A HEART TO SERVE CELEBRATING

Our Service Members

As Memorial Day approaches, we honor the brave men and women who have chosen to serve their fellow American citizens. We’re humbled to feature a few service members who have shared their stories on the Jesus Calling Podcast.

Jess Key

Rank: Sergeant (Ret.)

Branch: Army

Length of service: 3 years

A native of Oahu, Jess Key’s childhood felt unstable for as long as she could remember: she first lived with her drug-addicted parents, then her grandmother, and eventually landed in the foster care system. Jess chafed under authority and struggled to find purpose, until she joined the Army at age 19 and finally found a sense of belonging. “The Army changed my life. I’m a living example that God can take a person with all of this trauma and turn it into something beautiful.”

Today, Jess is a gold-winning racer on the US National Dragon Boat team, and lives in South Carolina with her husband and their two children.

Kelvin McElroy

Rank: Brigadier General

Branch: Air Force & Space Force

Length of service: 23 years

From an early age, Brigadier General Kelvin D. McElroy remembers his mother emphasizing the importance of working hard, leaning on faith, and always showing up. Today, BG McElroy has honed a compassionate style of leadership informed by his relationship with God, as he leads his airmen through tragedies and triumphs. “If we stay grounded in God’s Word, we can get through anything,” he says.

Dr. Elizabeth Stevens

Rank: Major (Ret.)

Branch: Air Force

Length of service: 10 years

Joining the Air Force in 2007, Dr. Elizabeth Stevens dreamed of becoming a psychiatrist to help her fellow service members. But after suffering a traumatic brain injury, Dr. Stevens found herself faced with a choice during recovery: Am I going to lean into God, or am I going to try to go it alone?

Today Dr. Stevens runs a nonprofit called Advancing Warriors International, providing spiritual and mental health resources to military members and first responders to help them move past trauma. “God redeems all wounds,” she says. “He’s great enough and powerful enough to provide a way out.”

Tom Schueman

Rank: Major

Branch: Marines

Length of service: 15 years

Inspired to serve after 9/11, Major Tom Schueman survived the odds. During an intense period of combat in 2010, while serving in Afghanistan, Maj. Schueman studied the Psalms. While death seemed certain every day, he found that writing about the scriptures he was reading brought him comfort. “In the midst of the violence, in the midst of death abounding all around me, I still had something good to hold onto. I don’t think I’d have made it through that period in my life without [my faith].”

Now an English instructor at the US Naval Academy, Maj. Schueman looks back on his time in Afghanistan with gratitude for how it shaped his life and faith.

Hear their full stories at JesusCalling.com/podcast.

To find specific episodes you’d like to hear, click the magnifying glass at the top of the page and type a name into the search bar.