Sailor Circuit Rider
by Chaplain Commander Otis D. Essex, Jr., (1963, B.D.), USN (Retired)
Early on during President J. F. Kennedy’s term in office, our nation faced one of the most critical times in recent history. The USSR had threatened to set nuclear weapons in Cuba. Several World War Two destroyers were deployed to establish an embargo to prevent the landing of these weapons and force the return of them to Mother Russia. The world sat on the edge of their collective seats and waited to see who would blink first.
My attention was fixed on the radio as news personnel relayed the moment by moment developments. In my mind I went back almost twenty years to when I was a sailor being sent into harm’s way. No “religious people” were on board to provide moral leadership. This lack manifested itself in different ways. People swore… “like sailors.” I was not a Christian at that time so it was no big deal to me…but what if?
Now it was different. About 300 sailors made up the compliment of a destroyer. No thought was given of God, Christ, salvation or any of the other things essential to faith. I knew there were chaplains but I never saw one after Boot Camp. My thinking put it in my mind that with the modern developments in communication and the development of the helicopter it might be possible to establish a “circuit rider” type ministry. The navy was way ahead of me and was now deploying chaplains to destroyer groups and moving them by “Holy Helos.”
I felt God was calling me to that kind of ministry. Ezekiel in chapters 2 and 3 sums up my sense of call. A missionary to my own people and a watchman. I began to ask about becoming a clergyman to sailors and was, not too gracefully told I was too old. So that ended that…for a while.
Southeast Asia boiled over in a place called Vietnam. President Johnson ordered a half million troops to be sent in to stop the north from taking over the south. I felt for the kids they were sending there. As a pastor, I was making casualty calls when the notice came that a son or husband was wounded or killed in action. There were those awful funeral sermons that had to be preached.
Once again I felt the call of God to go to the youth who make up our sea services. The line made up of chaplains was getting thin. Public sentiment turned against the politics and mis-management of the war. This time I applied for and was sent by my bishop and The Methodist Church to represent the church in uniform as a chaplain. I received orders to destroyers and rode them out of Charleston, S.C., for two years.
During the interview by both the denomination and the navy, I was asked about my wife and kids. My wife, Dessie was invited to come to Chaplains’ School in order to get a “real” picture of navy life and speak with wives and see how they cope with long separations. This is part of the total package of military life. Navy life is impossible if the spouse is unwilling or ignorant of what the demands are of long hours and the times apart.
The Navy is comprised of several corps which provide special services. There is the Civil Engineer Corps, the JAG Corps, the Medical and Dental Corps, the Supply Corps, the Chaplain Corps and…The Marine Corps. The “special staff people” are naval personnel serving in the Marine Corps. As a special staff guy I was assigned to the USMC for more than 14 years and I loved these kiddies. You see, USMC means Uncle Sam’s Misguided Children. We were privileged to live among them in many different areas and have fruitful ministries.
Total time in the sea services amounts to 33 years. Enlisted time is 11 years and reserve time is about 3 years. One must retire at age 62. The only regret I have is that I got old. Would I do it again? In a New York minute!
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A good word, Otis. I know you served the ‘kiddes’ and many others well.
Good to hear from you.Remember the tiny Japanese slippers you sent to our Dorothy 60 years ago? She’s retired with us at Shell Point.