This will be another two part column, with the first part being very timely and the second part being my first impressions of the National Conference on Ministry to the Armed Forces (NCMAF) and the Armed Forces Chaplaincy Board (AFCB).

 

     The first note is that my trip to Arlington this week was very timely as I was able to be present at the national headquarters of the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) for a press conference at which they held a news conference to highlight their press release about the ongoing impact on military retirees, veterans and their families for whom the partial federal shutdown is, as either furloughed or essential personnel- such as the entire US Coast Guard and their career civilians- are not getting paid. The numbers of those who have called the VFW and other Military Service Organizations (MSOs)/Veterans Service Organizations (VSOs) requesting information and guidance on how to survive this period of loss of pay has increased significantly. It is clear that the House, Senate and Administration need to figure out how to end the "partial" shutdown, and as I keystroke this, I am watching the news and finding out that only 25% of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is staffed with essential personnel (working without pay) and the rest are furloughed. Would any part of the country have a disaster right now, the response would take weeks, not hours or days. Clearly this is a situation that needs reasoned, compassionate action- and from the perspective of many of us informed by our theological grounding- prayer for resolution as soon as possible.

 

   With regard to the NCMAF conference, as your Executive Director so far it has almost been like a MCA conference. I am pleasantly surprised by the number of our MCA members here as endorsers or exhibitors, such as The Rt. Rev. Carl Wright, retired Air Force chaplain, who is now the Bishop of the Armed Forces and Federal Ministries (AFFM) of the Episcopal Church in the United States, Chaplain Mike Heuer, retired Air Force chaplain who is now on our NCMAF Board, Chaplain Ken Sampson, retired Army chaplain who now represents Guideposts, Chaplain Jack Lea, retired Navy chaplain who is the Executive Director of NCMAF and of course, Chaplain Lyman Smith, retired Navy chaplain who is both an endorser of four Presbyterian traditions and a newly elected board member of NCMAF.

 

   On a different level, I was reintroduced to my former Active/Guard Reserve senior chaplain, and Chaplain Assistant,  who was tasked with making the Strong Bond retreats so remarkably successful, when I was the Commanding General of the 99th Regional Support Command at Ft. Dix, NJ, and the chaplain who was willing to go support the one Navy chaplain at the US Merchant Marine Academy when new plebes arrived to start their indoctrination, and who volunteered to be one of the very first Army chaplains to support families of Fallen Soldiers who were welcoming back their sons at Dover Air Force Base during their Dignified Transfers. So far, for my first NCMAF/AFCB meeting I've attended, it has been like my life in review, both for MCA and for my Army Reserve career.

 

   Next week, I'll provide a wrap up of the rest of NCMAF and the AFCB from the rest of this week. That said, if the rest of this week follows the first evening and full day, it will be quite busy!