Friday, October 1st, 2022, on the deck of the historic U.S.S. Missouri in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, BBFI endorsed Chaplain Colonel Chip Fields, retired from the U.S. Army. The historic Battleship Missouri was the sight of the official signing of the Japanese surrender in 1945. It was a beautiful day in Pearl Harbor as Chaplain Fields gave his final address in uniform. Although he spoke for only ten minutes, his words were powerful. Chaplain Fields used the words of Winston Churchill to emphasize how he felt about his retirement, “Now this is not the end. It is not even the beginning of the end. But it is, perhaps, the end of the beginning”. Although this day marked the end of his military career, Chip used this time to remind us of all God had done for him and us. The things that seem like the end in our lives are often only the end of the beginning of what God has for us.
Chip Fields enlisted as an active-duty U.S. Marine from 1981-1985. In 1986, he joined the Army National Guard and served there as he attended Baptist Bible College. Fields felt God calling him into the ministry and specifically felt the call to serve the men and women of America’s armed forces as a Chaplain. Fields completed his bachelor’s degree at Baptist Bible College and continued his education by completing the Master of Divinity program at Baptist Bible Theological Seminary in 1993. Chaplain Fields also holds a Master of Theology from Princeton Theological Seminary. He has served over 40 years in the U.S. Armed Forces, including 34 years of active-duty service and seven years in the Reserves. He has been deployed to five National Command Authority-directed missions and most recently served as the IMCOM Pacific Region Chaplain at Fort Shafter, Hawaii. Chaplain Fields has been married for over 33 years to the former Sherry Carroll of San Angelo, Texas, whom he met as they both attended BBC. They have two sons: Taylor and Reid. Chip Fields served at 15 different duty stations, not including deployments.
Chaplain Fields was recognized at his retirement ceremony with numerous awards for his faithful duty to God and his country. Sherry Fields was also recognized with awards for her service not only to her family as a chaplain’s wife but also to the other chaplain’s spouses and our country. The ceremony was attended by the maximum 50 participants allowed, including other active-duty chaplains in the region. It was clear that Chaplain Fields was held in high regard by those who served alongside him. Several spoke of how great it was to have been able to serve under his leadership and spoke highly of what he brought to the workplace. It is an amazing honor that the BBFI could play a part in training and endorsing Chaplain Fields to minister to the men and women of the U.S. Armed Forces. The military needs more men like Chaplain Fields to preach the unwavering truth that Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life.
