Postscript

I did not realize the profound impact my time aboard the USS GW would have on me.
I am forever grateful to everyone who made my ADT possible.
With respect and appreciation in my heart, thank you Command Chaplain Mode, Chaplain Underhill, RP1 Stoneking, Rabbi Robinson, Chaplain Kitzman and Chief Brown for everything you taught me, allowed me to do and to discover.

May I have the honor and privilege of working with you again. 

(From left to right: Chaplain Kitzman, Chief Brown, George Washington, Chaplain Creditor, Chaplain Mode)

Second Evening Prayer

BM: Stand by for the evening prayer.

Chaplain: Good Evening George Washington.

This evening’s prayer comes from Exodus 39:42 in describing how the portable tabernacle was assembled .  It reads, “According to all that the Lord commanded Moses, so the people of Israel made all the work.”

Creator of All,

We thank you for the port call in Guam,

For the MWR who organized so much for us, giving us the chance to reenergize.

Help us to refocus, to remember that every job, no matter what it may be, is valuable.

As the tabernacle’s creation required every person’s commitment and speciality, so too does our daily life. Remind us, that each of us plays a role that no-one else can fill.

As the island of Guam disappears on the horizon, help us to rededicate ourselves to our jobs, our mission, and each other.

May it be your will. Lord our God, Creator of the Universe, who has brought each of us together in this time and in this place to achieve something greater than ourselves.

As is said in Hebrew, KANE YEHI RATZON, so may it be.

Be at peace, George Washington. 

Yom Kippur

How do I describe to you what life aboard ship is like? Here's an example.

Everyone is assembled. The ark is open and I have begun the Kol Nidrei liturgy and...

...the captain gets onto the 1MC and begins to talk to us for about 8 minutes. 

(The stained glass window is in the chapel of the USS George Washington of George Washington kneeling in prayer)

We just lowered the volume of the 1MC and went back to services. 

So what could happen during Yom Kippur day? A "Man Overboard" drill. 

That means you have less than 7 minutes to make it to your muster point where attendance is taken. If you are late, they start calling your name out over the 1MC. 

Services that were scheduled for 1 hour is now down to 30 minutes. Shorted Yom Kippur services ever. 

All I could do was laugh.

Semper Gumbi.

Thank You USY!

We arrived in Guam for liberty. 

While there, I participated in a COMREL or sometimes called a COMSERV (community relations project or community service project)

It’s basically a SATO (social actions, Tikun Olam) project. 

Who knew that being a youth director would come in handy?! Thank you USY.

We visited a middle school and talked about what we do and what life is like aboard ship. 

I drew comparisons between their community and the community of the ship. I have a post office, you have a post office...

The interesting point is that the kids have grown up so assimilated to American culture that they have lost their own Chamorro (native Guam) ways.

To combat this, the school system incorporated a Chamorro language, traditions and customs class into the curriculum. It's like Hebrew school during the day. 

Standing in Judgement

We teach that only God has the right to judge us and during the 10 days of repentance, we ask God to judge us mercifully. 

While aboard ship, we do not wait for Yom Kippur to pass judgement.

I watched a captain try to follow in God's footsteps.

When someone has gotten into enough trouble, they go to Captain's Mast (Non Judicial Punishment).

It is there that their fate is decided. Do they stay in the Navy? Do they get demoted? Sent to the brig for three days with only water and bread? 

When the captain pronounced judgement, he tempered it with mercy. 

Several times I heard him say that the sailor was demoted in rank but the sentence was suspended.

 

He told them what perhaps they could not see for themselves - that they matter. 

I will remember, as hopefully they will, the captain of the most powerful carrier in the world tell them that they are smart, they are leaders and are filled with potential.

 He is giving them an opportunity to repent, trusting them to do the right thing.

 He is taking a chance on them and the captain does not give everyone the chance to prove his faith in them correctly. 

The captain made the NJP a sacred space. 

The ever present God made God's presence felt through the captain as a merciful judge upon his people. 

We should all be so lucky. 

The Ultimate Equalizer

I have gotten down a daily routine of the ship for the most part.

Today, I was introduced to a new aspect of the ship. Doing laundry. I could avoid it no longer.
Here is what I have discovered.

Doing laundry is the ultimate equalizer. There are just so many machines to go around. It does not matter what your rank is when you are waiting in line for a dryer. The difference aboard ship than in my old dorm room is that no-one jumps the line. When someone does not show up in time to pick up their laundry and the laundry was still wet, you restart the machine for them and waited some more. If it's dry, you take it out and fold it for them.

 Even the simplest thing like doing laundry demonstrates the difference between civilian life to military life. Honor and discipline, even when it comes to dirty clothes.

Unique moments

Today was filled with some unique moments.

First, we have been running war games with the other carrier in our area. Today, we did a little photo op as we were 700 yards from their starboard bow with a big boy (DDG - destroyer) in between us.

Second,  I finally got to do a FOD walk down. This is when you go onto the flight deck, line up and walk in a line looking for anything that could get sucked into the engines of the jets. This may not sound as exciting to you as it was for me but I loved it. I got to be on the flight deck with no cranium on, no earplugs and I was outside. I spend ALL DAY indoors. It was a nice change and I get to actually do DECK PLATE MINISTRY.  I meet the sailors where they are, in their place of work rather than waiting for them to come see me.

