"This is the unique ministry of the chaplaincy... When you become a chaplain, everybody in your outfit is your responsibility, regardless of their religion." (Video Interview, 1:00:46)

Willard W. Bartlett

Willard Bartlett [2005] War: World War, 1939-1945; Korean War, 1950-1953; Vietnam War, 1961-1975 Branch: Merchant Marine; Navy; Marine Corps Service Location: Atlantic; Pacific; Asia Rank: Commander Place of Birth: MN

Willard Bartlett had a long career in the military, divided into two terms of service. As a teenager, he joined the Merchant Marines late in World War II. After the war, he finished his studies at the Merchant Marine Academy, sailed for a year, then decided to become a minister. After the Korean War began, he enlisted in the Navy as a chaplain instead of a seaman. He preached not only to his fellow Christians but also to Jews (though he once mistakenly put a cloth with a cross on it over his pulpit for a service). He even invited his ship's atheists to a meeting to compare beliefs. Bartlett was attached to a Marine Corps unit in Vietnam, where he had to answer the eternal question, "Hey Chaplain, did Jesus ever have to go to the bathroom?"