LTJG Doyl E. McMurry

It has happened. On Tuesday, November 24, Doyl officially joined the U.S. Navy and received his commission as a Lieutenant Junior Grade in the Navy's Chaplain Corps. It's hard to believe it has only been 4 1/2 months since Doyl and I first had our "what if" conversation that led to contacting a recruiter. This process has been so all-consuming that it seems like it has been much longer. The prayers and support of our family and friends have been so evident to us.

As I said, this process has only lasted 4 months. As we understand it, it can take that long to receive the ecclesiastical endorsement or security clearance. For many the process for becoming a Naval Chaplain takes close to a year. The peace we have sensed has been incredible. God's hand is clearly leading. He has put us in contact with three Navy Chaplain mentor couples. One we are getting to know thanks to a connection through our pastor and his wife. The Adams are one year ahead of us in this process. Kristy especially has been such a blessing to me already. I can't wait to join them in April in North Carolina. Another couple we met via friends of a friend. He is a retired Chaplain with more than 20 years in the Navy. The third is due to Doyl's interview and endorsement with the North American Mission Board. Facebook has even helped. We've had resources for questions, encouragement, advice, etc. At no time have we felt alone or uncertain. And I'm guessing that if all of this has meant so much to us during the application and commissioning process, it is only going to be more important as Doyl heads to training and as we move to our first duty station (which is Camp Lejeune by the way) and as we seek to minister to Sailors and Marines and as we are far from family...You get the idea.

The next step in this adventure comes in just a few weeks. Doyl will leave January 2 or 3 to attend Officer Development School (ODS) in Newport, RI for 5 weeks with follow on to Chaplain School at Ft. Jackson outside of Columbia, SC for 7. It will be our first experience with military separation. I am grateful that the girls and I will still be here with my family for that time. After Doyl graduates, we will join him at Camp Lejeune where Doyl will serve as a Base Chaplain for Marines.

Below is the video I took of Doyl's official commissioning. His recruiter, CWO4 Kilpatrick, has been so helpful. I have heard recruiter horror stories all my life, but saw no evidence to support them with him. Warrant, if you see this, thank you again for your help. We were blessed to be able to have a formal service with our church later, but this one is where Doyl officially entered the Navy. It may appear simple, but it was as much evidence of God's leading as the one with our family and friends.



Go Navy! Beat Army!