Last summer I found God, comfort, and a feeling of belonging in a place much different than home. I spent a week at the Naval Academy, in a program that aimed to replicate the physical and mental rigors of the training. I spent the week swimming in the mud, being woken up by screaming detailers, following drill after drill, and relentlessly memorizing sayings and mannerisms to follow without mistakes. On Sunday there was an offering of Catholic and Protestant services at the Naval Academy Chapel. Although it was an exhausting week, and we lose the opportunity of sleeping more than five hours by going to Mass, the Catholic service was full. It began to show how important faith is to those who are in the armed forces. During Mass, I felt
