religious

diversity

in the united states navy

A GLOBAL FORCE FOR GOOD.

TM

Religious diversity in our Navy indicates clearly the Nation’s commitment to its 

founding value of religious freedom. —Chief of Chaplains Rear Admiral Mark L. Tidd, ChC, 2011

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For both officers and enlisted personnel, embracing 

the diversity within their ranks enhances individual 

performance, unit cohesion, and combat readiness.

Likewise, the Navy Department respects the practice 

of religion among its Sailors and Marines, believing 

spiritual health is as critical to completing the mission 

as mental and physical fitness for duty. Navy chaplains, 

Opposite page: Marines and Sailors attend religious services at a forward 

operating base in Afghanistan, December 2001.

Left: Rear Adm. Joseph David Stinson, Deputy Chief of Chaplains for Reserve 

Matters and Director of Religious Programs, Marine Forces Reserve, greets a 

patient at Landstuhl Regional Medical Center, Germany, April 2010.

The Navy’s leadership values all aspects of diversity, including religious 

diversity, fostering an environment in which each individual prospers and 

contributes to the mission.
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The Navy accommodates people of faith in various 

ways. Its policy, which follows Department of Defense 

guidelines, calls for meeting as much as possible the 

requirements for religious observances, dietary needs, 

medical practices, and religious apparel. While 

accommodations and signs of respect for religious 

traditions are a part of service life, the requirements 

for maintaining military readiness and completing the 

Navy’s operational missions remain the first priority.

Navy men and women are encouraged to share 

their faith without proselytizing. Jewish Sailors extend 

open invitations to Seder meals, for example. Audiences 

listen to Native American prayers during November 

observances honoring American Indian and Alaska 

who represent nearly one hundred denominations and 

faith groups, tend to the spiritual, physical, and emotional 

welfare of service members, including those who declare 

no religious affiliation. Navy chaplains are available to all 

Sailors and Marines regardless of their faith, creed, or 

beliefs, strengthening the personal and professional lives 

of those in need.

Left: A Jewish chaplain conducts services on the aircraft carrier USS 

Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72), November 2002. Chaplains of all faiths 

serve aboard ships around the world, bringing counseling and spiritual 

sustenance to Sailors at sea.

Above: A musical ensemble performs during a Protestant liturgy aboard 

the aircraft carrier USS Nimitz (CVN 68), July 2009. Shipboard ministries 

host three different religious services in the ship’s forecastle every Sunday. 

Below: Crew members read from the Passover Haggadah (prayer book) 

during the Passover Seder meal on board USS Nimitz deployed to the 

Arabian Gulf, April 2003.
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Margaret G. Kibben

A graduate of Goucher College in Towson, Maryland, Rear Admiral 

Margaret Kibben holds master of divinity and doctorate of ministry 

degrees from Princeton Theological Seminary, Princeton, New 

Jersey, as well as a master’s degree in national security and 

strategic studies from the Naval War College. This Warrington, 

Pennsylvania native entered active duty in the Navy in 1986 and 

has served with Sailors, Soldiers, and Marines around the world. 

In 1989 the Navy assigned her to the U.S. Naval Academy in 

Annapolis, Maryland, making her the first female chaplain to serve 

there. As an individual augmentee, she completed a deployment 

as the Command Chaplain with the Combined Forces Afghanistan 

in 2006. She became the first female chaplain promoted to flag 

rank when she was named Deputy Chief of Chaplains and the 

18th Chaplain of the Marine Corps on 9 July 2010.

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Rear Adm. Margaret G. Kibben, Deputy Chief of Chaplains and Chaplain of the 

Marine Corps, 2010.

“The opportunity to serve Sailors and 

Marines has been one of the greatest gifts 

God has provided me.”
Top: Members of the Honor Guard aboard the aircraft carrier USS Theodore 

Roosevelt (CVN 71) bow their heads in prayer during a burial at sea, 

February 2009.