Evening Prayer

Each night that the ship is out to sea, an evening prayer is given by a chaplain over the 1MC (the ship-wide PA system). Some sailors wait up at night for the evening prayer before going to sleep and others have just started working but many stop what they are doing and gather to listen.

There are Christians and Jews, Muslims and atheists aboard this ship who will hear my prayer and my job is to reach them all.

So what do I say? I only have 2 minutes at most.

I am searching for a universal message that is based in my own faith. 

And this is how it turned out.

 ------------------------------------

(Standing on the bridge, waiting until 21:55) 

Boatswains’ Mate (BM): Stand by for the evening prayer.

Me: Good Evening George Washington.

This evening’s prayer comes from Ecclesiastes 4:9 – 10 which reads, “2 are better than 1… If 1 falls down, his friend can help him up.

But pity the man who falls and has no-one to help him up!”

Let us pray.

Creator of All,

Help us to remember that we do not exist in our own bubble.

That we can accomplish more when we work as a team.

Give us the courage to learn to lean on others so we do not fall.

And help us be strong enough to support those who lean on us.

Together we succeed.

To your infinite guidance and unity we turn, Amen.

Be at peace, George Washington.

Just get used to it

September 18, 2012

There are some things that you have to simply adjust to while aboard ship.

1 - When flight ops are happening, which is all day, it sounds like an 18 wheeler is landing right above your head and will crash through the ceiling. Once the plane has landed, the wire that catches the plane so it does not go over the edge into the ocean noisily makes its way back to the starting position.

You hear this sound when you are counseling sailors, carrying on a conversation during chow, napping or leading services.  

2 – Knee knockers. If you do not raise your leg high enough, you will fall into the next part of the hallway. Though they are called knee-knockers, for most people, the frame comes up to their mid calf. For me, they are actual knee knockers. So basically, I am doing “high knees” all day long.

3 – Since there are so few Jewish chaplains, majority of the sailors have never seen the Jewish chaplain symbol before. As I walk down the p-way (passage way a.k.a. hallway), people stare.  It takes some getting used to. I keep wanting to say, "my eyes are up here." I know that it is simply out of curiosity. If anything, I have been greeted and welcomed with such open arms from everyone that I am proud to be the first Jewish chaplain they meet. 

The Unexpected Bucket List

September 16-18 Rosh Hashannah

Bucket list:

Land on a carrier while at sea. Check.

Steer/drive a carrier (not a simulation of one) AND not hit anything. Check.

I did warn them that while in the helo simulator in Mayport, Florida, I killed everyone on board. 
This did not stop them from turning the helm over to me. 

The best part - the helm is the same steering wheel as a racing car arcade game! 
No big wooden wheel. No splinters. Not something the size of a silver dollar.  

(This is the helm aboard the Halyburton, a frigate)

(This is the helm of the Farragot, a destroyer. It's close to what the helm looks like on the carrier. However, the carrier has two people steering simultaneously.)

I could get used to this

September 14 -16

I could get used to this.
Guam is beautiful.

Thank God I have Shabbat to recover and get my internal clock reset.
I head out to the ship on Sunday and Sunday night begins Rosh Hashannah.

God Bless the Broken Road

September 12, 2012

Rascal Flatts has it right.
God Bless the Broken Road.
I recommissioned as a reserve chaplain and have spent the last month getting ready for my first deployment.
I am off to the USS George Washington.
It's a carrier (CVN) that houses 5,500 people and is the length of 3 football fields.
I don't know what to expect so I watched the PBS 10 part series, "Carriers."

My travel will take me from Richmond to Tokyo to Guam.
Travel time: 22 hours and crossing the International Date Line.

From there, I will take a COD (carrier onboard delivery) and land on the carrier.

This was not on my bucket list but it is now.

Commissioning to Reserves

July 27th, 2012


There is  saying that you plan and God laughs.
I planned on going active duty for the Navy and God decided that I should go back to Camp Ramah in California for the summer.

In the middle of the summer, I was told that my reserves commission was ready and all I had to do was swear in.

I could have just gone to the NOSC (Navy Operational Support Center) and lifted my right hand and take the oath.
But what's the fun in that?

Instead, I invited the entire camp, staff and visitors to attend. That's about 900 people.

The LT who swore me in was volentold (she did not volunteer) to drive down and swear me in.
I had the short walk from the parking lot to let her know that there would be a "few" people attending.
As I joked with her about how big of a crowd it would be, I said, "Don't worry. I asked the rabbis to speak. All you have to do is administer the oath."

I am now officially attached to the 4th Marine Division (MARDIV), the 2/23 out of Port Hueneme, CA


Thank you to Rachel Blatt who was able to recording the entire thing.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sRqUqplsaI0

                                           

NCSC - Day 51 Graduation Day

28 MAR

0900

We graduated today with salutes, speeches and prayer.

I find myself not ready to leave.

I will miss Gunny warning us that we won't graduate

I will miss Choi's dead pan humor and us adding his name to any song or catchphrase

I will miss getting picked on by the Gunny for everything from my height to my middle name

I will miss Moon's response of "I look confused when I think"

I will miss the Gunny telling Rosenzweig that she has been mispronouncing her own last name her whole life

I will miss Hervey getting picked on for having four kids when Jewell (who sits right next to him) has four as well

I will miss seeing Arant, who has been with me on this journey since ODS (KILO!)

