Southwestern Seminary has a long and illustrious history of veteran service and chaplain ministry. Founding president B.H. Carroll fought in the 17th Volunteer Texas Infantry Regiment and was severely wounded at the Battle of Mansfield, La., in 1864.
Our first professor of ethics and pastoral theology, J.B. Gambrell, was a scout in the 2nd Mississippi Infantry Regiment. He took part in Pickett's famous charge from Seminary Ridge to Cemetery Hill in Gettysburg. Despite Pickett's division's almost obiliteration, in the sovereignty of God the future professor survived the carnage and found his way to another seminary ridge in Fort Worth.
Our third president, J. Howard Williams, served as a chaplain of the 1st U.S. Army Corps in Europe during World War I.
Countless Southwesterners served in the armed forces during World War ll as soldiers. Their names, including the names of 11 women, are listed on the memorial plaque in the southwest stairwell of Fleming Hall. Among the 543 names listed is Chaplain William David Kirkpatrick, the father of current professor of theology Dr. David Kirkpatrick. Later faculty and staff members on this list were Harvey Hatcher, Stanton Nash, Felix Gresham, and Jack Gray. Other faculty and staff were chaplains, like professor Othal Feather and Development Officer Robert Preston Taylor, who rose to the rank of major general as chief of chaplains for the Air Force.
Since then, hundreds of Southwesterners have served as military chaplains. Retired professor of pastoral ministry, Dr. Gerald Marsh, served many years as the assistant chief of U.S. Air Force chaplains. In our program today, Chaplain Jerry Reynolds, a Southwestern alumnus, served almost 30 years as a U.S. Army chaplain before becoming a national missionary in the chaplaincy evangelism team of the North American Mission Board. Another alumnus, Chaplain Ed Simpson currently is the senior chaplain of the 90th U.S. Army Reserve support command, which commands a five state region from its headquarters near Little Rock, Ark. The naval career of professor of church music Lyndel Vaught included a tour of duty at the White House.The former acting dean of Educational Ministries, Robert Welch, served over twenty-two years as an active duty naval line officer before joining our faculty in 1991.
From the beginning to the present day, God has shown those commited to serving the military as a soldier or chaplain that they are prepared for the adventures that come even after the bugle has played a final farewell.