Why I was Fingerprinted by the FBI and what that means...

The Civil Air Patrol was looking for a chaplain in Puerto Rico and I was looking for a new way to reach Puerto Ricans for Christ, so I applied.

Chaplain Whit Woodard, an experienced chaplain and a member of a supporting church, encouraged me and helped me navigate through the process.

Part way through the application, I was called by a fingerprint technician and had to make an appointment for rolling my fingers in the ink and smudging up an official looking card. They sent it all in to the FBI and had me checked out.

I passed their scrutiny and then had to be endorsed by an ecclesiastical authority. That meant contacting the group I was ordained through and passing a very long and thorough vetting on their end.

Now all I have to do is wait for the Department of Defense and the Civil Air Patrol to receive and give final approval.Sometimes  I think it would have been faster to enlist!

I really do appreciate their thoroughness. They are guarding a precious resource after all: the youth of today and the future defenders of America's future.