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SUBMARINE BIRTHDAY BALL INVOCATION

Chaplain Owen Melody (LT, CHC, USNRGod, it’s rumored that you’re a little upset with submariners. They have the annoying habit of topping some of your finest efforts. You walked on the water. They found a way to walk un- der it. You divided the Red Sea amid noise and clamor, leaving behind a gaping wide trench. They divide the sea silently, leaving behind no trace at all. Then, in one of your finest hours, when you were really on a roll, you took the first submariner, Jonah, submerged him in the sea for three days in the belly of a whale and then dramatically let him live to tell the tale. Now, these showoffs submerge themselves in their steel fish for months at a time, and without batting an eye, come home, hale and hearty. They’re a determined lot, Lord. I can understand your being tes- ty: no one likes to be upstaged. But, in your heart of hearts, I know you like their style. We are grateful for them in the Navy and I know that you are too. The world is a better place, a freer place, for what they do. They are the silent sentinels around the world. Bless those serving on lonely patrols this evening: unite us in spirit with them. And, on this, their birth- day, grant these submariners your most special blessing. Amen.