Chaplain Kay

This past Friday, my Love and I went to my Battalion Commander’s house for an early New Year’s/End-of-Year reception. The occasion was quite formal seeing that we wore our Dress Blue’s. We had a nice time and enjoyed the party. It was quite interesting being the Chaplain at the party since my Branch colors are different than the rest of the Battalion. I clearly stuck out, but that is not really anything new.

After the party, My Love and I went down to Austin and had a night out without the kiddos. We ate at a favorite restaurant and then stayed in a nice hotel. It was simply wonderful, and I must say that I planned a fairly romantic evening. For those of you who know me that was an accomplishment.

As the year comes to an end, I truly love where the Lord has us and I love my job. The Lord has blessed us beyond measure and we are thankful for His goodness and mercy. I pray that you have a great end to 2007 and a happy beginning to 2008.

I am now CH (CPT) Kay. My promotion was held a few weeks ago and the ceremony was a wonderful event. My Love, Little Man and Baby Doll were able to attend and participate. My Commander said some kind things during the ceremony and verbalized the good relationship I have felt we have. I am the first Chaplain this unit has had in over 4 years, and they have welcomed me with open arms. I love what I’m doing and feel blessed to serve the Lord in this ministry.

When the actual ceremony began, my Commander told me that when he pinned CPT he was holding his son and he encouraged me to do the same. I was able to hold Little Man throughout the ceremony, which made things extra special. I then held Baby Doll for the pinning. It was a GREAT DAY!!!

Recently I received 2 coins that are very special to me. The first came during an unfortunate situation. About a month ago, a soldier in our Brigade passed away. Since we don’t currently have a Brigade Chaplain, I am covering down in that position. I was able to travel down Brooke Army Medical Center (BAMC) with the HHD Commander to visit the soldier’s family. Those visits were sweet times with the family. The soldier leaves behind a wife and son, mom and dad, 3 sisters and 1 brother.

After he passed away I began planning for the Memorial Service since I would perform the service. The many funerals I did while in the pastorate enabled me to approach the service without too much anxiety. The only nerves came from wanting to do things well for the family while holding true to military tradition. I will write some other time about the memorial service and its importance in general.

Right before the ceremony, I was speaking with the Command Sergeant Major and he gave me the Brigade coin. It was particularly special because he took the time to have my name engraved on the coin. See for yourself.

The second coin I received came from the Chief of Chaplains, CH (MG) Douglas Carver. He recently made a visit to our Installation and addressed many of the Chaplains here. While he was giving his talk CH Carver asked if anyone knew what CBRNE meant. I raised my hand and spouted off the meaning - Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear, and High-Yield Explosives. I must say, I had an unfair advantage since I’ve had some interaction with Chemical Soldiers.

After answering the question, he handed me his coin - the only one of the day if I might add.