Center: Chaplain Lt. Jason Gregory reads a Bible on the weather deck of 

the guided missile cruiser USS Bunker Hill (CG 52) operating with the U.S. 

Southern Command, March 2010.

Bottom left: Yeoman 3rd Class Douglas Pomeroy, assigned to the amphibious 

transport dock USS Nashville (LPD 13), bows in prayer at the Western Wall 

in Jerusalem, June 2008.

Bottom right: Cmdr. Dave Adams, commander of the Khost Provincial Recon-

struction Team, offers a prayer alongside his Afghan partners commemorating 

the first water distribution system in the province, December 2007.

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Native heritage. And Sailors may incorporate religious 

culture (through music, scripture, poetry, or other 

reflections) in such celebrations as retirements, 

promotions, awards, and changes of command. 

The service also allows leave for special holy days 

and pilgrimages. In 2008, for example, the Navy afforded 

a group of Muslim Sailors the opportunity to make the 

Hajj, the pilgrimage to Mecca required at least once in a 

lifetime of all financially and physically capable believers. 

The Navy set up the travel arrangements in partnership 

with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Lieutenant (j.g.) Rami 

H. Islam, the electrical officer aboard the aircraft carrier 
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Abuhena M. Saifulislam

Lieutenant Commander Abuhena Saifulislam, a native of Bangladesh, 

immigrated to the United States in 1989 with a master’s degree in 

commerce and the ability to speak several languages. He enlisted 

in the Navy as a payroll clerk in 1992 and became a naturalized 

citizen in 1995. Four years later he received his commission and 

became the second Muslim chaplain in the Navy and the first 

Muslim chaplain assigned to the Marine Corps. He served at Camp 

Pendleton, California; at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba; and at the Marine 

Corps Base Quantico, Virginia, where he led the effort to establish 

the permanent Islamic prayer facility that opened in 2006. President 

George W. Bush invited him to lead the call to prayer at the White 

House for Ramadan in 2007.

“Many of the world’s troubles today seem to be 

caused by cultural misunderstandings. The world 

is becoming so small. It is not a choice that we 

learn how to live together—it is a necessity.”

Lt. Cmdr. Abuhena M. Saifulislam, ChC, April 2010.
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USS Carl Vinson (CVN 70), who went on the Hajj, noted, 

“American Muslims in uniform have fought side by side 

to defend the U.S. Constitution since the Civil War. The 

Navy’s recognition of a faith practiced by a minority 

group makes that very group proud to be part of this 

institution. It’s a true example of what America is all 

about—freedom and equality for all.”

The Navy’s interest in the spiritual well-being of its 

Sailors and Marines dates back to before the American 

Revolution. On 28 November 1775 the Continental 

Congress adopted naval regulations that directed ship 

captains to hold divine services twice a day and “a 

sermon preached on Sundays,” marking the beginning 

of what is now the Navy Chaplain Corps. Although 

the Congress presumed a chaplain would lead the 

services, it was often ship officers with collateral 

duties who shared inspiring words, read from scripture, 

led prayers, and conducted funerals. The Continental 

Navy’s first chaplain was Reverend Benjamin Balch, a 

Congregational minister and the son of a minister. Balch, 

who had fought at Lexington, Massachusetts, completed 

tours on the frigates Boston and Alliance. His son William 

received the first commission as a chaplain after the 

Navy Department was established in 1798.

Secretary of the Navy Samuel Southard in 1823 

initiated a policy requiring chaplains to be ordained 

ministers, but some commanding officers continued to 

appoint officers or their preferred clergymen to serve as 

chaplains. The Navy relied on current chaplains to train 

junior officers for the chaplaincy until the U.S. Naval 

Far left: William Balch, the first chaplain known 

to have received a commission in the U.S. Navy, 

served from 1799 to 1801. Painting by Clayton 

Braun, c. 1940.

Left: “Assembling the Fleet at Key West—Sunday 

Service on the Battleship Texas” by artist H. C. 

