Class News

Today's Featured Biography

 
James Freitag

Wow...High School seems such a LONG time ago! All of us have probably lived several lives since graduation. Because of my life experiences, there are some things about High School I have just plain forgotten!

Here is a synopsis of my life. In Dec 1976, I enlisted into the USMC Reserve with concurrent enrollment in the USMC Officer Selection program while attending Concordia College in Portland, OR. I opted out of the USMC program after 2.5 years and obtained an AA (1978) and BA (1981) from Concordia College. My BA was in Christian Education.

I attended Concordia Seminary in St. Louis, MO after college graduation and enlisted in the Army Reserve in 1982. My first "real" job was as a Religion and Psychology Teacher in a Lutheran High School in Southern Illinois. I finished my seminary education in 1986 with the Completion of a Master of Arts in Religion (MAR) degree. While there, I met the woman who would be my wife, Linda Freie (I kid you not!), a Lutheran Elementary School teacher and Iowa farm girl.

Linda and I will be married 25 years this summer and the Lord has given us three beautiful children.

After I finished seminary the first time, I served in Christian Education Ministries (youth and family) in multi-staffed churches in Missouri, Iowa, New York, Wisconsin, and Oregon. Each of our children were born in a different state!

In 1998, I was encouraged to leave the selective field of specialized ministry and return to seminary in St. Louis, from which I gained and "ministry certificate" in 1999 which allowed me to serve in the lead pastoral role in my Lutheran Church. I served a Lutheran Church in Graham, WA for more than 6 years.

While all this was going on in my life, I continued my activity in the Army Reserve. I progressed through the ranks and became a qualified military instructor, as well as excelling in the administrative and training fields.

While at Seminary the second time in 1998, I was promoted to the highest enlisted rank in the Army, Sergeant Major (.001% of all enlistees make this rank), then Command Sergeant Major. I attend and served as a class leader of the 10-month Sergeants Major Academy in Fort Bliss, TX in 2001. While there, I was recruited to become an Army Chaplain, but was too old for consideration.

Things changed after 9-11. The Army's Chief of Chaplains changed some age requirements to allow those of us with prior service to enter the Army Chaplaincy. I attended the Army Chaplain Basic Course in 2003 and was mobilized and deployed at the end of that year. I was selected to serve the US Army Special Forces Community in Iraq (Green Berets, Navy Seals, Polish Special Forces, etc.). This was an amazing experience and I saw things that most people can only imagine. I returned to parish ministry at the close of the deployment.

In 2007, I left congregational ministry to enter active duty full-time for 37 months. During this time, I served at Fort Lewis, WA for a year. I was a Instructor at the Army's Chaplain School at Fort Jackson, SC for 13 months. I spent this last year as the 4th Stryker Brigade Combat Team Rear Detachment Chaplain at Fort Lewis, WA. This Stryker Brigade was the last combat unit to leave Iraq. I was chosen to support about 450 soldiers left behind and all of the spouses of the 3500+ soldiers deployed to Iraq.

In 2009, I was promoted to the rank of Major and have the distinction of being the only Chaplain in the history of the United States who formerly held the enlisted rank of Command Sergeant Major.

In Jan 2011, I will celebrate 30 years of military duty as a Reserve Soldier.

Right now, I am planning to complete my Military Intermediate Level Education and look to the possibility of deploying to Afghanastan some time in 2011-2012.

With all of this...memories of East High School seem extremely distant. I would look forward to hearing from you.

I pray God's richest blessings in Jesus Christ on each of you . . .

Jim

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