Rear Adm. Mark L. Tidd, Chief of Navy Chaplains, arrived aboard the aircraft carrier USS Nimitz (CVN 68) June 26.
Tidd visited the Nimitz Strike Group to conduct training with chaplains while also visiting Sailors and leaders.
“I appreciate the opportunity to be aboard Nimitz and to spend a little bit of time with you,” Tidd said, addressing the Sailors aboard Nimitz. “Anytime I get a chance to get out of Washington, and to be able to be with the fleet, is a great opportunity for me.”
Tidd commented on the role of the Nimitz Strike Group in the 5th Fleet area of responsibility (AOR).
“This continues to be a very important theater of operations, and what Nimitz, with the embarked air wing and all of its surface combatants and others are doing, [is] critical to our national interests and strategy in this part of the world,” said Tidd.
According to Tidd, the attitude of Nimitz’ crew impressed him.
“What I see is folks working hard in a tough [and] challenging environment to accomplish a mission,” said Tidd. “The Nimitz team is doing a great job at it.” Tidd’s training and conversations with Nimitz’ chaplains and leaders included sexual assault prevention and awareness guidance. According to Tidd, a chaplain’s confidential counseling can play a crucial part in the lives of sexual assault victims.
“A chaplain can confidentially help a victim determine how to proceed [and decide] whether to make a restricted report or an unrestricted report that can lead to an opportunity to bring people to justice,” said Tidd.
Tidd also conducted the ship’s evening prayer over the sound system. This prayer is one of many services provided by chaplains aboard Nimitz every night.
“This is a tough AOR, and because of that, chaplains [and] religious program specialists are critical to the life of the crew,” said Tidd.
Navy chaplains, under the leadership of Tidd, support the war fighting efforts of Nimitz Strike Group and the United States Navy.
“I’d like to say thanks to everyone aboard Nimitz [and] throughout the Nimitz team,” said Tidd. “Summer is not the most pleasant time of the year in the Gulf of Oman or the Arabian Gulf, and yet it’s critical that we’re here with the capabilities that you bring and that you all are focused on the mission at hand.”
Nimitz Strike Group is deployed to the U.S. 5th Fleet area of responsibility conducting maritime security operations, theater security cooperation efforts and support missions for Operation Enduring Freedom.
[mappress] Press Release, June 27, 2013