Andy Meverden

Chaplain Andy Meverden (DOB: 1954) retired December 2014 as command chaplain for the Colorado National Guard. He grew up in Oconto Falls, Wisconsin; graduating High School and enlisting in the US Army in 1972. He served an initial active military duty enlistment as a Brazilian language linguist and military language instructor at DLIWC, Monterey, California. He worked as a missionary Pastor in Portugal in the '80s and as a U.S. church pastor from 1990 to 2003. The first 14 of his 40-year military career, he served as an enlisted soldier in Military Intelligence, Psychological Operations, Medical and Armor units before commissioning as a chaplain in the Army Reserve. During 26 years as a Reserve/Guard chaplain, he served Military Police, Hospital, Aviation, Special Forces and Joint Forces units. He deployed in 2002-03 to Afghanistan with the Colorado Army National Guard Green Berets. There he established conversational English classes for Afghan High School boys and girls. He also led humanitarian missions to orphans, widows, and support to the local ex-patriot NGO community in Kabul. From 2015-2020 he served as Director of Chaplaincy (chaplain endorsing agent) for CBAmerica, overseeing 200 military and civilian chaplains. On March 17, 2018, he had the unique honor of serving as commissioning chaplain of the USS Colorado (SSN 788) the first nuclear submarine without a propeller! On April 1, 2020, he "retired again" to assume a part-time position as associate endorser. The son of a WW2 Soldier and Italian war bride mother, Chaplain Andy knows the pain and pride of honorable military service during war and peace.