Christy, 1898.
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Brenda bradley-Davila

Captain Brenda Bradley-Davila enlisted in the Navy Reserve as a hospital 

corpsman after answering “the call” to ministry. In 1990 she completed 

Chaplain School in Newport, Rhode Island, and received commission as a 

lieutenant (j.g.). With a bachelor of arts degree in special education and 

a master of divinity degree, she earned a doctorate in ministry from the 

Samuel Dewitt Proctor School of Theology at Virginia Union University in 

2005, and was selected to the Naval War College to study for a master’s 

degree in strategic studies. A Baptist chaplain and wife, Bradley-Davila 

completed tours ashore, afloat, and overseas, including deployments 

on board the aircraft carriers USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN 69), 

USS George Washington (CVN 73), and USS John F. Kennedy (CV 67) in 

the Arabian Gulf; with the 3d Marine Logistics Group; and with the 

amphibious assault ship USS Bataan (LHD 5). Bradley-Davila describes 

her work as a “meet you where you are” ministry, and emphasizes the 

importance of being open-minded and making herself available.

“Everyone comes with so much to offer, yet 

often they don’t see what’s inside them. . . . 

As a chaplain I need to help them fulfill their 

purpose in life.”

Capt. Brenda Bradley-Davila, ChC, 2010.
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Two Navy chaplains were awarded the Medal of Honor, our nation’s highest 

combat decoration. 

Far left: Lt. Cmdr. Joseph T. O’Callaghan gives last rites to a crewman 

wounded after a Japanese air attack set off fires and explosions aboard USS 

Franklin (CV 13) on 19 March 1945 during the invasion of Okinawa. Father 

O’Callaghan received the award for his heroic actions, which included leading 

damage control parties to prevent further explosions.

Left: Lt. Vincent R. Capodanno was killed in action on 4 September 1967 

while ministering to wounded Marines during a battle against enemy forces in 

Quang Tin Province, Vietnam. Father Capodanno, who served as the chaplain 

to the 3rd Battalion, 5th Marines, 1st Marine Division during the Vietnam War, 

was awarded the Medal of Honor posthumously for his heroism that day.

Academy in Annapolis, Maryland, opened in 1845. 

Chaplain George Jones, who helped establish the 

academy, became its first chaplain. Jones later served 

as the senior chaplain of Commodore Matthew C. 

Perry’s 1852–1854 expedition to Japan.

During the 18th and 19th centuries, chaplains 

were primarily white Protestant males. The service 

began commissioning Roman Catholic priests in 1888 

because of the growing number of Catholics serving in 

the Navy and Marine Corps. The 20th century gave way 

to a more organized and more diversified Chaplain 

Corps. The Navy created the Chaplains Division in the 

Bureau of Navigation on 5 November 1917 and 

appointed John B. Frazier, a Southern Methodist, as the 

first Chief of Chaplains. During Frazier’s four-year 

tenure, he standardized the administration, training, 

and supervision of chaplains and developed The Navy 

Chaplain’s Manual. At the recommendation of Senator 

Morris Sheppard of Texas, the Navy commissioned 

Rabbi David Goldberg a lieutenant (j.g.) during World 

War I, making him the Navy’s first Jewish chaplain. 

The Christian Science Board of Directors persuaded 

Secretary of the Navy Josephus Daniels to commission 

Richard Joseph Davis as the first chaplain to represent 

its denomination in early 1918.

World War II began a period of greater integration 

in the Navy Chaplain Corps. Lieutenant (j.g.) James R. 

Brown racially integrated the corps as the first African 

American in 1944, followed by Thomas D. Parham, the 

first African American promoted to the rank of captain. 
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“There is nothing else I’d rather be doing . . . 

I feel like I’m contributing to something that 

will have a lasting effect.”

