MARINE CORPS AIR STATION MIRAMAR, Calif. — Following 28 years of service in the U.S. Marine Corps, on July 30, 2024, Master Gunnery Sgt. Jimi Liddell Gayden commissioned as a lieutenant junior grade in the U.S. Navy to pursue a new career as a chaplain.
The East St. Louis, Illinois, native and former intelligence chief with 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing attributes his decision to join the Navy Chaplain Corps to his passion for serving others, which he discovered during his service as a Marine, often volunteering at base chapels.
“I found in serving that it really challenged and encouraged me because I want to inspire people,” Liddell Gayden explained. “I also found it very rewarding to help people walk through scriptures and learn to grow spiritually. That laid some foundations for what came to be a ministry call.”
Liddell Gayden joined the Marine Corps in 1996 with the intention of using his service as a stepping stone for college.
“I knew that after serving in the military I could qualify for a grant from Illinois, in addition to the Mongomery GI Bill, to pay for college,” Liddell Gayden said.
Liddell Gayden began his career as an administrative clerk and decided to reenlist following his first four-year tour. When his military occupational specialty as an administrative clerk closed, he transitioned to the intelligence field.
Over 24 years, Liddell Gayden has served as an intelligence Marine at every element of the Marine Air-Ground Task Force, including tours to Iraq and Afghanistan.
“I spent the first five years at 1st Intelligence Battalion,” Liddell Gayden said. “I’ve done two tours at 1st Marine Aircraft Wing, a tour at 2nd Marine Logistics Group, 5th Marine Regiment and 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit. I also completed a tour at Marine Aviation Training Support Squadron 1.”
“For him to commission after 28 years of service and to give though this new endeavor as a U.S. Navy chaplain, it shows his commitment to service members and the military,” said U.S. Navy Capt. Dennis Wheeler, the 3rd MAW chaplain.
Liddell Gayden leaned heavily on his faith for support throughout his action-packed Marine Corps career. He was raised in a family of religious ministers and his spiritual relationship provided familiar comfort.
“I’ve always had that influence in my life,” Liddell Gayden said. “I’ve always sought my faith for strength, especially in boot camp and in my first assignment. Being away from home and in my first few years in the Marine Corps, my time in the barracks, when I had free time, would often be spent reading the Bible. I found a lot of strength and encouragement in that.”
Upon completing seminary in his off-duty time and after many conversations with Navy chaplain mentors, Liddell Gayden began speaking with a Navy recruiter about the requirements to join the Navy Chaplain Corps. After completing the administrative process, he was interviewed by chaplains which invigorated him to continue pursuing his goal.
As a chaplain, Liddell Gayden will provide religious ministry, support the faith of service members and their families, and provide care and counsel to all service members. The Navy Chaplain Corps boasts more than 800 chaplains from more than 100 different faith groups, including Christian, Jewish, Muslim, Buddhist and others. Navy chaplains support the Navy, Marine Corps and Coast Guard, immersing themselves in the daily lives of service members and deploying with them overseas.
“Those interviews helped me understand more about the weight that comes along with the job,” Liddell Gayden said. “It encouraged me to want it even more because I enjoy serving people, and I enjoy helping people—specifically service members and their families, and I think this job gives me the opportunity to do that.”
The support of Liddell Gayden’s wife, Rachel, was equally significant.
“I really am blessed to have Rachel as my wife,” Liddell Gayden said. “Just the care and concern that she has for people in general has really inspired me to continue to do more in service.”
Liddell Gayden will report to the Navy Officer Development School this fall, followed by Naval Chaplaincy School at Naval Station Newport, Rhode Island.