I will miss Byrd's "F----AITH!"

I will miss Gunny saying "Okay. I'll play your silly game"

I will miss the RPs for all the entertainment they provided and the friendships that we established

I will miss the theological discussions and peaceful moments

I will miss the fellowship that I have come to appreciate that has helped me grow as a chaplain, as a rabbi and as a person

I woke up this morning and already missed my shipmates for all of these reasons and more.

I pray that I will see them again soon and maintain the bonds that we have established here at the school house.

May I be privileged to be in the command of my teachers so that I can continue to learn from them in another setting, another stage of my military chaplaincy.

God, watch over my shipmates and our RPs as they go out into the fleet. Let them do good work as they bring peace and hope to the sailors, marines and coasties. May You give their families the strength to support them, wherever the NAVY takes them. And may I join them soon.

OORAH.

NCSC - Day 50 Chief of Chaplains

The Chief of Chaplains (CoC) addressed us today and he focused on his three priorities for the Chaplain Corps (CHC).

1) To serve our people - to serve those of our faith groups and everyone else and "strengthen spiritual readiness and resilience". The CoC has charged us with helping our warriors bounce back and heal spiritually.

2) to serve the leadership of the Naval Services (Marines, Navy, Coast Guard) - we are, according to regulations, responsible for advising the command on issues of religion and morality. Through that relationship we build with our leadership, we will be able to do our jobs.

3) to serve each other - if we work together, we will be stronger and be able to learn from one another. We will be be able to grow, mentor the next group of chaplains and have people we can lean on when we need help.

I am looking forward to seeing this priorities in action.

NCSC - Day 49 Sacred Sabbath

As we are two days from graduation, we never stop learning. Today's mentoring moment came from the commanding officer of the Navy Chaplaincy School and Center.

Carve out time every day, even five minutes, for intense prayer and meditation to recharge your soul. You (we) need sacred sabbath time during the day.

Why is this so important?

Because operational tempo (the life of an active duty chaplain) does not stop.

When the captain said this, I thought to myself how everyone - not just clergy - could use this. Taking 5 minutes out my schedule to talk to God should would probably improve my day.

Could you imagine if EVERYONE took five minutes in the middle of their day to meditate (or talk to God)? How much calmer we could be? How much more in tune with others and our own souls? I may pray in the morning but this is not "prayer" time. This is "I am going to talk to God for 5 minutes and no one, not even God, is going to interrupt me" time.

I am going to start today.

(The captain made clear that trying to take five minutes at night does not work because we'll be so wiped from the day, we'll just fall asleep. Words spoken from experience.)

NCSC - Day 48 Sabbah

Last night, the sky turned a greenish-yellow, the thunder rolled in, you could see the lightening and the rain and hail poured from heaven.

And I thought of my grandfather.

When I told my family that I was coming to Ft. Jackson, my grandmother mentioned that she and my grandfather had been stationed here twice during his active Army service.

I don't know how many people can say that a grandfather and granddaughter were stationed at the same base - especially when they served two different branches of the military.

As I watched the lightening storm, I remembered doing this exact same thing with my Sabbah on his porch in the house in New Jersey. I remembered not being scared of the sounds and sights as a young child but rather found the experience fascinating and exciting because my Sabbah was with me.

And last night, I pulled up a chair and watched the show.

And for the first time in a long time, I wished he was here so that I could share my military journey (as limited as it is) with him.

NCSC - Day 47 Chevre

I have been attending the Conservative congregation in town for services while I have been at Ft. Jackson.

I was embraced so quickly and I looked forward to Shabbat each week.

It was hard to say goodbye to them as this was my last Shabbat here.

The upside is that if and when I come back to Ft. Jackson for the advanced course, I will already have ties to the community.

It made the parting bittersweet.

NCSC - Day 46 Easy Day

It's the last Friday of training.

So how do we celebrate? A morning run with the Commanding Officer.

And what gift did we get?

We were dismissed at 14:00.

And what did I do with all this free time?

I saw 'The Hunger Games'

Shabbat Shalom.

NCSC - Day 45 A little extra RMTEX

Today in Ft. Jackson, the temperature hit 80 degrees.

Our classroom hit 81+ degrees. At one point, it got so hot in the classroom we were given the opportunity to remove our blouses (not the t-shifts underneath).

When even that was not helping and the heat in the room was climbing, we switched rooms and eventually released an hour early from class.

After RMTEX, a little heat is easy to handle.

NCSC - Day 44 PT

This was the second to last PT session we are having as a class.

I did well. I pushed myself the entire time.

I am going to miss doing PT with my class as a class. There is something about pushing yourself because the people around you are pushing themselves and cheering you on that I will miss.

It is that quiet moment at the end of the workout when you look around and smile at everyone because we pushed through and conquered the challenge.

You get a pat on the back from someone who is proud of you for working so hard and not giving up.

How will I take that with me?

NCSC - Day 43 Starting the Count Down

We are at day 43 with exactly one week to go.

It does not feel like we have a week left, even though we started graduation practice today.

I cannot imagine that I only have one week more with the same people who have changed my life, my thinking towards ministry, my relationship with God and how I study Torah.

On the one hand, I am ready to leave and at the same time, I don't want to go.

