Another Introduction

[SlightlyCatholic]

Hello Everyone!

I've already been on the forum before but have decided to become more active. My name is Tim and I have a strong interest in the Catholic priesthood. I'm using this forum because I feel strongly called to be a military chaplain (Air Force in particular) and I figured the men and women here would be great resources in my effort to learn as much as I can. In any case, I look forward to speaking with all of you. God bless.

[soccermark23]

Welcome to the forum Tim! Glad to see your considering an exemplary position in the Air Force.

[ramrod23]

My congratulations to you, Tim, for following a tasking but noble calling to the priesthood. You don't have to be on this Board to see that most of us are in dire need of every kind of help we can get. And having you, sort of, plugged in with a direct line to the Almighty ain't gonna hurt a bit. Kind of wish that you would choose a Navy commission so that you might at some point be assigned to a Marine unit. Our Chaplains, as are our Doctors and Corpsmen, are a very special breed of men, and we have traditionally give them the respect that they are due.

I commanded an infantry battalion in Viet Nam in '65/'66, and our Chaplain was a Catholic priest who had served as a Private First Class on Iwo Jima in 1945. My only complaint with him was that he was absolutely fearless under any type of enemy fire and exposed himself much more than he should have. When I gently chided him about this he told me that he had run out of any kind of fear twenty years before on Iwo. I look forward to your postings. Semper Fidelis, ramrod23.

[SlightlyCatholic]

Ramrod,

Thank you for your kind words. In regards to being a Navy chaplain, that door is certainly wide open (along with many other avenues). Only God truly knows where I'll be years from now. While I'm leaning towards the Air Force right now, I'm open to any capacity where I can serve God and country. Thanks again and God bless!

By the way, did you know Fr. Vincent Capodanno? He served in Vietnam with the 5th and 7th Marines as a Navy Chaplain and was awarded the Medal of Honor posthumously for his valor and bravery in combat. There's a post in the Military History section of the Forum that I put up regarding this very topic. Thanks again!