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20080415
He who has the palm let him bear it...
I know Father Close from when I was in basic training at Lackland AFB, TX. He is a really great guy and I am glad to hear that they have given him this award.
Saturday, April 12, 2008
Air Force honors two Germany-based military chaplains
Stars and Stripes
Pacific edition, Sunday, April 13, 2008
Two military chaplains based in Germany have been named recipients of top U.S. Air Force awards for 2007.
Capt. Onyema Okorie, a Catholic priest at Geilenkirchen NATO Air Base, was chosen company grade chaplain of the year. The other recipient, Maj. Henry E. Close, of the 435th Air Base Wing, Ramstein, was selected for the Spirit of the Four Chaplains award. The Nigerian-born Okorie was recognized in large part for his work last summer in Balad, Iraq.
In his nomination packet, Okorie was referred to as a premiere combat chaplain and was praised for his work, including an amazing ministry to isolated forces in the field, particularly Special Forces. Okorie is assigned to the 470th Air Base Squadron at Geilenkirchen.
Close, an Eastern Orthodox priest, is known for his ramp-side manner, greeting and guiding wounded servicemembers as they arrive from Afghanistan and Iraq for medical care. His award is in honor of four chaplains who died in World War II when their transport boat, the Dorchester, was hit by a German U-boat. As the boat began to flounder, the chaplains handed their lifejackets to four young men who had none. Survivors recalled seeing the chaplains, their arms linked, praying from the deck of the boat as it slipped into the icy waters of the north Atlantic.
2007 Stars and Stripes. All Rights Reserved.
Saturday, April 12, 2008
Air Force honors two Germany-based military chaplains
Stars and Stripes
Pacific edition, Sunday, April 13, 2008
Two military chaplains based in Germany have been named recipients of top U.S. Air Force awards for 2007.
Capt. Onyema Okorie, a Catholic priest at Geilenkirchen NATO Air Base, was chosen company grade chaplain of the year. The other recipient, Maj. Henry E. Close, of the 435th Air Base Wing, Ramstein, was selected for the Spirit of the Four Chaplains award. The Nigerian-born Okorie was recognized in large part for his work last summer in Balad, Iraq.
In his nomination packet, Okorie was referred to as a premiere combat chaplain and was praised for his work, including an amazing ministry to isolated forces in the field, particularly Special Forces. Okorie is assigned to the 470th Air Base Squadron at Geilenkirchen.
Close, an Eastern Orthodox priest, is known for his ramp-side manner, greeting and guiding wounded servicemembers as they arrive from Afghanistan and Iraq for medical care. His award is in honor of four chaplains who died in World War II when their transport boat, the Dorchester, was hit by a German U-boat. As the boat began to flounder, the chaplains handed their lifejackets to four young men who had none. Survivors recalled seeing the chaplains, their arms linked, praying from the deck of the boat as it slipped into the icy waters of the north Atlantic.
2007 Stars and Stripes. All Rights Reserved.