I struggle with the realization that I am returning to civilian life and do not want to lose the indoctrination and militarization that I have grown accustomed to.

In seven days, I will have no choice.

Until then, I tell someone to 'stand by' as I put the phone down to my side in order to render a salute or if I am being saluted.

NCSC - Day 42 RMTEX Debrief

in class today, our class instructor led our debrief on RMTEX and gave us this take-away from the experience.

Even when you are tired/cranky/cold, you still need to be the bearer of the presence of God.

Our job is to be strong enough so the sailors and marines can draw from our inner-peace even during times of chaos - regardless of whether that chaos is external or inside them.

Those marines and sailors will be looking to you and thinking to themselves, if the Chaps can do it, so can I.

NCSC - Day 41 Recovery III

I didn't realize that I would be so tired that I needed another day to recover.

My recovery must be going well because I got a run in before dinner.

NCSC - Day 40 Recovery II

I spent today recovering from RMTEX.

After sleeping in a small tent with someone else for three nights and not getting much sleep, a bed, any bed feels so great. No rocks under your back. No wearing the same uniform for five days straight with no showers.

I did not wake up to morning colors (0600). I did not hear the bugle. That's how tired I was.

Thank God for Shabbat.

NCSC - Day 35-39 RMTEX

RMTEX - Religious Ministry Team Expeditionary Exercise

The week-long field experience for Chaplains (officers) and Religious Personnel (enlisted)

This was my experience of RMTEX

To be clear - part of RMTEX is to up the anxiety factor by us not knowing the schedule or times of anything.

Day 1:

We boarded the vans with our 65 lb. packs at 0600 and drove to an obstacle course.

The purpose was to build teamwork and communication between chaplains and RPs with the hope of fulfilling the objective. The obstacles included having to use planks to get an oil drum or an ammo can or the whole team from one side to another side.

After lunch (MRE - meals ready to eat), we reviewed what we had learned regarding care in combat and then were sent into a simulation with real victims, loud noises, the sound of mortars falling, smoke everywhere - it was chaos. The point was for us to experience what care in combat really feels like. I appreciated all my time on the ambulance because I felt more prepared for what I saw.

We got to the campsite and set up our tents - one chaplain and RP per tent. I picked Seaman Arnold.

Once our tents were set up, it was light out enough that we tested out our land navigation skills. It was a great first effort.

Dinner was... you guessed it...MREs. And of course, what would camp be like without watch duty at night. I got the 2100 to 2300 shift.

Day 2:

Today we faced the Confidence Course. For someone who does not enjoy heights and is only 5 feet tall, this was going to be a physical and internal struggle. Some obstacles were individual and some were group efforts and in my case, it was a team effort for me to get through some of the individual obstacles. There were obstacles like '5 walls' where you have to get your whole team over the wall. Each wall was taller than the last one. I finished about 80%+ of the obstacles. By the end, I knew my arms and legs were going to hurt. I was very proud of being able to overcome some fear of heights and gain lots of confidence.

You would think that after a morning like this that we'd be done. NOPE.

Once we got back to camp and it was dark out enough, we had our first night navigation practice run. Epic fail. But it was fun hunting around in the dark for 2 hours.

Day 3:

Victory tower has 4 parts. There's a ladder climb, a repelling wall, commando crawl (lay down on the rope and pull yourself across - you're about 50 feet off the ground), tight rope bridge uphill and a descending cargo net.

Victory tower - conquered.

Next up, the gas chamber. We had our gas masks on and they threw in CS gas with us. They had us do jumping jacks to get our heart rates up while our skin began to get irritated from the gas. We had to remove our masks and put them back on, remembering to clear the mask so we don't breath in the gas. At the end, I breathed in the gas, started choking and my eyes burned. After being outside the gas chamber for about 5 minutes, I was feeling better but my eyes still burned and the CS gas was on/in my uniform. The van ride back from the gas chamber was WORSE than the gas chamber itself because we did not have our gas masks on.

And all of this was before 1300.

After lunch, we ran through a shorter version of the CFA - the combat fitness assessment. It is the Marine Corps version of the PFA (Physical Readiness Test or Physical Fitness Assessment - basically a fitness test). The difference is that we run 2 laps in our combat boots, ammo can lift for 2 minutes and an obstacle course that includes an ammo can run, a body drag, fireman's carry, grenade throw, push-ups and sprints.

And it was my pleasure to have watch duty again from 0100 to 0300.

Day 4:

Today we woke up late. 0600. We were gone by 0725.

We were divided into teams of 6 and given one MRE for the whole group for the day. We could drink as much as we liked.

We headed over to the land navigation site and were there for about 6 hours navigating from one point to the next using a compass, map and protractor. At some point, we decided to take an hour's nap. When we returned to base camp, we were given a GPS and found the final 2 points in half an hour. When we returned to base camp the second time, we napped for a few more hours while waiting for the other groups to return.

We drove to another site and got our packs and hiked into another part of the base for night navigation. We were there for hours. My partner and I found 2 points. (Night navigation is done with no lights whatsoever.)

At the end of the night navigation, we got our packs and hiked. It was not an easy hike with a 65lb pack on my back and having to bend forward to keep from falling over. If I had known had far the hike was, I would have pushed myself a little harder. I am just glad to have accomplished it.

The staff ended RMTEX with a meeting at base camp and food.

