On Monday of this week (April 20th) I took the Oath of Commissioning and became a US Naval Officer! I did it while I was sick as a dog and in a medicinal haze, so I have no idea what I said while taking the oath! Fortunately it's written somewhere in my COMDOCS (Commissioning Documents) for me to pull out and read in the future! I'm an Ensign (O-1) for as long as I'm going through grad school, and then when I supersede to active duty (I'm in the Navy Reserves right now) after graduation the Navy will automatically advance me to either Lieutenant (O-3) or to within about 6 months of becoming one. One of the perks of being a Chaplain (actually any of the "professional" military jobs - Jags, Doctors, Dentists, Chaplains, etc.), I guess! I'm told that's because we're the only ones in the military required to have Master's degrees, so we're treated more like professional contractors rather than Sailors/Soldiers. That's just what I'm told. My official title is either Ensign Zumwalt or Chaplain Candidate Zumwalt. I'm not an actual Chaplain until I finish my M-Div.
Usually if a person is in the regular Navy Reserves he has to drill 1 weekend a month and 2 weeks a year. In my case (all the "professional's" case), we drill for about 5 weeks each summer while school is out. This is so our Master's programs aren't interrupted. I won't be drilling this summer but the next 2 summers I probably will be, and that will be in Rhode Island and South Carolina. The only time I get paid by the Navy is during those 5 or so weeks of drilling during each summer, so I'm not getting anything from the Navy right now. I don't even have a military ID or a uniform, and I don't have to shave!!! One last thing, my time as a Chaplain Candidate these next couple years does not count towards my Navy retirement (20 years), but it does count towards my pay scale. Thus, I was active duty for 9 years before I got out, but when I go back in after graduation, I'll start getting paid as an O-2 or O-3 with around 12 years of Naval service. It makes a little bit of difference in pay.
Anyhow, Kathy and I were talking on our way home from my commissioning about how much time had passed since we began the process that culminated in Monday's little ceremony. It's been over a year and a month! Hard to imagine. So many things had to happen just right, so many people had to help by writing recommendations, giving interviews, sending financial help, pulling strings, and certainly by praying. I'm very comfortable in saying that my commissioning was a God thing - there are just WAY too many variables for it not to be.
So, thanks to all of you! No kidding, my commissioning on Monday was a culmination of a ton of work by a whole lot of people. It's funny that only one person gets a certificate when there are many, many of you out there who did just as much work to make this happen as I did. And above all, thanks God!
