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Chaplain John Carey grew up in Blanchester, Ohio, and was led to the Lord and baptized at the age of eight by his uncle, Rev. Wayne McDaniel, during a family vacation. Dr. McDaniel pastors First Free Will Baptist Church in Sylacauga, Alabama. McDaniel and his wife, Lucille, would later serve as guardians for John and his brother, Doug, after the death of the boys' parents. It is a tribute to God's leadership and Wayne and Lucille's walk with the Lord that both John and Doug serve as Free Will Baptist ministers today. John joined the Army to serve his country and to obtain a college degree in 1986. After two years of active duty service, he joined the Tennessee Army National Guard, assigned to the 130th Rear Area Operations Center in Smyrna, Tennessee. As part of the 130th RAOC, John was activated and deployed to Saudi Arabia in support of Operation Desert Shield/Desert Storm. He joined the Army again as an active duty soldier in 1994, stationed at Ft. Riley, Kansas, until his discharge in 1997. During his time at Ft. Riley, John felt confirmation that God was calling him into full-time service in the chaplaincy, and completed his bachelor's degree. John was accepted by the U.S. Army as a Chaplain Candidate shortly before leaving active duty in 1997. He attended Mid-America Baptist Theological Seminary in Germantown, Tennessee, and graduated with a Master's of Divinity Degree in 2000. He began his service as a full-time, active duty Chaplain in July, 2000. John has served in the Global War On Terror in both Kuwait (Operation Enduring Freedom) and Iraq (Operation Iraqi Freedom II). John is currently deployed to Bagram Air Field, AFG serving with the 1ST Medical Brigade of Fort Hood, TX. John and the former Vicki Lynne Sturgill celebrated 21 years of marriage on May 20, 2010. Lynne is the daughter of Jim and Vicki Sturgill, recently retired missionaries to Brazil. John and Lynne have two sons: Will, age 18, and Bobby, age 17. This fall, Will begins Army ROTC at Olivet Nazarene University in Bourbonnais, IL, while Bobby starts his senior year of High School.