Day 5:

We got back to the hotel at 0045. I was not ready to sleep so I unpacked my pack, emptied out my dirty laundry and showered. I was in bed by about 0200.

We reported to the classroom at 1000 and were out of there by 1100.

I spent the day doing laundry, cleaning, trying to nap and prepping for Shabbat.

Highlights from RMTEX:

Conquering victory tower

Getting to know just about all the RPs

Having the war-wounds from my successes

Night navigation

all around competence

If offered the opportunity, I would do it all again.

I would not have this opportunity in the pulpit.

NCSC - Day 34 Prep Day

We leave for RMTEX tomorrow so I spent lots of time today getting my pack ready.

I am not even sure how much it weighed before I added all of the stuff I had to pack.

This should be interesting.

An aside: We return from RMTEX on Friday.

I am pretty sure that the first thing I won't do when I get back is blog about the week.

I'll get to it before TEAMS begins (the last phase of NCSC).

NCSC - Day 33 Shabbat at Beth Shalom

I don't think I could me more lucky to find such a warm, welcoming shul like Beth Shalom Synagogue in Columbia, S.C.

I could use a few extra hours to sleep but I look forward to going to Shabbat morning services. There is an incredible Chevre that are so happy to see me. The services are comfortable, the rabbi's sermon blows me away each week and I got a call asking if I was interested in reading Torah. I volunteered to read Megillah for Purim and ended up reading 4 chapters. I was just grateful to give back to a community that has given me a community away from my community at JTS.

NCSC - Day 32 PRT

Today, we took our final PRT (fitness test that includes sit-ups for 2 minutes, push-ups for 2 minutes and a 1.5 mile run) at 5:30am.

I am happy to report that I made progress in all three categories.

I am not sad that this is the last PRT I will have to take until I am on active duty.

Shabbat Shalom.

NCSC - Day 31 Purim

I had a pleasant surprise today. I had the opportunity to join all the other Jewish chaplains in the Army, Navy and Air Force Chaplain schools for a complete Sephardi Megillah reading and a Seudah with home baked Hamentaschen.

NCSC - Day 30 Morning Devotions Part II

This morning, I gave the morning devotions in the Protestant prayer lab. This is the gist of what I shared.

This mornings devotions come from the book of Esther, chapter 4 verse 14b.

It is appropriate as Purim is tonight.

The book of Esther tells of a silly king, a slick vizier, a hesitant queen and a wise uncle and the salvation of the Jews from potential annihilation. There seems to be someone missing from the story. Where is God?

On Passover, during the Seder, we retell the story using the verses from Deuteronomy and not from Exodus so that God is the key player, not Moses as compared to the Exodus story where Moses plays a significant role.

On Chanukkah, God has a hand in both the military victory of so few versus so many and the miracle that the oil lasted eight days.

So why isn't God a more obvious presence in the book of Esther?

My answer is this.

God is in between.

God is in between Mordechai and Esther, Esther and the King and every "coincidence" in the story. But there are so many coincidences that one could say that it was in the inconspicuous or conspicuous places.

Consider these examples.

God had the foresight to put Esther into a position of influence with the King to save the Jews.

God put Mordechai in the right place and at the right time to save the king.

The first time the king had a party, the result was him kicking out his wife. But at the celebration for his new wife, he did not.

We see God in between.

We acknowledge the hand of God in the story and as outsiders looking in, it's easy.

We also acknowledge the hand of God in our own lives.

Through that recognition, we appreciate the gifts we have and we can share that faith and understanding with others.

We need to remember that unlike our ability to look in on the story and see God's involvement, not everyone can do so in their own lives.

Our job, is to illuminate God's presence in their lives.

Like a lighthouse for ships, lighting their way home, so too are we for those who wish to find God.

May we never forget the power of that responsibility and may we have enough light for ourselves and others.

NCSC - Day 29 Driver

I am the driver for squad 1 for some time now.

I was more voluntold than volunteered.

So today, when the Gunny asked us who was driving to dinner tonight, I raised my hand.

"You, ma'am??" He looked shocked and tried to stop himself from laughing.

"Yes, GnySgt."

"Do you use pillows?" That was it. He started laughing along with the rest of the class.

"No GnySgt. But whoever sits behind me has a ton of leg room." More laughter and appreciation that the Gunny feels comfortable enough with us to joke around.

And this is how we ended Phase I of Chaplain School.

Aside: I had to say goodbye to my table-mate, Chaplain Candidate Hardison. He is not staying for all three phases along with Chaplain Haber and Chaplain Candidate Grimes. The class will not be the same without you.

NCSC - Day 28 Fire drill

During class today, the fire alarm went off unplanned. Our class filed out and once outside formed up into our squads in formation.

We looked to our left and our RPs (religious personnel - enlisted members who have chosen the religious personnel specialty) were also in formation by squad and our instructors were making sure that all Navy and Marine personnel were accounted for.

We look to our right and one of the other chaplain schools and they were milling about, not checking attendance, showing no discipline.

Seriously?

NCSC - Day 27 Lazy Sunday

Since this coming week begins RMTEX training before we go out into the field, I should take advantage of my ability to sleep in and get some work done.

Well, I slept in.

NCSC - Day 26 Evening Colors

When the ensign (flag) is lowered for the evening, a song is played across the base.

Everyone stops and comes to attention.

