Photo By Hendrick Dickson | Military Sealift Command (MSC) Navy Chaplain, Lt. Chad Goddard was recently named U.S....... read more read more
Military Sealift Command (MSC) Navy Chaplain, Lt. Chad Goddard was recently named U.S. Fleet Forces Command (USFF) Chaplain of the Year.
Goddard, a Pensacola, Florida, native, is assigned to MSC Headquarters in Norfolk, Virginia, where he provides and facilitates for the religious needs of more than 8,000 civil service mariners; civil service ashore and active duty and reserve Sailors across five area commands around the world.
In a congratulatory letter from USFF command, praised Goddard for his efforts leading the MSC Mobile Resilience Training Team (MRTT) and traveling to ships around the world to provide resilience-focused training since COVID travel restrictions have been lifted. This includes topics such as Equal Employment Opportunity, Sexual Assault Prevention and Response, Health Services, Placement, Employment, Inspector General, and Religious Services. The MRTT has visited 25 ships and trained over 1,300 mariners across three of our major area commands.
Goddard joined the Navy nearly 10 years ago. He says he’d always wanted to serve God and his country and felt the Navy Chaplain Corps was the best place to do both. But he was also inspired by a longtime friend.
“I had a good friend in college named Tim who joined the Army after 9/11 and deployed to Iraq several times,” said Goddard. “He told me about the military chaplain and how they were there for the troops. Tim wanted to get his divinity degree, and come back into the Army as a chaplain to care for Soldiers the way his chaplain had cared for him. Sadly, he was killed in an IED (improvised explosive device) attack in Ramadi, Iraq, in 2005 and never got to fulfill his dream.
“Several years after his death I was re-reading his email where he talked about wanting to become a chaplain and I decided that I would pick up the mantle and do what he wasn’t able to do,” he continued. “I’ve worn his dog tag along with my own since I joined the Navy, just to remind me why I do what I do.”
After being named USFF Chaplain of the Year, Goddard will now be nominated for the Military Chaplains Association (MCA), Chaplain of the Year for the U.S. Navy. According to their Website, MCA is a not for profit association chartered by Congress and governed by a Board of Directors with the sole mission of looking after the professional interest of both military and government agency chaplaincies.
“The most rewarding things about being a chaplain are being able to help others through their difficulties, to celebrate with them in their accomplishments, and to serve others selflessly. So, receiving a tangible award for being a chaplain is a new experience for me,” said Goddard. “To be nominated is humbling, because I know there are chaplains out there in the fleet who are doing selfless, unrecognized work every day caring for their Sailors and Marines.”
| Date Taken: | 05.20.2022 |
| Date Posted: | 05.20.2022 10:45 |
| Story ID: | 421155 |
| Location: | NORFOLK, VIRGINIA, US |
| Web Views: | 425 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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