Public Affairs Officer, which means I am in charge of the journalist and the photographer. Add it all up, and this duty station should be a challenging first tour, both professionally and personally (good for my career and my soul).

I have been in contact with the chaplain I am replacing. Chaplain Rhoads and his wife are actually taking over the base chapel at Port Hueneme and will be able to help Melissa and I transition into the active-duty Navy. They both are really nice people and have been very helpful already.

Also, my good friend Sunny is a base chaplain in Sasebo, Japan. She currently works with a contingent of my Seabee unit attached to Sasebo and reports that they are fun to work with, even if they can be a little gruff. Between Sunny and Chaplain Rhoads, I think I’ll be starting my career in the Navy with at least a little bit of a clue!

Now, as a closing to this blog, I’ve posted a picture of myself from Chaplain’s Basic Course when I went through it as a Chaplain Candidate Program Officer (CCPO) in the summer of 2003. My, how the years have flown! I never thought I’d be only a few weeks away from being a regular ol’ Navy chaplain working stiff...