Photo By Lance Cpl. Natalie Greenwood | U.S. Navy LT Marian King, Marine Corps Instillations Pacific CREDO Chaplain, poses for...... read more read more
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In September 2005, a young woman felt as if she had reached a point in her life in which she was unsure of which path to take, or where she wanted her final endpoint to be. With several possibilities weighing down on her, she decided to go with what was familiar to her.
“I felt as if I had burned all of my bridges,” LT Marian King, Marine Corps Installation Pacific CREDO Chaplain stated. “At that point, I thought about my dad, about his career in the U.S. Navy, and I thought to myself that I could do that too. Just like my father, I enlisted into the Navy.”
After completing all of the initial Navy training, King began her career aboard the USS Ronald Reagan. King recalled the beginning of her time in the Navy being challenging. “At that time I had a lot on my plate,” King mentioned. “I was dealing with family issues back home, which included my mother being diagnosed with cancer; I felt guilty, I felt as if I should have been there but due to my career I was unable to.”
These feelings led King to struggle in a battle of anxiety and depression.
“The things I typically leaned on for security were no longer an option,” said King. “So I drank; I drank to deal with my demons and the culture I was in deemed it as okay. But drinking never solved a single problem for me.”
Feeling hopeless, King referred herself to an alcohol and drug treatment facility in Point Loma, California, her initial step towards a better life.
“It was life changing,” said King. “I was in a 30 day inpatient program and that's where I got reconnected with my faith and got sober.”
According to King, after her time in the inpatient program, she gave her heart to Jesus and began serving Him.
King had a split contract with two years serving active duty, and two years in the reserves. While finishing up her business degree, she started working in ministry during the Sunday church services at her reserve unit.
“People started noticing that I was gifted in teaching and started telling me ‘hey, you should continue doing this,’” said King. “So I figured out what the next level was and then I applied for the Chaplain Candidate Program.”
Upon acceptance to the program, King was commissioned into the Chaplain Corps where she spent the next two years attending seminary to study ministry.
In 2011, King completed her student period and transitioned to active duty where she served Marines and Sailors as a Chaplain.
“During my time as a Chaplain, I’ve had the ability to have a further reach and impact on so many Marines and Sailors," said King.
Today, LT King serves as the Marine Corps Installations Pacific CREDO Chaplain in Okinawa, Japan.
“Our ministry’s focus here is on various types of retreats,” said King. “We do marriage, family, and personal resiliency retreats.”
King and other CREDO members conduct workshops at these retreats to teach topics such as suicide prevention and awareness.
Reminiscing on her own past, King said the best way to get through hard times, long deployments, and time away from loved ones is to connect with those around you.
“Sometimes pain has a purpose, and you can’t run from something because it's painful,” said King. “If you find that it's more than you can handle, reach out. Find a chaplain, find a friend, or find a counselor. Sometimes we need that relationship where we are seeking wisdom and saying ‘I don’t know how to do this one on my own.’”
If you need help, please reach out.
Okinawa Duty Chaplain – 090-6861-4730
Iwakuni Duty Chaplain – 080-6612-9244
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline – 1-800-273-8255
Military One Source 1-800-342-9647
| Date Taken: | 12.07.2021 |
| Date Posted: | 12.07.2021 23:30 |
| Story ID: | 410682 |
| Location: | CAMP FOSTER, OKINAWA, JP |
| Web Views: | 865 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Never Too Far Gone – Chaplain King shares her story, by LCpl Natalie Greenwood, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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