US Army Major General and Rome native to speak at Shorter College commencement ceremonies

December 4 - United States Army Major General and Chief of Chaplains Douglas L. Carver will be the keynote speaker at Shorter College’s Dec. 12 commencement ceremonies. Commencement will be held at 10 a.m. and at 2 p.m. in the college’s Winthrop-King Centre. A native of Rome, Chaplain Carver became the 22nd Chief of Chaplains for the United States Army on July 12, 2007. He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Religious Studies from the University of Tennessee at Knoxville, a Master of Divinity degree from the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Ky., and a Master of Science in Strategic Studies from the Army War College in Carlisle, Pa. An ordained Southern Baptist minister, he has pastored churches in Kentucky, Colorado, and Virginia. In June 1973, Chaplin Carver was recognized as a Distinguished Military Graduate and appointed as a Regular Army Officer in the Field Artillery Branch of the United States Army. After serving on active duty for six years, he resigned his commission to enter the ministry. He was subsequently commissioned as an Army Chaplain in June 1984.

His Field Artillery assignments included serving as a Forward Observer, Assistant Executive Officer, Executive Officer, Battery Commander, Brigade Fire Support Officer, and Personnel Officer with the 1st Battalion, 19th Field Artillery in Fort Carson, Colo.

Chaplain Carver’s previous assignments include serving as the 22nd Deputy Chief of Chaplains for the United States Army, at the Pentagon in Washington DC; the Director of Training for the United States Army Chaplain Center and School, Fort, Jackson, S.C.; CJTF-7 Chaplain, Operation Iraqi Freedom in Baghdad, Iraq; V Corps Chaplain in Heidelberg, Germany; Deputy Command Chaplain for the United States Army, Europe (USAREUR) in Heidelberg, Germany; Installation Chaplain at Fort Campbell, Ky., Division Chaplain of the 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) at Fort Campbell, Ky.; Career Management Officer, Office of the Chief of Chaplains at the Pentagon; Assistant Training and Doctrine Command Chaplain (TRADOC) at Fort Monroe, Va.; Assistant Staff Chaplain for the Mannheim Military Community in Mannheim, Germany; 3rd Brigade Chaplain at Fort Campbell, Ky.; and Eagle Support Brigade and 29th Transportation Battalion Chaplain at Fort Campbell, Ky.

His awards and decorations include the Legion of Merit (1 Oak Leaf Cluster), the Bronze Star, the Meritorious Service Medal (4 Oak Leaf Clusters), the Joint Service Commendation Medal, the Army Commendation Medal (2 Oak Leaf Clusters), the Army Achievement Medal, the Army Staff Identification Badge, the Parachutist Badge, the Air Assault Badge, and the Ranger Tab. Chaplain Carver is a recipient of the Clyde T. Francisco Preaching Award (1982) from the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. In 1995 he received the Witherspoon Chaplain’s Award from the Layman’s National Bible Association for outstanding service rendered by a military chaplain in the promotion of Bible reading and study among military families.

Chaplain Carver and his wife, Sunny, have two daughters and three grandchildren.

Founded in 1873, Shorter College is a Christian college committed to excellence in education. Since 2003, U.S. News & World Report has ranked Shorter among the South’s best baccalaureate colleges. The college offers bachelor’s degrees in 48 major areas, master’s level and undergraduate degree programs for working adults, online courses, and a vibrant intercollegiate athletic program. Shorter will transition to university status June 1, 2010. For more information, visit www.shorter.edu.

###