If you’re in the Colorado National Guard chances are, at some point, you’ve crossed paths with Army Col. Andrew Meverden. In close to 40 years of military service, the Oconto Falls native has christened babies, officiated weddings, counseled troops in distress, mourned at funerals and comforted grieving families.
While he wore many hats, his official duty positions were state chaplain, Army command chaplain and the full-time support chaplain.
Meverden, known to many as “Chaplain Andy,” retired Dec. 31. But before leaving, he reflected on the countless memories in his service to the soldiers and airmen of Colorado. Having rounded his 60th birthday, his shock of brown hair underscores his youthful energy, just as his lined face belies a lifetime of soldiering.
Meverden spoke of the military chaplain’s role – the philosophy that guides him, which follows three basic maxims: nurture the living, comfort the wounded and dying, and honor the fallen.
Nurture the living
He said the hardest thing about retiring is leaving the people with whom he has become so close. Meverden has forged relationships, some under fire, some under the normal cycles of life, sometimes with people in the depths of despair and those at the heights of joy. He quoted a Bible verse from the book of Romans: “Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep.”
“As a chaplain, I’ve had to do both in the same day,” he said. “I’ll have someone ask me to officiate their wedding and then have someone else tell me that a child was sick.
“Living, at times, is an emotional roller coaster of days and weeks. That’s life – civilian as well as military.”
Capt. David Nagel, selected to be Meverden’s successor, said Meverden had been an inspiration for him personally and professionally.
“When I met him and watched the way he treated people, it really inspired me,” Nagel said. “It didn’t matter if it was a senior officer or junior enlisted soldier walking through his door … he treated each one with equal respect and dignity. It gave me the thought, ‘This is a guy I’d be honored to serve under as I learn how to be a chaplain in the Army … to carry his briefcase for a couple of years and learn from him.’”
Army Staff Sgt. Doug Dearborn, an aviation technician, developed a close relationship with Meverden through the years.
“I’m not a very spiritual person. I’ve had my issues with ‘the Man,’ and I’ve talked to Chaplain Andy about that, and he never forced his beliefs on me,” Dearborn said. “He said we all worship in our own way, respect in our own way. ‘Do you what you have to do to come back to God.’ I respect that.”
Dearborn said Meverden will be remembered by his mischievous grin.
“Whenever you’re feeling lost or down or whatever, he just shows up, and he’s got that grin on his face. It just makes you feel better,” he said.
Honor the fallen
Meverden has performed funeral honors for 506 people since 2005.
One particular tragedy he said he will never forget took place on his deployment to Afghanistan. Four local boys were killed and another was critically wounded when they were looking for scrap metal on an artillery range.
Meverden knew that he needed not only to help make amends to the locals who had lost their sons but also to make sure the soldiers involved also made their peace with the accident. He researched local customs and brought the groups together for tea.
His eyes misted over as he told the story with detail and emotion, vividly describing an event that occurred more than a decade ago. He told of the heartache for the boys’ families and the courage of the soldiers who wanted to do what they could to right the situation. Meverden has written a 300-page memoir about that tour; it’s currently with an editor.
Meverden spoke of the sacred honor – and painful duty – of performing the casualty notification of the first Colorado soldier killed in the global war on terror, Sgt. 1st Class Daniel Romero.
“April 15, 2002. I’ll never forget that date,” he said.
Meverden has performed about 40 notifications. He said he developed the fear that people would see him as the angel of death.
“What’s actually resulted, those people I’ve made contact with hug me, show me affection,” he said.
He recalled one instance in which he told a mother her son was dead.
“I asked if I could pray with them before I left. She said, ‘You’ve done enough damage for today.’ I didn’t take it personally. I sensed the pain in her heart,” he said. “Two days later, she asked if I could officiate at her son’s memorial.”
Legacy
A accomplishment of Meverden’s that will continue to benefit Guardsmen is the program he created to look after soldiers and their families through all the phases of deployment. What began as a weekend Readjustment and Reintegration morphed into what’s known in the National Guard and reserve components as the Yellow Ribbon Reintegration Program.
Also, in November, the National Guard Bureau recognized the Colorado National Guard as the role model for the Strong Bonds program, a unit-based, chaplain-led program that assists commanders in building individual resiliency by strengthening the National Guard family. Countless lives were touched through Chaplain Andy’s instruction and mentorship as part of Colorado’s Strong Bonds team.
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