A Busy Sunday

I had a busy Sunday yesterday, which I suppose is befitting a chaplain. I began my day getting ready for church, which ran a little long. Melissa was also in the nursery, so that took even longer which meant that I had to be off immediately once we arrived back home. I headed to Ivy Lawn Cemetery in Ventura to participate in a Memorial Day weekend ceremony providing military honors to the families of 13 veterans who, for whatever reason, did not have a military funeral for their loved ones when they passed.

I always enjoy hearing the stories of veterans, so talking to the families was really neat. One wife of a deceased Army medic showed me the journal he’d made and kept while in a German POW camp for 2.5 years. I also enjoyed seeing the old men dressed up in their uniforms. There’s just something about a 60-70ish year-old man wearing the uniform of a GM3 from Vietnam as I’m used to most 3^rd Class Petty Officers being 19 or 20 year-old kids.

Perhaps the most random person I met was the former chaplain for NMCB FOUR (my unit) from 1976-1977. He had been prior enlisted before spending 20 years as a chaplain. Unlike me, though, his next-to-last tour was with NMCB FOUR, so he would have had to have been at least a LCDR and maybe even a CDR. Today, the Navy sends fresh, young, idealistic and naïve chaplains like me to the Seabees, instead of grizzled, wise chaplains (who, by virtue of being grizzled and wise are way too smart to come to a Seabee battalion).

I also met a Command Sergeant Major from the Army who was wearing a Silver Star, two Bronze Stars for Valor and a Purple Heart, also from the Vietnam era. Of course, I couldn’t just ask him what he received all his awards for, so I didn’t get a chance to hear his story. All I know is that in talking with other veterans and the families, I remain convinced that we have it much easier in the military today. So, if you get a chance today, take time out of your schedule to remember those who faced unimaginable hardship in wars past and say a special prayer for the families who lost loved ones on the fields of battle.

After the service, I headed of to Saint John’s Hospital to visit a troop who was admitted due to complications with her pregnancy. After that, I headed home where I proceeded to slack off the rest of the day. As a result, I’ll be spending my Memorial Day cleaning the house this morning, especially the kitchen. I also have to help Melissa fold six loads of laundry which she cranked out Saturday and yesterday (our washing machine had been on the blink for 10 days and was finally repaired on Saturday—hoorah for warranties).