Since I am usually asleep by 20:45 (8:45pm), I do not hear evening colors because it plays at 21:00. Recently, I heard it and started to chuckle. Then I started to sing along.

And how would I know the words to Army's evening colors, especially since there are no words?

Because Camp Ramah took the tune for Army evening colors and created a song for bedtime.

That's right, Rad Ha'Yom's tune was taken from the Army.

Rad Hayom (the day is done)

Shemesh Dom (the sun is gone)

Kochavim Notzetim BaMarom (the stars are twinkling in the sky)

Lyla Bah (the evening has come)

Limenuchah (to give rest)

Shalom, Shalom. (peace, peace) [may you have peace]

Shavuah Tov.

NCSC - Day 25 Victory Ranch

Victory Ranch is a place to send warriors who need down time to recover and re-energize from the daily stress of military life.

Today, we had the privilege of visiting VR.

We could fish, sleep, play cards, watch movies, play basketball or follow the trails on the property.

I played basketball for 3 hours with Byrd, Moon, Bayer, GnySgt and Jewell.

More than the basketball, this was a place to bond with my classmates - whether it was on the court (in a barn) or playing cards or talking during a meal. These are the people I will be turning to for support when I am out in the fleet and they will turn to me. What better way to build up cohesion than sweating all over each other during a basketball game where no-one is keeping score?

NCSC - Day 24 Short Day

We knew it was going to be a warm day when we walked out of the Lodge to go to PT and we had taken off our caps, gloves and sweats.

By 11:00, the temperature of classroom hit 80 degrees so the afternoon classes were canceled. Of course, that meant that the GnySgt was going to have to find something to do with us. So, we spent an hour cleaning and preparing our packs for RMTEX and asking all the questions we had. (Religious Ministry Team Expeditiary Exercise - more on this later.)

What did I learn at our RMTEX brief? That when you go to buy 'suck-it-up,' you'll find it next to the icyhot and 'man-up.'

NCSC - Day 23 And We Were Doing So Well...

Up until this point, we have had few mishaps. These are the type of behaviors that get us in trouble. For example, your cell phone going off in class or coming to class late. My favorite is forgetting to stand up and declare yourself when answering a question. (Chaplain Candidate Creditor, Sir. I believe...)

However, this morning we were asked to write decision memos on a pretend issue. When our lead instructor came in the room, he explained to us how mad he was that no one wrote a the memo correctly. Then he left the room and the GnySgt let us have it. The difference between a Chaplain yelling at you and a former marine DRILL SERGEANT yelling at you is that the Gunny called out the people who were late or whose cell phones went off, his face turned red.

After he left the room, the incoming lead instructor spoke to us kindly and with love to take the sting off the verbal beating we had just received.

[One observation was that we had just experienced the three 'hats' from marine training. The third who yells, the 'heavy' who speaks with anger and the 'senior', who mothers us.]

And we were doing so well...

NCSC - Day 22 The Onion

Today has been unusual.

For PT today, we played ultimate frisbee. Setting aside the fact that we did not have a typical PT session, it was awesome. The GnySgt played as well. The best part, was when he started trash talking. The layers of the GnySgt are just starting to peel away.

Later today, we were drilling (marching) and we messed up so badly that the GnySgt said that we looked like a bag of wet doughnuts all shook up. (I don't understand where that expression came from.) That's when we started laughing. The GnySgt tried but in the end he could not maintain his military bearing and started laughing with/at us. Another layer has been peeled back.

NCSC - Day 21 Straight Forward

Sometimes, it is nice to have a day that is straight forward with no surprises.

05:30 PT

change

Breakfast

07:05 Formation

07:20 morning devotions

08:00 class

10:00 another class

lunch

13:00 more class

15:00 final class

18:00 dinner

20:30 sleep...

NCSC - Day 20 Sunday

Today has been a somewhat relaxing day.
I wrote a paper about how I measure success, watched TV, read an article for my Midrash class at JTS and went on what was supposed to be a 2 mile run.

I got a little lost. It turned into 3+ miles.

NCSC - Day 19 Who gets to speak?

** I have edited this post due to the class's decision on Monday morning. **

I have described the morning devotions in previous blogs. Recently, I have sat through multiple services. Each has its own style and structure. Last Thursday, to add to the diversity, we conducted a Torah service and invited everyone so they could see what it's like. I have appreciated the openness and willingness to explore each other's beliefs and customs.

We have a schedule for who leads the Protestant worship lab. Out of 20 chaplains, 15 attend the service, each coming from a different branch. When they are scheduled to run the service, they have it reflect their faith tradition. For example, the RLDS (Reorganized Latter Day Saints) service looks different from an Evangelical service, which is different from a Methodist service. From each, I learn the style of their sermonizing and the structure of their service.

Oddly, all three rabbis were on that schedule. At first, I figured it was a mistake because I would not preach in a Protestant lab. When it was initially clarified, it was explained to me that it meant that on that day, I would be in the Jewish worship lab, running services.

The more I thought about it, the more I did not and do not like that idea at all. Watching us run a Torah service or watching us pray means that they do not get to hear me give a Dvar Torah, a mini-sermon.

On Monday morning (today, 2/27), the class decided that the Jewish chaplains could give the morning devotion in the Protestant prayer lab so long as it is in fact a morning devotion and not a lecture on Judaism.

