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Chapel gets a new face

18 May 2006 | Lance Cpl. Scott McAdam Jr. Marine Corps Air Station Miramar-EMS

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MARINE CORPS AIR STATION MIRAMAR, Calif. -- The Airman Memorial Chapel was rededicated May 18 during a ceremony at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar.

“I can now say with confidence that the chapel is now complete,” said Navy Captain Douglas Olauson, MCAS Miramar command chaplain. “The chapel is now ready for another 30 years of service.”

Originally built in 1957, the chapel is San Diego’s largest military chapel. Renovations on the chapel started the summer of 2005. The entire cost and construction was nearly $2 million. The chapel was rededicated in light of the recent renovation.

“I am hopeful that more Marines and sailors will attend our Sunday services,” said Seaman Kirk Cogswell, religious program specialist, Marine Aircraft Group 11, 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing. “I am extremely honored to take part in the Sunday services.”

The chapel is intended for use by all faiths and can be easily configured to meet the needs of any faith group. It is important to support service members and their right of freedom of religion.

“One might think a house of God surrounded by the tools of war is a contradiction,” said Col. Earl Wederbrook, administration officer, MCAS Miramar. “The men and women here serve for peace. To me it makes perfect sense.”

This is not the first time the chapel has been rededicated.

The chapel was originally called The Chapel of the U.S. Fleet in 1957. In 1981 it was rededicated as the Airman Memorial Chapel in honor of the men who died as a result of the rescue attempt during the Iran hostage crisis.

The chapel was designed in honor of naval traditions. The ceiling of the chapel is designed to be a reminder of the hull of a ship, the wall panels are angled five degrees inward, reminiscent of a ship’s wake as the bow slices through the water. Cresting the “keel” is a line of lights as a reminder that faith is the stability of life.

“This is a place where Marines and sailors can come and center their lives,” said Navy Lt. Vernon Vergara, chaplain, MCAS Miramar. “The chapel is here for Marines and sailors to grow spiritually and be ethical warriors.”

POLICY

The most important starting point for an EMS* is the development of an environmental policy. ISO14001 requires local governments to implement their own environmental policy. The environmental policy acts as a basis for the environmental management system.

PLANNING

ISO14001 requires that an environmental management system is planned properly. It requires the organization to consider the following carefully: Environmental Aspects; Legal and Other Aspects; Objectives and Targets; and an Environmental Management Program.

IMPLEMENTATION

The two requirements for implementation of an EMS is to define, document, and communicate roles, responsibilities and authorities, and to allocate the resources needed to implement and control the EMS.

CHECKING

The key requirement in this EMS step is to regularly monitor and measure key characteristics of activities and operations that could have a significant impact on the environment. Changes to EMS procedures may become necessary in order to deal with nonconformances with the EMS, with mitigating environmental impacts, or corrective and preventive action.

REVIEW

The management review process ensure that information is collected to enable management to carry out proper review. Top management review the need for changes to policy, objectives and targets, and ensure that a commitment to continual improvement is being demonstrated.

Marine Corps Air Station Miramar-EMS