U.S. Navy Chaplain Bradford E. Ableson has dedicated his adult life to the service
of God and his country. As a captain in the Navy and an Episcopal Priest, he has traveled
the globe many times caring for the needs of his shipmates. Ableson graduated magna
cum laude from the University of Science & Arts of Oklahoma in 1980. He later earned
a master of theology degree from Boston University School of Theology, a master of
divinity degree from Yale University Divinity School and a doctor of ministry degree
from Columbia Theological Seminary. Subsequently, he graduated with distinction from
the United States Naval War College. In 2008 he received the Lux et Veritas distinguished
alumnus award from Yale. In the Navy, Ableson served with U.S. Marine Corps units,
in surface ships, in the Navy’s largest submarine squadron and as command chaplain
of aircraft carrier USS George Washington. He has qualified for the Veterans of Foreign
Wars five times. Ashore, Ableson served as chaplain for President Bill Clinton at
Camp David and as an executive officer to the Navy Chief of Chaplains. As command
chaplain of the U.S. Strategic Command, he pioneered global religious reconciliation
initiatives that continue to sow seeds of peace in war-torn areas. Ableson has worked
toward equality issues in the military and was the primary mover behind a series of
Navy-wide heritage celebrations that continue to be observed throughout the fleet.
He was the architect behind the transformation of the chaplaincy from an institution
focused almost wholly on the pastoral needs of personnel to one that embraces senior
chaplains as agents of reconciliation with religious leaders around the globe. He
is married to the former Julia Tevis Narz. They reside in Bellevue, Nebraska.