Retirement of Chaplain (Colonel) Kevin Guthrie

By Dr. Scott Carson, Director • BMAA Chaplaincy Department

After serving 37 years in uniform, Chaplain (Colonel) Kevin Guthrie has retired from the U.S. Army. A ceremony was held at Redstone Arsenal, Alabama on May 5, celebrating this milestone in Kevin and Karol’s lives. He served 16 years as a commissioned officer in the Arkansas and Louisiana Army National Guards, and, while in the Guard, he earned his Master of Divinity degree at the BMA Theological Seminary. He then entered the active Army as a chaplain endorsed by the BMAA.

Kevin wrote about his military experience, “I’ve witnessed amazing things in my journey. I traipsed in the tops of mountains with heroes, tread where my guardians had wings and weapons, ran with friends who are as close as family and prayed with warriors whose ferocity in battle is unmatched. I’ve been immersed in a culture of loyalty and professionalism with companions whose courage is legendary and whose commitment to freedom extends to all Americans. I’ve seen great heroes fall in combat like giant redwoods because they cared for a cause far greater than themselves, caring not for their lives as they spat in the very face of danger.”

Kevin and Karol have served all over the world, and their children, Kaylee and Kimberlee, grew up knowing only the Army family way of life. Kevin completed his ministry in the military serving at the highest levels of the Army. He worked for the Army’s Chief of Chaplains in the Pentagon for seven years before finishing as the senior chaplain for the four-star headquarters of the U.S. Army Materiel Command located on Redstone Arsenal in Huntsville, Ala.

In the ceremony, Chaplain Guthrie received the Legion of Merit for his lifelong career, and Karol received the Distinguished Spouse Award for her civilian service in support of soldiers and their families throughout the years.

Kevin said, “I’m proud to serve with the best this nation has to offer... amazing heroes, all of them. You’re blessed beyond measure to have them at the ready. God bless America. Thanks be to Christ Jesus for the opportunity to serve.”

Kevin and Karol are retiring to Royal, Ark. where they will be close to family and friends.

Thank you, Kevin and Karol, for your “good and faithful” service to God and country!