Gregory N. Todd
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Gregory Todd
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CAPT Gregory N. Todd, CHC, USN
(as 10th Chaplain of the U.S. Coast Guard) |
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| Allegiance | United States of America |
| Service/ |
United States Navy |
| Years of service | 1986-present |
| Rank | Captain |
Chaplain (Captain) Gregory N. Todd is a United States Navy Chaplain Corps officer serving as the tenth Chaplain of the Coast Guard. Over a twenty-eight year career, he has served in a variety of Navy, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard assignments, including deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan and chaplaincy work at Ground Zero in the wake of the September 11 attacks. He is a Lutheran.
Education
A Seattle, Washington native, Todd received a bachelor of arts degree in theology and education from Concordia College in Portland, Oregon, and received a Master of Divinity degree from Concordia Seminary in St. Louis, Missouri. He has also received a Doctor of Ministry degree in Christian Leadership from Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary in Charlotte, North Carolina. Chaplain Todd was ordained as a minister in the Missouri Synod of the Lutheran Church in 1988.
Career
Todd was commissioned as an Ensign in the United States Navy Reserve in 1986, providing ministry to Marine Corps Reserve units while concurrently serving as pastor for civilian churches in Illinois. He transferred to active duty in 1994 and served as Protestant chaplain at Naval Amphibious Base Coronado, California. From 1996 to 1998, Todd was chaplain aboard the Ticonderoga-class guided missile cruiser USS Chancellorsville.
Todd served his first tour with the Coast Guard from 1998 to 2002, serving as chaplain at Coast Guard Activities New York. While there, he was the first Navy chaplain to arrive at the World Trade Center site after the September 11 attacks, and hosted a Coast Guard Chaplain Emergency Response Team of thirty Navy chaplains working with the Coast Guard, that ministered to civilians and emergency crews at various locations, including Ground Zero, the family center, and One Police Plaza.[1] He was also part of response teams that responded after the crashes of EgyptAir Flight 990 and American Airlines Flight 587.
Todd returned to ministry within the Marine Corps in 2002, reporting to the Second Force Service Support Group based at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina. He deployed to Kuwait with the group's Forward Battalion at a part of Operation Iraqi Freedom. In 2004, he deployed to Afghanistan with the 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. setting up the ministry at Forward Operating Base Ripley in Afghanistan's Oruzgan Province. In May 2005, he assumed the duties as officer in charge of Marine Corps Chaplain and RP Expeditionary Skills Training (CREST) at Camp Johnson, a post he held until October 2008.[2] He then attended the Senior Supervisory Chaplain Course, after which he reported aboard USS Kearsarge as command chaplain.
Todd returned to the Marine Corps again in July 2010, as chaplain for the 2nd Marine Logistics Group; in this capacity, he led transition and support ministries for Sailors and Marines deploying or redeploying from Afghanistan, and led a chaplain team in Ramstein, Germany supporting Third Location Decompression programs for Explosive Ordnance Disposal Marines, helping to facilitate their transition after a deployment described as "kinetic". In February 2013, he departed 2nd MLG and reported aboard as force chaplain for II Marine Expeditionary Force, leading II MEF's religious program for 50,000-plus Marines, Sailors, and family members.
Todd returned for his second tour with the Coast Guard in June 2014, relieving Captain Gary Weeden as Chaplain of the Coast Guard.
Awards and Qualifications
Todd's awards include (not exhaustive):
- Meritorious Service Medal, four awards
- Department of Transportation 9/11 Medal
- Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal, three awards
- Coast Guard Commendation Medal
- Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal, three awards
- Commandant's Letter of Commendation
- Navy Fleet Marine Force Ribbon
- National Defense Service Medal, two awards
- Combat Action Ribbon
- Afghanistan Campaign Medal
- Global War on Terror Expeditionary Medal
- Global War on Terror Service medal
- Sea Service Deployment Ribbon, two awards
He is also qualified as a Master Training Specialist, and is qualified to wear the Fleet Marine Force Officer insignia, chaplain's variant.
References
This article incorporates public domain material from the United States Government document "[1]".
