Compass Points – The USMC Chaplain

Keep the fire burning.

­­­­ Compass Points – The USMC Chaplain

Keep the fire burning.

May 7, 2023

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Rear Adm. Carey H. Cash is the 21st Chaplain of the Marine Corps and Deputy Chief of Naval Chaplains. In his youth, Chaplain Cash was a first team All-American football player at the Citadel. All of Admiral Cash's chaplains provide moral and ethical counsel.

War, however, is an extremely practical undertaking. War is about two forces opposing each other. It is about two independent wills seeking advantage and victory. Obviously, military units in war, particularly those embroiled in ground combat, need weapons, ammunition, and critical support from armor, artillery, and aviation.

Why does the Marine Corps need chaplains? Why does the Marine Corps pay to have chaplains in the field with Marines? Where is the benefit in having a person in the field with Marines who does not even carry a weapon?

Perhaps it has something to do with the great strength shared by Marines. Perhaps it is the Marine Corps' secret weapon. The secret? Esprit de Corps. Esprit de Corps, the spirit of the Corps. Esprit de Corps is the intangible, invisible, indestructible advantage that carries Marines to victory after victory. Esprit de Corps allows Marines to overcome obstacles, endure hardship, and move forward, ever forward, even in the face of doubt and fear.

Weapons and equipment are important. Stocks of ammunition are important. Supporting arms is important. But are they the most important thing?

Napoleon has been quoted, "The moral is to the material as three is to one."

The Marine Corps' own motto, "Semper Fidelis" - always faithful - refers to a spiritual quality. Faithfulness is not a ammunition magazine that can be carried in a cargo pocket. Faithfulness is about something deeper and more important. Faithfulness is about the essence of a Marine and about the essence of the Marine Corps.

As important as weapons and equipment are, the legendary strength of the Marine Corps comes from a higher source, a spiritual power that never runs out of fuel or ammunition. It is a power that cannot be obtained by filling out a form. There is no sub-section in the Federal Acquisition Regulations. It comes from a higher power.

Compass Points salutes Chaplin Cash, and all his chaplains, along with Marine leaders at every level who work constantly to stoke the fires of Esprit de Corps so that Marine Corps esprit burns brightly, always, in the heart of every Marine.

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- - - - - Compass Points Mission & Values - - - - -

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Compass Points Mission

Provide an independent source of broader thinking, deeper understanding, and better decisions, for a stronger Marine Corps.

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Compass Points Values

We believe the Marine Corps must be responsive, relevant, and ready today, and more so tomorrow.

We believe the Marine Corps is never owned by any small group of people, but is always held in sacred trust by every Marine and friend of the Corps, past, present, and future.

We believe Marine Corps success in garrison, in the field, and in operations is a complex ecology of the physical, the intellectual, and the spiritual.

We believe in the complexity of combat.

We believe good data is good, but waiting for more and more data is not necessarily better.

We believe no information system can or will sweep away the fog of war.

We believe nothing is more uncertain than certainty.

We believe planning is good, but first plans rarely survive first contact.

We believe Marines must prepare to battle skilled, devious, and unpredictable adversaries.

We believe Marines must be always ready to locate, close with, and destroy the enemy by fire and maneuver, or repel enemy assault by fire and close combat.

We believe in combined-arms, multi-mission capable Marine Corps units that can quickly arrive anywhere, and address any conflict or crisis.

We believe the Marine Corps must experiment with new technology constantly, and adopt it prudently.

We believe in practicing and perfecting proven methods, while also experimenting with and adopting new methods.

We believe in the Marine Corps culture of teamwork, trust, creativity, and courage.

We believe in candid culture among Marines, never cancel culture.

We believe the strength of the Marine Corps comes from the valor at the heart of each Marine. Each Marine draws strength from the entire Corps of Marines. Together, all Marines are joined across time and geography by the unbreakable red stripe of service.