Welcome from the Chaplain

The Legacy Salute Battery brings us together to remember classmates who have died and to cherish the friendships that began at The Citadel. Our annual gathering gives that purpose a visible form. This page offers a way to care for one another throughout the year.

As chaplain, I am available to listen, pray with you, and walk alongside you through illness, grief, family concerns, or whatever life has brought your way. You need not have the right words or a particular religious practice to reach out. If you know a classmate who could use a call, please let me know. We can also give thanks together for good news.

I hope this will be a place of remembrance, encouragement, and honest fellowship. The bonds we formed as cadets have lasted a long time. Let us keep showing up for one another.

 

A Word from the Chaplain

Make the call.  Nearly half a century has passed since we first met at The Citadel. We have taken different roads, built families and careers, weathered losses, and watched the years go by. Still, one familiar voice can bring us back to a friendship that has outlasted much of what once seemed permanent.

Our Legacy Salute Battery asks us to remember classmates who have died. We do that with gratitude and solemnity. But remembrance also has something to say to those of us who are here: friendship deserves our attention while we still have time to offer it.

Think of the classmate whose name came to mind as you read this. Maybe you served together, shared a room, or sat beside each other at a reunion. Maybe the last conversation was years ago. You do not need a special occasion or polished words. A simple “I was thinking of you—how are you doing?” may open a door.

Some conversations will be lighthearted. Others may reveal grief, loneliness, or a need for help. We cannot solve every burden for one another, but we can listen. We can remember a name, follow up, and pray when prayer is welcome. Small acts of faithfulness make fellowship real.

So make the call. If you have good news, share it. If you are carrying something heavy, let a brother know. And if a classmate has become quiet, reach out. The next annual gathering matters; so does the care we offer between gatherings.

Need Prayer or a Conversation

If you would like prayer, a conversation, or a call from the chaplain, please use the Contact form, email: randyshirley@gmail.com, or call: 843-469-4594. You may also send a concern about a classmate, so that I can reach out discreetly.  If using the Contact form or email, tell me how you would prefer to be contacted. Prayer requests will be kept private unless you explicitly give permission for a brief request to appear on the public prayer list. You may ask for prayer without having your name published.

Our Class Prayer List

We pray for classmates and families facing illness, loss, and other burdens. To protect their privacy, the public list will show only names and short requests that the person concerned has approved.  Please, let us pray for you.

Remembering our Brothers

We give thanks for the lives of the classmates who have gone before us. Their stories, friendships, and service remain part of the Class of 1982.  We remember them with love, and we grieve their absence.  Visit Those We Honor to know more about them.

A prayer of remembrance

Merciful God, we give You thanks for our classmates who have died: for the years we shared, for the ways they shaped our lives, and for the love that remains. Comfort their families and friends. Teach us to honor their memory through gratitude, faithful friendship, and care for one another. Grant them rest in Your mercy, and grant us hope as we remember them. Amen.

Those We Honor (hot-link https://www.82lsb.org/about-4)

The Cadet Prayer

The Cadet Prayer remains part of our shared Citadel tradition. Pray it and return to its call to fellowship, duty, faith, and hope.

Cadet Prayer (hot-link https://www.82lsb.org/)