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John Chapman served sailors looking for guidance

Veterans deserve thanks today and every day

After one year of college, John Chapman thought his life needed a little direction.

He found that direction in the U.S. Navy.

There he went from a rebellious youngster to a man who saluted anyone and everybody.

He also learned the value of teamwork, hard work and accepting a challenge.

And he found his life's calling.

Chapman, who is today pastor of Havre's First Baptist Church, ended up spending 28 years in the Navy.

He received his call to the ministry in the bowels of the USS Patrick Henry, a Navy submarine.

"I received the call of Jonah, from the belly of a whale," he said.

Chapman still wears his submarine cap and meets regularly with the Montana group of former submarine sailors. There are 58 submarine vets in the state., and they meet twice a year, he said.

On the submarine, he recalls, he learned about teamwork and the importance of doing your job.

"When there is a fire or a flood and you are there, it's your job to put the fire out or stop the flood," he said.

There is a tremendous amount of camaraderie in the Navy, especially in a submarine, he said,

While in the Navy, Chapman finished his bachelor's degree.

He then went into the seminary, and rejoined the Navy as a chaplain. For the next two decades, he served sailors looking for guidance.

Much of the time, he said, he was in training depots, providing direction to recruits.

The biggest challenge was dealing with recruits who couldn't cut it in the Navy.

"They feel like failures," he said.

He had to help them cope with their feelings during that difficult time, he said.

He retired after having a heart attack and soon ended up in Havre.

Like there was a strong bond on the submarine, there is tremendous camaraderie among veterans, he said.

"Very much so," he said.

The bond exists between people of different ages and different branches of service.

All year long, and especially on Veterans Day, vets give nods of approval to each other.

"When you see another vet, you tend to say 'I'm glad you served,'" he said.

Would he advise young people to enlist in the service?

"I'd strongly advise, yes," he said.

"You will have the experience of seeing other people from other nations," Chapman said, adding that "it will round out your education."

And most important, it will offer a challenge to young people.

"It pushes you to your limits," he said. "It helps you to be who you are."

He considers his years in the Navy to have been "a very positive experience."

And in advising people, he admits, he has one bias.

"Go Navy," he said.

 

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