Ronald O’Dell

Lieutenant Ron O’Dell completed five years of enlisted service in 

the Marine Corps in 1997 and then worked as a South Carolina 

state counselor. While serving as a minister in a South Carolina 

church, he decided to go to seminary. A professor’s description 

of life as a military chaplain and the opportunity to travel with 

his parishioners, to see and do what they experience, inspired 

him to earn a commission in the Navy Chaplain Corps. His early 

assignments included Naval Weapons Station Charleston, South 

Carolina, and Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, California. 

He deployed with 1st Battalion, 5th Marines of the 11th Marine 

Expeditionary Unit to Kuwait in 2007. As the expeditionary chaplain 

with the same unit a year later in Helmand Province, Afghanistan, 

he ministered to 1,200 Marines and their families. His wife shares 

his ministry from their home in California, where she participates 

in the Family Readiness Team at Camp Pendleton. 

Lt. Ron O’Dell, ChC, organizes USO boxes at a forward operating base in Helmand Province, 

Afghanistan, September 2009.
Jeanette Gracie Shin, a Buddhist, and Lieutenant Cynthia 

Kane, a Unitarian Universalist, entered the Chaplain Corps 

in 2004 and 2005, respectively, as the first representatives 

in the Navy of their religions. 

As of July 2010 there were 783 male and 53 

female active duty and reserve chaplains in the Navy, 

serving throughout the maritime services and in every 

environment. As former Chief of Chaplains Rear Admiral 

Louis V. Iasiello, a Roman Catholic priest, noted in 2006, 

“The Chaplain Corps has been, and is now, sharing the 

dangers and discomforts with the troops in the fight, yet 

always providing spiritual and emotional support for those 

in need, comforting those in mourning, consoling the 

wounded and the dying, serving the spiritual needs of 

hundreds of thousands, and doing so in the most 

ecumenical way.” Chaplains conduct services, rites, and 

ceremonies such as baptisms, the blessing of the fleet, 

and weddings; offer counseling; participate in community 

Left: Chaplain Capt. Thomas D. Parham delivers an address during the 

launching ceremony for the destroyer escort USS Miller (DE 1091) in 

Westwego, La., June 1972.

Above: Lt. j.g. Jeanette Gracie Shin, the first Buddhist chaplain in the 

Armed Forces, signs her oath of office in the Pentagon as Chief of 

Chaplains Rear Adm. Louis V. Iasiello, left, and Commander, Naval Reserve 

Force Vice Adm. John Cotton look on, July 2004.

The corps remained all-male until 1973 when Lieutenant 

Dianna F. Pohlman became the first female chaplain in 

the Navy and in the military, followed a year later by 

Lieutenant Vivian McFadden, the Navy’s first female 

African American chaplain.

Since the 1990s the corps has grown even more 

diversified. The Navy selected Lieutenant (j.g.) Monje 

Malak Abd al-Muta Ali Noel Jr. as its first Muslim chaplain, 

or Imam, in 1996. Two years later Captain Barry C. Black, 

an African American, received a promotion to flag rank and 

was named Chief of Navy Chaplains. Lieutenant (j.g.) 

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“It is very rewarding to be with people when 

they’re really hurting and try to bring God’s 

presence into that realm.”

Daniella Kolodny

Rabbi Daniella Kolodny was born in Jerusalem and raised in 

Columbia, Maryland. Before joining the Navy, she earned a master 

of arts degree in Jewish community service from the Hebrew Union 

College. While studying at the Jewish Theological Seminary (JTS) in 

New York, she completed an internship with the Chaplain Candidate 

Program, which gave her experience at the U.S. Naval Academy 

and the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy. Rabbi Irving Elson, a Navy 

chaplain and an alumnus of the JTS, urged Kolodny to consider 

joining the Navy. In 2004 Kolodny received her commission as 

one of just eight active duty rabbis in the Navy. Her duty stations 

included the National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland; 

naval bases in Bahrain and Yokosuka, Japan; and the aircraft carrier 

USS Carl Vinson (CVN 70). She was the first female rabbi at the U.S. 

