Parent Indoctrination

Plebe Induction Day
1 July 1998
Captain C. Richard Duncan, Command Chaplain

My first parish was a mission congregation in the mountains of Virginia in a small town called Pearisburg.  The church was small and I visited everyone weekly. One of my favorite visits was to Uncle Charlie Straley.  Uncle Charlie was 94 years old.

On one visit, Uncle Charlie revealed that until he was 92 years old, he rode his horse to church every Sunday.  That was quite a feat in that he lived 12 miles from the church.  That was a 24 mile round trip on horseback every Sunday.

I said “Wow, that is remarkable.  And to still make that journey until you were 92 years old is unbelievable.”  He said “Yea, and I would still be doing it except my horse got too old.”

Life’s journey is not a short sprint but a long trek that takes us over mountains and through valleys, high above the earth, on and under the sea, to unfamiliar places.  Our journey requires changes:  changes in mode of travel, changes in routes, changes in opportunities, changes in lifestyles.

Changes are situational and are generally simple.  What is difficult is that for every change there is a transition.  Transition is the psychological process people go through to come to terms with change.  The hard part for Uncle Charlie was not the change from riding a horse to riding a car– it was the transition involved in recognizing not only that his horse was getting old but that he was also aging.

You will be proud of the changes that take place in your sons and daughters over the next four years.  But right now you must face the transition. 

I know that there is a lot of anxiety in this auditorium, but I want to assure you that your sons and daughters are in good hands.  We currently have six chaplains on the staff at the Academy and one more at the Naval Station across the River representing five different faith groups.  You can recognize us by the device on our shoulders.  Christian chaplains wear crosses and our rabbis wear the tablets. We all were civilian clergy who volunteered and were endorsed by our national church to minister to sailors and Marines in the Naval service.

Our primary responsibility is threefold:  To provide for our own faith group, to facilitate the free exercise of religion for those of other faith groups, and to care for everyone regardless of what they believe.
For many plebes this will be a time to re-examine their faith, to rely on the faith which you and your church have shared with them, and for some– to be open to the possibility of discovering God– really for the first time.

The chaplains are available 24 hours a day to provide counseling if it is needed.  This communication is privileged—that means it is absolutely confidential!  This right is protected by law.  Chaplains are available to discuss not only issues of faith but personal concerns such as family and relational issues.  Chaplains can assist your son or daughter in making important decisions which they face in this transition process.  We also stand ready to help you who may at times feel helpless because you are so far away.

Your Plebe is entering a new world where individual values must be shared to conform to the Navy’s core values of honor, commitment and courage, and where individualism is tempered with responsibility for the good of the whole.

Chaplains are heavily involved instilling core values.  We take our responsibilities seriously and we love young people.  I need to explain the Chapel policy for Plebe Summer.  As always the chapel is open to all who wish to worship.  However, the Plebe regimen does not allow for them to mix with family and friends.  If you attempt to initiate this, it just makes it difficult for them and even more for those whose parents are not located near here.  So, please keep this in mind if you plan to attend worship at the Chapel during the next six weeks.

This is one of those difficult transitions where we as parents must come to terms with age.  Also, you sons and daughters are entering a new phase in their lives and we must let go and allow them to forge their future.

I want to share a piece of wisdom from Antoine de Saint-Exupery, a French novelist, who said “A rock pile ceases to be a rock pile the moment an individual contemplates it, bearing within him/her the image of a cathedral.”

All the chaplains will be available following this briefing if you would like to speak to us.  If you have concerns which surface at any time with which we can assist, please contact us as well as your Plebe’s Company officer.  Our phone number is 293-1100.  If there is an emergency, like a death in the family, please contact the Command Duty Officer who has the responsibility of informing key people which includes the Chaplain to help your Plebe.

God bless this transition.