Chaplain David E. Graetz, a Military/Veteran Liaison for Guideposts, recently retired from his 31-year career as a VA chaplain. His last assignment was serving as Chief of Chaplain Service at the VA Health Care System in Lexington, Kentucky, where he was responsible for the religious and spiritual program for veterans. Ordained as an elder of The Brethren Church of Ashland, Ohio, in 1987, he served as senior pastor of the Highland Brethren Church in Marianna, Pennsylvania, from 1986 to 1990. He is board-certified with the National Association of Veterans Affairs Chaplains.
He began his military service in the United States Navy, serving on active duty from 1975 to 1979. In 1984, he received a direct commission in the Army Reserves as a chaplain candidate. He transferred to the Army National Guard in 1985. He served in Operation Joint Forge, Operation Iraqi Freedom, and Operation Jump Start, and in Mississippi following Hurricane Katrina.
David became the Assistant Chief of Chaplains for the Army National Guard on January 17, 2014 and was promoted to Brigadier General on December 11, 2014. He became the Joint Chaplain for the National Guard Bureau in August of 2015. He retired from military service on January 31, 2017.
He received his bachelor’s degree in Biblical studies from Circleville Bible College in 1983 and his Master of Divinity degree in pastoral psychology and counseling from Ashland Theological Seminary in 1986. In 2008 he earned a master’s degree in strategic studies from the United States Army War College. He is enrolled in a Doctor of Ministry degree program at Ashland Theological Seminary.
Fun facts: Before enlisting in the Navy, David pumped gas in Columbus, Ohio. He has deployed all over the world, including Sigonella, Sicily; Keflavik, Iceland; and Camp Arifjan, Kuwait. He has three daughters, three sons-in-law (one of whom is an Air Guard and a VA chaplain), three grandsons, and four granddaughters.