Naval Academy. After leaving the Navy in 2009, she and her husband 

moved to England where she serves the Masorti Jewish communities.

Lt. Daniella Kolodny, ChC, 2005.

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Far left: Lt. Vivian McFadden, the first female African American chaplain in the 

Navy, comforts a patient in a naval hospital in San Francisco, Calif., 1976.

Left center: Cmdr. Doyle W. Dunn, right, command chaplain for USS Harry S. 

Truman (CVN 75), and Lt. Cory Cathcart, a Navy chaplain, baptize a Sailor in 

a munitions crate in the hangar bay of the carrier underway in the Arabian 

Gulf, March 2003.

Right center: Rear Adm. Barry C. Black, the first African American Chief of Navy 

Chaplains, speaks during his retirement ceremony at the Washington Navy Yard, 

D.C., August 2003. Chaplain Black, who received the Navy Distinguished Service 

Medal, continued to serve as the 62nd Chaplain of the U.S. Senate.

Far right: U.S. Navy chaplains, assigned to the 2d Battalion, 3d Marine Regiment 

and Regimental Combat Team 5, meet with a local religious leader in Haditha, 

Iraq, November 2006. 

outreach programs; and advise leaders on issues 

concerning the impact of religion on operations. 

Religious program specialists assist chaplains by 

coordinating and facilitating religious programs and by 

providing physical security for the chaplains who, as 

noncombatants, do not carry weapons.

The Department of Defense takes seriously the 

training of its military and civilian leaders on all matters 

relating to equal opportunity—including religious 

opportunity. As part of the curriculum at the Defense 

Equal Opportunity Management Institute at Patrick Air 

Force Base in Florida, the Religious Studies section 

hosts a panel representing major world faith groups and 

small fast-growing faith groups as well as those who 
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adhere to no religious beliefs. The ultimate goal of this 

open forum is to promote among the students an 

understanding of the diversity and complexity of religion 

to help them make sound decisions on faith and 

practices in their commands.

In the 21st century the Navy’s leadership remains 

strongly committed to diversity. Chief of Naval Operations 

Admiral Gary Roughead declared that the Navy “must 

embrace the demographic changes of tomorrow and 

build a Navy that always reflects our country’s makeup.”

A person who is motivated and hardworking, and 

has the honor, courage, and commitment to serve, can 

achieve his or her dreams, regardless of gender, race, 

creed, color, or ethnic origin.

Left: Religious Program Specialist 1st Class Brenda 

Dwiggins, assigned to the Iraqi Women’s Engagement 

Team of the 1st Marine Logistics Group, greets an Iraqi 

boy in Anbar Province where she is helping local Iraqi 

women get medical attention for their families.

Center: Navy Chaplain Lt. Derrick Horne and Religious 

Program Specialist 1st Class Jennifer Snow, from the 

hospital ship USNS Mercy (T-AH 19), visit with a student at a primary school in Sihanoukville, Cambodia, 

during Pacific Partnership operations, June 2010.

Right: Cmdr. Dale C. White, a Navy chaplain with 

Regimental Combat Team 8, hands out toys donated by 

Americans to Iraqi children in Fallujah, Iraq, May 2005.

Photo credits: Capt. Brenda Bradley-Davila, Lance Cpl. 

Benjamin Harris, Naval History & Heritage Command, 

Navy.mil, Lt. Ronald O’Dell, U.S. Marine Corps, and U.S. 

Navy Chaplain Corps.

Front cover: Command Chaplain Cmdr. Kenneth D. 

Counts conducts an Easter sunrise service aboard the 

aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman (CVN 75) in the 

Arabian Gulf, March 2008.
Navy Diversity Directorate (N134)

Chief of Naval Personnel

www.npc.navy.mil/CommandSupport/Diversity

www.history.navy.mil

A GLOBAL FORCE FOR GOOD.

TM