Author Archives: frdavid11

All members of the Armed Forces are required to maintain standards of physical readiness—including chaplains. Every year we have to weigh in and pass our Body Composition Assessment (BCA) and Physical Readiness Test (PRT). Even when deployed aboard ship commands are expected to conduct these assessments. Even though COVID prevented us from conducting our PRT,Continue reading “Daily Prayer, 22 June”

An unfortunate side effect of our ever-shortening attention spans is that we don’t take an appropriate amount of time to understand something (or someone) before filing it into what we think is the closest appropriate category—or narrative, if you will—so we can then move on to the next thing, which is similarly treated. Thus, theContinue reading “Daily Prayer, 19 June”

On the 17th of June 1775, some 2200 British soldiers under the command of Major General William Howe crossed the Charles River from Boston and landed on the shore of the Charlestown peninsula. The Royal Army had been trapped in Boston, under siege by the Colonial Militia. Recently reinforced by sea, the Redcoats planned toContinue reading “Daily Prayer, 17 June”

Every Officer and Sailor who sets foot on a U.S. Navy warship as part of her crew is required to get qualified. First, to stand watches in support of the ship’s operation, and then additional qualification as a warfare specialist. Surface sailors, Submariners, and Navy Airmen each have their own specialist qualification, and they allContinue reading “Daily Prayer, 16 June”

Happy Flag Day! This is another celebration that might get overlooked while deployed, and in any event isn’t given nearly the attention it deserves. If it were up to me, the effort put into other observances that seems so important these days—especially this month—would be redirected into remembering these parts of our shared history. ThereContinue reading “Daily Prayer, 14 June”

I have some catching up to do. Work demands have kept me from posting the past two weeks, but today I get to pick it up again with a story tied to an event that occurred this very date 238 years ago. Too many of these stories are left untold, pushed out by more “pressing”Continue reading “Daily Prayer, 12 June”

Observing Memorial Day underway on deployment eliminates the opportunity of observing it in the manner for which it originated. I shared this prayer on Memorial Day to tell the story of how the holiday came to be as we know it, since we all tend to be better at enjoying the holiday than understanding whatContinue reading “Daily Prayer, Memorial Day”

The Navy depends on very young Sailors to do very big things, and often to make some consequential decision. So it trains them well, then trains them again, then trains them some more. Drill after drill after drill. The constant training is meant to produce a familiarity with proper procedures so intimate that when somethingContinue reading “Daily Prayer, 27 May”

Tonight, I want to tell you a story about a guy named Peter Jackson, though probably not the one that you’re thinking of. The man I have in mind was born on July 3rd, 1861, on the island of St. Croix in the Dutch Virgin Islands. He left there when he was 17 years oldContinue reading “Daily Prayer, 26 May”

When the Gentle Giant strode to the mound on that afternoon on May 15th, 1918, he didn’t know what was in store, but he expected that he had his work cut out for him. The White Sox were the defending World Series Champions and were likely to give him trouble even without “Shoeless” Joe JacksonContinue reading “Daily Prayer, 25 May”