He said that they would love to have an Orthodox Jew on their staff and indicated they would accommodate my religious needs and work with me around my Sabbath schedule.
The idea of going from the Marines to the Air Force at first seemed very unorthodox, but I contacted the Reserve Chaplains at McChord and set up an interview. At the end of the interview they were ready to hire me on the spot. In March 2002 I joined the U.S. Air Force as a chaplain assistant. Now I can do both, keep the Sabbath and continue to serve part time in the military.
Perhaps best of all, as a chaplain assistant, I am now the one who helps provide for the religious and spiritual needs of my fellow Jews and all the personnel of the other religions within the U.S. military.
Today, I continue to learn and grow as a Jew. I’m even on the board of my synagogue now. I ask myself, would I want my son, when one day G-d grants me one, to join the military? In good Jewish and military tradition, I will cross that bridge when I get to it. (My more immediate objective is to find my bashert, my soulmate).
The fact is, a lot of what I learned in the Marines has made me a better Jew. Jewish observance is similar to military training, except you don?t have to shvitz (sweat) as much or crawl in the mud.
Being a Marine taught me self-discipline and responsibility, pride and self-esteem, how to answer to a ?higher authority,? and the value of teamwork, family and community.
In being charged by Hashem, the real Commander-in-Chief, to wake up early and go to minyan, put on tefillin, pray three times a day, keep kosher and live in a Jewish community, we acquire some of the same qualities the military teaches. Wearing a kippa and tzitzit is a lot like wearing a uniform – they designate you as a member of a branch of ‘service.’
I do know that if my future son does serve in the military, he’ll be a better man and a better servant of G-d because of it.
