PHOTO FROM THE PILGRIMAGE FROM CAMP KINSER TO CAMP FOSTER, OKINAWA. L TO R: 1LT SALVADOR PEREZ, USMC: 1LT TOMÁS AGUILAR, USMC; AND 1LT REMINGTON HOYER, USAF.
Tips for a Young Military Catholic Longing for Community BY 1LT TOMÁS AGUILAR
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he life of a Catholic in the military can feel isolated and somewhat lonely. Our peers at our unit or in the barracks may or may not be believers, but they are the friends we are issued. We pick up and move every few years and have to start all over again at a new chapel or parish to find some sort of community. I am a 25-year-old Catholic Marine officer who spent six months in Virginia, three months in North Carolina, and 2.5 years in Okinawa, Japan, before being stationed just north of Jacksonville, Florida. Most of the time, I felt like a visitor at the parishes I’d frequent – a stranger in a strange land. Partially because I knew I’d be moving on relatively soon
