"Undaunted by the devastation, he leveraged limited resources to bring relief."

Chaplain (Lt.) Martie Johnson of Edmonds, the first Swedenborgian chaplain in the U.S. Navy, has been awarded the Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal for "outstanding personal achievement and command impact" in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.

Chaplain Johnson earned the commendation for his service in Gulfport, Mississippi, where he is battalion chaplain for Naval Mobile Construction Battalion 7 (the Seabees' "Magnificent Seven").

 The citation reads, "In an arduous environment, Lieutenant Johnson contributed significantly to the recovery effort by providing superior leadership and Seabee CAN-DO spirit under challenging conditions. Undaunted by the utter devastation, he leveraged extremely limited resources to provide responsive and desperately needed humanitarian relief to local communities.

“He was key to the restoration of critical infrastructure and provision of basic services. By his exceptional professionalism and selfless devotion to duty, Lieutenant Johnson upheld the highest traditions of the United States Naval Service."

 Before his return to full-time military service, Chaplain Johnson was pastor of the Cascade New Church at the Edmonds Conference Center at 4^th and Bell streets. He returns to preach there whenever he comes home on leave.

Chaplain Johnson will be deploying with his battalion to Iraq, Kuwait and other destinations in Southwest Asia and Africa in February.

 Rev. Martie Johnson Jr. has been in the military his entire life. The son of a career soldier, he attended West Point and served as a Marine in Operation Desert Storm.

After spending time in the Army National Guard and Army Reserve while he completed his Master of Divinity degree at the Academy of the New Church Theological School, Johnson returned to the Sea Services full-time on active duty as a Navy chaplain in 2004, having spent five years working as a pastor for the General Church of the New Jerusalem, the parent organization of the Cascade New Church.

 Swedenborgianism had it beginnings in England in 1787, when a group of Anglican priests began a movement to form a New Christianity. Swedenborgians are Christians who use the Bible and the theological works of Emanuel Swedenborg to find a clear path to happiness and answer their questions about faith, love, spiritual life, and life after death..

Followers of this movement study Emanuel Swedenborg’s explanation of the Holy Bible and his additional volumes of writings to achieve an understanding of God and develop a relationship with Him.