Photo By Cpl. Mark Garcia | Growing up as a military brat, Lt. Cmdr. Mark Tews, the regimental chaplain, for...... read more read more
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FORWARD OPERATING BASE DELARAM II, Afghanistan — Growing up as a military brat, Lt. Cmdr. Mark Tews, the regimental chaplain, for Regimental Combat Team 6, knew he wanted to serve his country; however, he also felt a calling to be a minister.
Before his commissioning in the Navy during June 1996, Tews had been a minister at a parish for four years and knew he wanted to continue that career while in the military.
“I always wanted to kind of follow in my dad’s footsteps by being patriotic and serving my country, but I also had a calling to ministry,” said Tews, 53, from Alvin, Texas. “I knew the only job I could do that in would be as a chaplain and the Navy happened to be the only branch looking for chaplains at the time.”
During his time in the Navy, Tews has had the opportunity to be a chaplain for Marines, Coast Guardsmen, surface and aviation side of the Navy.
“I think the Navy is one of the greatest opportunities I’ve ever had,” Tews said. “I’ve liked the Navy ever since I decided to join. I like the variety and diversity associated with my job.”
During Tews’ career, he has watched one of his sons do a four-year enlistment in the Marine Corps, which allowed him to gain some insight into what Marines go through.
“He’s one of the best chaplains I’ve ever worked for,” said Petty Officer 2nd Class James Vanzella, a religious assistant, from Lodi, N.J. “He can relate to the Marines because one of his sons is a former Marine. He knows how to talk with and handle Marines, get on their level, understand where they’re coming from and what they’re going through.”
Vanzella said it is extremely important for Marines to have a chaplain at their disposal.
“It’s really important for Marines to have a chaplain while deployed,” Vanzella said. “If a Marine is having a bad day and needs a place to go and to feel safe and talk about any issues, the chaplain is always there for them. For Marines, this is a place of sanctuary where they don’t have to worry about anything and can talk with the chaplain about anything.”
After serving close to 16 years, Tews wanted the chance to work with Marines once again before retiring.
“I wanted to come back to the Marine side after being with the Navy for so long,” Tews said. “At my first duty station, I got to work with the Marines and I enjoyed it a lot and wanted to get back to working with the Marines before it’s all said and done.”
While Tews misses his wife and sons, the person he said he misses the most is his 15-month-old granddaughter. He understands though that his mission is to help the Marines through their deployment. Tews is scheduled to be in Afghanistan for a yearlong deployment with RCT-6 where he will continue to counsel, mentor and look after the Marines.
| Date Taken: | 03.23.2012 |
| Date Posted: | 03.24.2012 03:53 |
| Story ID: | 85739 |
| Location: | CAMP LEATHERNECK, AF |
| Hometown: | ALVIN, TEXAS, US |
| Web Views: | 145 |
| Downloads: | 4 |
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