 For 237 years, our Chaplain Corps has provided a ministry of presence to members of the naval service and their families, both ashore and afloat. We've been led by the call to serve God by serving our sailors, our Marines, our Coast Guardsmen, and their families. From the USS Constitution in 1812 to the USS Arizona at Pearl Harbor in 1941 to the Sands of Iraq in 2003 and today, the mountains of Afghanistan, you have sustained, inspired, and mentored the war fighter. In crises like September 11th, Hurricane Katrina, Operation Unified Response in Haiti, and Operation Tomodachi in Japan, you have brought a message of hope and redemption and grace in the wilderness to all corners of the globe. Who among us does not need to hear this message? Each day, Navy chaplains and religious program specialists work together, reaching out to Navy, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard personnel with spiritual care and encouragement. From the battlefields of Bellow Wood, to the frigid Chosin Reservoir, to the jungles of Vietnam, to places like Camp Leatherneck and Kandahar, chaplains have been a source of comfort and refuge for sailors and Marines as they enter into sacred spaces and face the barriers to hope. As you have embodied the true meaning of servant leadership, while remaining steadfast to a high code of ethics and integrity, you have an integral role in shaping the 21st century sailor and Marine, ensuring that they have the spiritual resilience to cope with the inevitable hardships of military life and the ability to remain ever ready to do what is required of them as war fighters. Above all, you care for all with compassion. The demands of the past 11 years alone have placed a heavy burden on our military and their families through your delivery of religious programs like Crado, small group Bible studies and Vacation Bible School, and work in programs like Safe Harbor and your Healing Ministry throughout our naval hospitals. You continue to have a profound and uplifting impact on the lives of many. Your innovative approach to shore ministry enriches and reenergizes the lives of our service members and their families. I am humbled and honored to serve as your chief of chaplains. Our legacy is rich and our future is full of promise. On this day, wherever you're celebrating, remember the lives of those Navy chaplains who have gone before us, serving God, their country, the Navy, Marine Corps and Coast Guard. Whether active or reserve, we are truly one chaplain corps unified by one mission, the call to serve. We are indeed called, and you are serving very well. May God continue to bless your ministry on the deck plates, out in the field, operating forward and ashore. Happy anniversary. Happy anniversary. Happy anniversary chaplains.