Carey Hall Cash is a United States Navy

rear admiral Rear admiral is a senior naval flag officer rank, equivalent to a major general and air vice marshal and above that of a commodore and captain, but below that of a vice admiral. It is regarded as a two star "admiral" rank. It is often regarde ...

and

chaplain A chaplain is, traditionally, a cleric (such as a Minister (Christianity), minister, priest, pastor, rabbi, purohit, or imam), or a laity, lay representative of a religious tradition, attached to a secularity, secular institution (such as a hosp ...

who serves as the 21st Chaplain of the United States Marine Corps and Deputy Chief of Chaplains of the United States Navy since May 2022. An ordained minister, Cash served in multiple positions as a

military chaplain A military chaplain ministers to military personnel and, in most cases, their families and civilians working for the military. In some cases they will also work with local civilians within a military area of operations. Although the term '' ch ...

, including as the command chaplain to , and

Carrier Strike Group 3 Carrier Strike Group 3 (CSG-3 or CARSTRKGRU 3) is a U.S. Navy carrier strike group. Carrier strike groups gain and maintain sea control as well as project naval airpower ashore. The aircraft carrier is the group's current flagship. Other units a ...

, as well as chaplain to former president Barack Obama at

Camp David Camp David is the country retreat for the president of the United States of America. It is located in the wooded hills of Catoctin Mountain Park, in Frederick County, Maryland, near the towns of Thurmont and Emmitsburg, about north-northwe ...

, the U.S. presidential retreat.

Early life, family and education

Cash was born in Memphis, Tennessee to a deeply religious family. His father, Roy Cash, Jr., was a

fighter pilot A fighter pilot is a military aviator trained to engage in air-to-air combat, air-to-ground combat and sometimes electronic warfare while in the cockpit of a fighter aircraft. Fighter pilots undergo specialized training in aerial warfare and ...

in the Navy for 30 years. His mother, Billie, runs a Christian ministry and is the author of several books about her faith. His older sister,

Kellye Cash Kellye Cash-Sheppard (born February 2, 1965) is an American musician and beauty pageant titleholder. Early life Cash was born in Memphis, Tennessee. Pageantry Cash was crowned Miss Tennessee 1986 and later Miss America 1987, capturing prelimin ...

, was Miss America 1987. A 6 ft 4 in graduate of The Citadel in South Carolina and of Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, Rev. Cash nearly became a professional football player. He is the

great-nephew In the lineal kinship system used in the English-speaking world, a niece or nephew is a child of the subject's sibling or sibling-in-law. The converse relationship, the relationship from the niece or nephew's perspective, is that of an ...

of the singer

Johnny Cash John R. Cash (born J. R. Cash; February 26, 1932 – September 12, 2003) was an American country singer-songwriter. Much of Cash's music contained themes of sorrow, moral tribulation, and redemption, especially in the later stages of his ca ...

Military career

Lt. Cash served on the battlefield during the

2003 invasion of Iraq The 2003 invasion of Iraq was a United States-led invasion of the Republic of Iraq and the first stage of the Iraq War. The invasion phase began on 19 March 2003 (air) and 20 March 2003 (ground) and lasted just over one month, including 26 ...

. As a fervent believer, he was deeply committed to spreading Christianity within the

armed forces A military, also known collectively as armed forces, is a heavily armed, highly organized force primarily intended for warfare. It is typically authorized and maintained by a sovereign state, with its members identifiable by their distinct ...

and believed a "wall of angels" protected his men as they fought their way from Kuwait to Baghdad. He baptized more than fifty men during the war. Chaplain Cash served at

, the U.S. presidential retreat, and found himself ministering to President Barack Obama; in this sense, Rev. Cash could be considered Mr. Obama's pastor. In addition, he served as Senior Protestant Chaplain at the United States Naval Academy in

Annapolis, Maryland Annapolis ( ) is the capital city of the U.S. state of Maryland and the county seat of, and only incorporated city in, Anne Arundel County. Situated on the Chesapeake Bay at the mouth of the Severn River, south of Baltimore and about east o ...

where he served cadets of all faiths with distinction and received Navy citations for his work.

Awards and Qualifications

Cash's awards include:

References

Obama Administration ''MSNBC, 10-14-09''
* ttp://www.tennessean.com/article/20091004/COLUMNIST0201/910040382/2072/SPORTS Obama chaplain has Tennessee ties ''Joe Biddle • The Tennessean • October 4, 2009''br>'He is excellent' says President Obama
Year of birth missing (living people) Living people People from Memphis, Tennessee The Citadel Bulldogs football players Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary alumni American Christian clergy United States Navy chaplains Chaplains of the United States Marine Corps {{US-Christian-clergy-stub