MILLINGTON, Tenn. - Lt. Brent Baughman, a native of Canton, Ohio, is training at Naval Chaplaincy School to serve as a chaplain for America’s seafaring warfighters.
Baughman graduated from Canton South High School in 1984. Additionally, Baughman earned a bachelor’s degree from Bob Jones University and a master’s degree from Pensacola Theological Seminary.
The skills and values needed to succeed in the Navy are similar to those found in Canton.
“My love for America, interest in military service and my spiritual journey began as a kid in Canton, at the Canton Baptist Temple,” Baughman said. “My understanding of the needs of the military was deepened when I lived in Pensacola, Florida, and in Chattanooga, Tennessee, and the opportunity to serve was afforded to me.”
Baughman joined the Navy nearly three years ago.
“I love sailors and the U.S. military,” Baughman said. “Military people have been a significant part of my life, including a daughter and son-in-law who are active duty Navy. I want to contribute to the total well-being of our sailors as a chaplain.”
More than 800 Navy chaplains from more than 100 faith groups, including Christian, Jewish, Muslim and Buddhist, serve in the Navy Chaplain Corps. After seven weeks of training at Naval Chaplaincy School and Center at Naval Station Newport, Rhode Island, the chaplains set on their mission to provide support and guidance to sailors, Marines and Coast Guardsmen at sea and on the shore.
“Navy chaplains encourage their shipmates to connect to the ultimate good and to a community that shares their convictions about what or who that good is,” said Capt. Charles Varsogea, chaplain and commanding officer of the Naval Chaplaincy School. “Navy chaplains help people find the value, the meaning, and the purpose of their lives. Navy chaplains support people in their willingness to serve and sacrifice for the greater good.”
In the Basic Leadership Course, Navy chaplains learn to tailor religious ministry to life in the sea services, said Varsogea. They also learn how to facilitate the free exercise of religion for people of faiths other than their own. They learn service-specific ways to care for all people, and they learn how and when to render their best military advice.
“The graduates of our Basic Leadership Course are trained, developed and inspired to give our seagoing warfighters the strength of spirit necessary to complete their missions with honor,” Varsogea said.
Chaplains and religious program specialists (RP) play a critical role in helping the Department of the Navy achieve and maintain a ready force through the delivery of professional religious ministry and compassionate pastoral care. Chaplains and RPs are embedded within commands operating at sea and ashore to ensure 24/7 availability. They provide a source of comfort and refuge that enables service members and their families to practice and grow in their faith and to face personal and professional challenges.
“My favorite part about being a chaplain is the opportunity to serve sailors in a unique dimension of their lives with a genuine concern for the whole person - body, soul and spirit,” Baughman said.
The U.S. Navy is celebrating its 250th birthday this year.
According to Navy officials, “America is a maritime nation and for 250 years, America’s Warfighting Navy has sailed the globe in defense of freedom.”
With 90% of global commerce traveling by sea and access to the internet relying on the security of undersea fiber optic cables, Navy officials continue to emphasize that the prosperity of the United States is directly linked to recruiting and retaining talented people from across the rich fabric of America.
Baughman has many opportunities to achieve accomplishments during military service.
“I am most proud of when I can make a contribution to the life of the individual sailor,” Baughman said. “I am also proud to represent the Navy at public events and funerals of veterans and their families, whether by conducting the funeral or through providing funeral honors.”
Baughman serves a Navy that operates far forward, around the world and around the clock, promoting the nation’s prosperity and security.
“Serving in the Navy means contributing to the nation I love, and it gives me the opportunity to support those who have volunteered to protect our country,” Baughman said. “My service has opened a door of connection to veterans who have served and allows me to celebrate their service.”