I will be speaking on Wednesday.

NCSC - Day 18 Act of Valor

So what do a bunch of Navy chaplains do when they are cut loose 3 hours early on a Friday?

See the new movie about Navy S.E.A.L.s, called 'Act of Valor.'

After the movie, some of us reflected on the impact of what we saw and how it relates to our jobs as chaplains. How will we be able to help heal the wounds of these heroic S.E.A.L.s that were created by those things they experience - injury, permanent physical disability and the death of comrades.

Looking around, it was great to see all of us processing the movie through the lens of ministry.

If I can watch 'Master and Commander' as a part of my leadership training at ODS, then why not use 'Act of Valor' as a part of the chaplain school curriculum?

NCSC - Day 16/17 Mayport Navy Station

There is so much to share from our trip to Navy Station Mayport in Jacksonville, FL. Here are the highlights:

1) We met the captain of one of the Destroyers who talked about how his success hangs on his ability to know the crew, know about the crew, their lives, their families - to truly connect with them so they can succeed.

2) We toured the Farragut (Destroyer), Gettysburg (cruiser) and the Halyburton (Frigate). I learned that the ships are built for my size. The quarters are small, the passageways are small and I felt right at home. Even on the frigate, while sleeping in the officer's quarters and having to climb onto the top rack (bed), I had plenty of room to move. I can not say the same about my counterparts. (And if you have ever seen Firefly, our sink was just like that. It folds open and when you are done, close it up and the water spills down the back.)

3) While getting a tour of the Hayburton, the Petty Officer 2nd class (PO2) opened up to our chaplain guide. He proverbially spilled his guts to her, almost forgetting that the group of us were there. If that can happen with on PO2 with a room full of strangers, how much more so would a PO2 open up to a chaplain he knows.

4) We had the chance to use the helicopter simulator. I was doing great but in the end, I killed all my passengers. Guess I will stick with chaplaincy and leave aviation to the pilots.

5) We got to spend a few hours with the CG (Coast Guard) and instead of a power point presentation about what they do, they took us out on a 45 foot cutter down the St. Johns River. Some of us even got to drive. I have more respect for the CG than I ever did before. The Navy trains for situations but the CG don't train - they do. Their job is hard and there are not many of them.

6) Chaplains get slap happy after 5 hours of continuous driving.

NCSC - Day 15 Playing Catch-up

I have spent the last five months biking around New York City. Not running.

So when I came to Ft. Jackson, I was surrounded by people who had been running for the last five weeks and I am playing catch-up.

For PT today, we did a 1.5 mile run of "Last Man", formerly called 'Indian sprints." You run in single file and the person at the end calls out "LAST MAN" and sprints to the front. Once at the front, they wave their hand and the next person sprints to the front.

As the slowest person in Bravo 12010, this was a challenge.

So my hero today is Chaplain Peterson, who hates PT, for telling that I am 'the little engine that could' at the end of the first mile. He made me laugh and enjoy the last two laps.

So I wondered, if I am 'the engine that could' and he is behind me, does that make him the caboose?

NCSC - Days 13/14 Recovery

Thank God for National holidays.

In order to celebrate the fact that we have presidents, I get an extra day off. I get to give my brain a rest from the daily six hours of power-point presentations and PT at 05:30. Of course, I am going to pay for this relaxing and sleeping on Tuesday.

NCSC - Days 11/12 Good Behavior

Due to our good behavior, we have been given liberty early.

We are free until 0510 Tuesday morning.

Shabbat Shalom.

NCSC - Day 10 Spontaneous Prayer

This morning a classmate of mine was sick and had to go to the hospital to get treatment.

With no hesitation, we came together to pray for his health. The prayer was honest, heartfelt and universal.

There is something really powerful about spontaneous prayer that we as Jews are scared to engage in. It's too "christian" for us and so we have given it up. Yet most Jews do not turn to the prayer book with it's Hebrew that holds no meaning for them.

Sadly, we need more spirituality and need to stop fearing how spontaneous English prayers are perceived. We need more prayer and more God in our lives. We should not fear stepping away from the prayer book with it's liturgical and scripted prayers and begin to take a page from our Christian counterparts.

Embrace the spiritual.

Embrace the spontaneous prayer.

Let God in.

For my classmate I offer this prayer tonight.

Heavenly father, tonight I pray that you watch over my classmate, Chaplain J. as he recovers from his injury. May you bring healing to him speedily through the guidance of the doctors and nurses in whose patient and caring hands you have placed him. And give strength to his family so they can be a support to him during this time of recovery. Amen.

NCSC - Day 9 Pastoral Care

In a pastoral class I took a few years ago, we discussed the need to unpack our own baggage so that we can deal with it before providing pastoral care to others. It made sense then as it does now. When you hear someone talking about something that triggers things in you, if you have not dealt with them, it will hinder your ability to help the person.

So it is even more true that when chaplains are sent into combat zones and the enemy is firing, that our baggage will bubble to the surface while we are supposed to be providing counseling to these warriors. (The military has begun to use the word 'warrior' rather than soldier, sailor, troop...) These warriors are turning to us to "feed off our inner peace." If we are able to keep it together, then the warrior will look at us as the dugma, the example.

Think about this. If Deborah was scared and it showed on her face, Barak and the troops would have never followed her into battle. Instead, she was the calm that they saw and took it upon themselves to emulate. But the only way to get to that point, is to work through our baggage beforehand.

