A Chaplain For Nearly a Half-Century

The chaplain was quite cheery for 6:30 in the morning. Though I rose at four a.m. to begin my day, I was not yet in time with his joyous mood, two-plus hours later. I went about my task of setting up the first day of this week’s book fair scheduled at the Army hospital. The gray-haired man tagged along and chatted. He looked more like a physician than a man of the cloth, dressed in his white smock, his I.D. tag hanging from around his neck. I politely listened and nodded as I unfolded and positioned tablecloths, then moved display racks into place. At first annoyed by his banter, something told me to “stop and listen” to him. “The tasks can wait a few minutes,” I thought, then gave this man my full attention.

“I’ve been in the service for more than half a century,” he beamed. “And I’ve been in the chaplaincy almost half a century too!” That WAS impressive. I noticed the pride in his eyes, not dimmed by the thickness of his wire-rimmed glasses. I stood silent and with respect as he continued his tale.

“I was a chaplain in World War II, and my dad fought in World War I.” Now I knew I was in the presence of someone who deserved honor. “I wanted to go into the Navy when I was young,” he explained. “My dad was in the Army, and he would have none of that.” I pictured this aging man in his youth, standing up to his father, at odds in their opinions.

He described the scene at the recruitment office. “There were two lines formed—one was for Army, and the other for Navy. They’d shout out to all of us there, ‘Army!’ ‘Navy!’ and we’d choose a line to stand in. Well, I had flat feet. (I started to feel a bit sorry for him, hearing this.) I’d been an athlete all through high school, but my flat feet kept me out of the Army. I was in that line for the Navy, and they stamped my hand with the letters N-A-V-Y – and it didn’t matter if I had flat feet. I was glad.”

I thought his story was finished, was poised to thank him and turn away—when he grinned, eyes twinkling, “With my flat feet, I figured if the ship ever sank, I just might be able to walk on water!”

We both laughed out loud, me the more surprised of the two. He’d just jump-started my morning, and my smile didn’t fade for the next half-an-hour. He knew exactly what he was doing when he’d started the conversation. Unsuspecting, I was taken in, and given a gift to start my day.