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10-21-06, 08:20 AM
SATURDAY OCTOBER 21, 2006 Last modified: Saturday, October 21, 2006 12:58 AM EDT
Chaplain describes life among soldiers
Life among soldiers, diplomats and presidents is related to Adrian College students by Capt. Jonathan Frusti.
From staff reports
ADRIAN — Capt. Jonathan Frusti, a navy chaplain and director of the Armed Forces Chaplaincy Ward at the Pentagon, spoke Wednesday at Adrian College about his experience as a preacher among soldiers, diplomats and presidents.
Frusti, whose brother, Tim, is a professor at Adrian College, was the first full-time chaplain assigned to Camp David, and served there under presidents George H.W. Bush and Bill Clinton. He also served about the USS Sylvania, a naval fleet supply ship, and with the Marine Corps.
“I’ve buried them, I’ve married them, I’ve drank from their same canteens — usually water,” he said of serving with the Marines.
In his years preaching to presidents, kings and Supreme Court justices along with soldiers, sailors and Marines, Frusti said he has learned that God’s word is all-important and that everyone, even the world’s most powerful leader, is fundamentally human.
Aboard the USS Sylvania, Frusti would fly by helicopter from one ship to another to counsel sailors on board other vessels. On the Sylvania, he preached in a stuffy theater in the back of the ship and had to adjust to the pitching and rolling of the sea below.
With the Marines, he had other adjustments to make.
“I had to earn the Marines’ respect one stinkin’ step at a time,” he said of “humping” with the Marines — going on long, fast-paced hikes carrying overloaded packs.
“You have to hump to serve with the Marines,” he said. “You can’t be a quitter and expect to serve with the Marines.”
In his time with Marines in the field, Frusti said he had to adapt his services to new surroundings.
“Altars became the back of a Humvee, cases of MREs (Meals Ready to Eat) and sometimes we just used a rock,” he said. “We centered the worship around the word, and it’s amazing how portable that is.”
Going to Camp David was a big change of pace from the Marines, but proved to be an eye-opening experience. Spending time around presidents and other powerful men and women on relaxing weekends made Frusti realize that “they’re humans too,” he said.
One evening at Camp David, Frusti said, country music star George Strait was singing “All My Exes Live in Texas,” and Bush got the entire audience to sing along.
“I was just standing at the back of the room, and I couldn’t help but laugh,” Frusti said. The audience included the president’s family, the prime minister of Canada, the Joint Chiefs of Staff and most of the Supreme Court justices.
“There is no difference between us,” Frusti said. “People are just people.”
Ellie
Chaplain describes life among soldiers
Life among soldiers, diplomats and presidents is related to Adrian College students by Capt. Jonathan Frusti.
From staff reports
ADRIAN — Capt. Jonathan Frusti, a navy chaplain and director of the Armed Forces Chaplaincy Ward at the Pentagon, spoke Wednesday at Adrian College about his experience as a preacher among soldiers, diplomats and presidents.
Frusti, whose brother, Tim, is a professor at Adrian College, was the first full-time chaplain assigned to Camp David, and served there under presidents George H.W. Bush and Bill Clinton. He also served about the USS Sylvania, a naval fleet supply ship, and with the Marine Corps.
“I’ve buried them, I’ve married them, I’ve drank from their same canteens — usually water,” he said of serving with the Marines.
In his years preaching to presidents, kings and Supreme Court justices along with soldiers, sailors and Marines, Frusti said he has learned that God’s word is all-important and that everyone, even the world’s most powerful leader, is fundamentally human.
Aboard the USS Sylvania, Frusti would fly by helicopter from one ship to another to counsel sailors on board other vessels. On the Sylvania, he preached in a stuffy theater in the back of the ship and had to adjust to the pitching and rolling of the sea below.
With the Marines, he had other adjustments to make.
“I had to earn the Marines’ respect one stinkin’ step at a time,” he said of “humping” with the Marines — going on long, fast-paced hikes carrying overloaded packs.
“You have to hump to serve with the Marines,” he said. “You can’t be a quitter and expect to serve with the Marines.”
In his time with Marines in the field, Frusti said he had to adapt his services to new surroundings.
“Altars became the back of a Humvee, cases of MREs (Meals Ready to Eat) and sometimes we just used a rock,” he said. “We centered the worship around the word, and it’s amazing how portable that is.”
Going to Camp David was a big change of pace from the Marines, but proved to be an eye-opening experience. Spending time around presidents and other powerful men and women on relaxing weekends made Frusti realize that “they’re humans too,” he said.
One evening at Camp David, Frusti said, country music star George Strait was singing “All My Exes Live in Texas,” and Bush got the entire audience to sing along.
“I was just standing at the back of the room, and I couldn’t help but laugh,” Frusti said. The audience included the president’s family, the prime minister of Canada, the Joint Chiefs of Staff and most of the Supreme Court justices.
“There is no difference between us,” Frusti said. “People are just people.”
Ellie