I am no exception. I have had to work through my PTSD from 9/11 and losing colleagues, the guilt of surviving and then feeling the burden of keeping silent so that I continued to give off the appearance of being unfazed. I put in the work and continue to work on it and today drilled it home that all that work will keep me in good stead if I am in Afghanistan for Rosh Hashannah.

NCSC - Day 8 Chaplain Crouterfield

Chaplain Crouterfield is the Course Officer of the Navy chaplain school here at Ft. Jackson. He is also a mentor. He takes some time before he begins to teach to have a 'mentoring moment' with us. Today's moment was the following: leadership is a personal expense. It is a simple statement but with serious implications.

The significance of the statement is in understanding that there are positive and negative effects of leading on the leader. More specifically, being a leader requires personal sacrifice. It will exact an expense on every part of you - whether it be financial, emotional, spiritual, your time or your family.

To be a Navy chaplain means to understand the impact that being a leader will have on our lives. One of my classmates used the following image: The Navy pays for a certain amount for us to be leaders. The rest is going to be out-of-pocket expenses. Better still was the forethought that if you know what to expect and the impact leadership will have on you, that you will be more prepared for when it does.

As Chaplain Croutefield concluded, "Love them enough to pay the price."

NCSC - Day 7 PT 21

21 degrees... Fahrenheit.

This was the temperature yesterday morning at 5:15am as we made our way to LZ Bravo (the physical training field).

As we warmed up, the Gunnery Sergeant told us that tomorrow (Tuesday), we would not be able to raise our hands in class.

We believed him but all day after PT, I did not feel overly sore. That was the case until 2am this morning when I tried to roll over and my arms did not work.

And the Gunny was right. It took all my strength and willpower to raise my hand today in class.

NCSC - Day 5/6 Rest

Thank you, God, for giving me a mandatory day of rest.

Because I needed it.

Thank you, God, for giving me another day off so I can write my 'ministry of leadership' paper, read for class and do my laundry and be in bed by 20:00.

NCSC - Day 4 Dorothy

The commanding officer of the chaplain school addressed us today.

There was one thing he said that has stuck with me.

With everything going on in our lives, there is no where else we would rather be.

How true that is.

Even knowing that Gunnery Sergeant Washechek (he's a marine) is going to destroy us at PT (physical training) on Monday and Tuesday and Wednesday and Thursday and Friday and we will still have to sit though classes after, there is no where else I would rather be.

I know why I am here. It is not because I don't think I could make it as a pulpit rabbi or Schechter school rabbi or the rabbi of a Hillel. It's because there aren't a lot of rabbis who can handle this training, inter-faith diversity and lifestyle.

There are Jews serving our military and they are entitled to have a rabbi, whether it is in Afghanistan, working on a base or a new recruit fresh off the bus at Paris Island.

And if I have to be here to get there to serve Amcha, then...

there is no where else I would rather be.

NCSC - Day 3 Paris Island

There is a commercial for the Marines, 'some will hear the call.' In that commercial you see the yellow footprints. I stood in those footprints, with the D.I. (drill instructor, also called 'hat') yelling at us.

Move!

Yes, sir!

Louder!

Yes sir.

Are you done? You should say, 'Done sir!"

Done sir!

In those few seconds, I was jolted out of my relaxed state into one of complete focus. And my anxiety was heightened. That was the point.

We were then handed over to some of the base chaplains who explained that what these recruits go through is not haphazard. It's a science. This process is meant to break them down to their most basic level so they can be built back up together, with the same core values (Honor, Courage, Commitment), same ethical principles. If I know that you have trained with me, do the same things I do, have the same expectations and ethics, then I can trust you when I go into battle.

Over the course of the day, we got to see some of the training up-close. We got to visit the 4th battalion. That's the all women's battalion. The women and men train separately and only once at their next command, integrate. I watched these 40 women and remembered what is driving me to go through my training. So that I can be there for them - these women - to have a chaplain, a FEMALE chaplain they can turn to. Someone who gets the gender difficulties in the military.

The head chaplain and our guides (officers and enlisted marines) on base kept telling us that chaplains have a very important place in the military.

We support and guide, teach and counsel, offer a safe space and educate the officers, the command and their families. The D.I.s care for the body of the marine recruit. We care for their souls.

If I am lucky, I will serve with a marine battalion and having seen just a piece of the recruit's experience, I can use that when I minister to them.

Hoo-rah.

NCSC - Day 2 Morning Devotions

Every morning we have services. Each denomination goes into their own room and pray. This morning I decided to go to the Catholic services next door. It was led by my classmate but all three members of the service (who were all priests) took active roles within the service. I listened to the three sections of Scripture that were read, two of which are mine as well. I had never seen the washing of the hands before the taking of the sacrament because in Jewish tradition, we wash our hands before we say the blessing over the bread. Even the call and response that was done reminded me of my own services, whether it is the response of the community to the priestly benediction or the recitation of certain psalms on Shabbat. I came to the conclusion that I appreciated Mass because their rituals are so unique and similar to my own. I even appreciated being included in the Mass as all three worshipers were male but each announcement was "brothers and sisters."

I was planning on going to the Protestant services tomorrow but we leave for Paris Island (Marine training facility) at 0330.