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Laughlin chaplain visits White House for Veterans Day

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Nathan Maysonet
  • 47th Flying Training Wing Public Affairs
LAUGHLIN AIR FORCE BASE, Texas --  A Laughlin chaplain was chosen by his peers to attend the White House breakfast Nov. 11, hosted annually by the president for members of the Veterans Day Committee.
 
Chaplain (Maj.) Andrew McIntosh, 47th Flying Training Wing chaplain, was asked by the Military Chaplains Association to attend the presidential breakfast as their representative at the event.

"As our representative, Chaplain McIntosh will join with other leaders at the White House to represent our veterans to the highest members of our government and then be transported to Arlington National Cemetery where he will attend the national wreath laying ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknowns," said Lyman Smith, MCA deputy director. "The MCA is grateful for Chaplain McIntosh's service and the significant role he plays in representing the military chaplaincy at the national level."

McIntosh is an executive committee member for the MCA, which is an organization that is chartered by congress to be a voice for military chaplains. McIntosh's work with the MCA included supporting military chaplains transitioning from military service back into civilian congregations and veteran's affairs.

He will attend the event with representatives from other service organizations that join with the Department of Veterans Affairs each year to support the national observance of Veterans Day.

"It is an honor and a surprise to be asked to be a part of this event," said McIntosh. "This is my second year involved in the event and it's humbling to represent an organization dedicated to military chaplains that allows us to give so much back to our veterans."

Last year, McIntosh attended the national Veterans Day Ceremony as a flag bearer for the MCA at Arlington Ceremony. This year, McIntosh will attend his final MCA executive committee meeting in Washington D.C. during Veterans Day weekend and was asked by the organization if he would like to attend the breakfast this year. McIntosh accepted the honor wholeheartedly.

"I feel this is a great chance to further honor and serve our veterans," said McIntosh. "My first duty as a military chaplain was to attend the funeral of a veteran that had been on the deck of the U.S.S. Arizona during the attack at Pearl Harbor, so going to Washington to celebrate our veterans is very personal and important to me."

For McIntosh, seeing the president and both military and government leaders at the
breakfast is thrilling, but it is the veterans he will meet there that makes the trip worth it.

"Seeing the various generations of veterans in that setting and to stand amongst them will be amazing," said McIntosh. "The stories and histories our veterans have written and the ones our service members are still writing is powerful. I know the vets who have served us and who we know serve are proud of us."