CECOM chaplain retires with 33 years of service

By Rachel PonderAugust 1, 2024

Chaplain (Brig. Gen) Jack J. Stumme, presents the U.S. Army Communications-Electronics Command Chaplain (Col.) Brad Lewis with the Department of the Army Certificate.
Chaplain (Brig. Gen) Jack J. Stumme, U.S. Army Deputy Chief of Chaplains, presents the U.S. Army Communications-Electronics Command Chaplain (Col.) Brad Lewis with the Department of the Army Certificate of Retirement during a ceremony celebrating his 33-year career at the Myer Auditorium July 12, 2024.
(Photo Credit: Photo by Ann Gonzalez, CECOM PAO )
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ABEREEN PROVING GROUND, MD — The U.S. Army Communications-Electronics Command Chaplain (Col.) Brad Lewis was honored during a retirement ceremony at the Myer Auditorium July 12, 2024.

At APG, Lewis had a dual role; he provided religious and spiritual support to CECOM staff and subordinate commands while also providing supervision and oversight for all the chaplains on the installation.

Supporting Army families

The ceremony’s host was Chaplain (Brig. Gen) Jack J. Stumme,

U.S. Army Deputy Chief of Chaplains, who served with Lewis at Fort Liberty, North Carolina’s All-American Chapel. Stumme described Lewis as “faithful,” “dedicated,” and a “servant” who loved people and the Army during his 33 years of service.

During his remarks, Stumme highlighted the importance of a chaplain’s family. He said that throughout Lewis’s career, his wife, Tina Lewis, worked behind the scenes, as a mentor and friend to many Army spouses. That personal interaction makes a big difference to Army families, Stumme added.

“Our Army and our Chaplain Corps family are stronger because of people like yourself,” Stumme told Tina Lewis.

Stumme also thanked Lewis’s four children who supported their father through multiple moves and deployments.

“You will always be a part of the Chaplain [Corps] family,” Stumme told Lewis and his family.

Stumme said Lewis’s legacy will be his profound impact on others. He noted that Lewis always ends his emails with his motto, “Training for Eternity.”

“Brad, I will submit to you that for 33 years, you have been training others for eternity also,” Stumme said.

After Stumme’s remarks, Lewis received the Legion of Merit Award; a Department of the Army note; DA certificates of retirement and appreciation; DA Chief of Chaplains Certificate of Appreciation; the U.S. flag; retirement pin; and a token of appreciation from the CECOM Deputy to the Commanding General Liz Miranda.

Tina Lewis received the DA Certificate of Appreciation; Chaplains Corps Distinguished Spouse Award; and the DA Chief of Chaplains Certificate of Appreciation.

‘An incredible community’   

Lewis said he enjoyed serving as the CECOM chaplain and thanked the workforce for making his last assignment “awesome.” Lewis added that the military community is what he appreciated and what he will miss the most.

Lewis said he felt called to Army service. He paraphrased Psalms 37:23, which says, “our steps are ordered by the Lord.”

“I take that to mean God is going to put me where he is going to put me; he has everything set in order,” he said.

In his remarks, Lewis gave heartfelt tributes to each of his family members. According to Lewis, the retirement ceremony was not just about him; it was about his family, because they provided him with unwavering love and support throughout his career.

Lewis concluded his remarks by encouraging the audience to reach out if they need help, reinforcing the support and care within the military community.

“I get no greater joy than helping people,” he said.

About Chaplain (Col.) Brad Lewis

Lewis was born in Sacramento, California. In 1987, he enlisted in the Army as a 98G Voice Intercept Operator-Russian. After leaving the service in 1991, he returned to school. He  earned a Bachelor of Artis in Biblical studies from Evangel University in 1994 and a Master of Divinity from the Assemblies of God Theological Seminary in Springfield, Missouri, in 1997. Lewis received a direct commission into the Army Reserves as a chaplain candidate in 1994. His military education includes the Chaplain Officer Basic Course, Chaplain Captain Career Course, Command & General Staff College, Joint Special Operations Chaplains Course, and the Senior Service College.

Throughout Lewis’s career, he served all over the world and throughout the United States, including as a paratrooper at Fort Polk, Louisiana, with the United Nations Security Battalion in South Korea and as the Deputy Senior Army Chaplain at Arlington National Cemetery.

Lewis also deployed several times in support of Operations Iraqi Freedom, Enduring Freedom, and Freedom’s Sentinel.

Aside from the awards presented at his ceremony, Lewis is also a recipient of the Bronze Star (oak leaf cluster), Defense Meritorious Service Medal, Meritorious Service Medal (six oak leaf cluster).

Lewis said he looks back on his military experience fondly.

“I just loved the Army life,” Lewis said.

For more photos, visit: https://www.flickr.com/photos/cecom/albums/72177720318888104.

To view a video of the ceremony, visit: https://dod.teams.microsoft.us/l/meetup-join/19%3adod%3ameeting_29c36a9d29fb4651bea132c04c0e142d%40thread.v2/0?context=%7b%22Tid%22%3a%22fae6d70f-954b-4811-92b6-0530d6f84c43%22%2c%22Oid%22%3a%225367987d-e4d5-4dc5-b5b6-6b7ef39f5fbc%22%2c%22IsBroadcastMeeting%22%3atrue%7d.