Mark L. Tidd

Mark L. Tidd
Rear Admiral Mark L. Tidd 25th Chief of Navy Chaplains
Born	(1955-05-08) May 8, 1955
Allegiance	United States of America
Service/branch	United States Navy
Years of service	1978 - 2014
Rank	Rear Admiral
Awards	Navy Distinguished Service Medal Defense Superior Service Medal Legion of Merit (2)

Chaplain (Rear Admiral) Mark L. Tidd, CHC, USN, (born May 8, 1955) is a retired American Navy officer who served as the 25th Chief of Chaplains of the United States Navy from 2010 to 2014.

Background

Rear Admiral Tidd comes from a career Navy family; his father is retired Vice Admiral Emmett H. Tidd, and his brother is Admiral Kurt W. Tidd. He is a graduate of Williams College in Williamstown, Massachusetts.

Education

Rear Admiral Tidd received his Master of Divinity from Fuller Theological Seminary and a Master of Theology from Princeton Theological Seminary. He is a graduate of the National War College in Washington, DC, with a Master of Science in National Security Strategy and a graduate of the Marine Corps Command and Staff College and the Armed Forces Staff College.

Military career

Emblem, U.S. Navy Chaplain Corps

Rear Admiral Tidd’s Navy tours include Naval Air Station Moffett Field, California, with Patrol Wing 10 and the USS Reeves (DLG-24), homeported in Yokosuka, Japan. During his time on board, Reeves visited Qingdao, China, as part of the first port visit by U.S. warships to that country in 39 years. He went on to serve as deputy command chaplain on the USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN-71).

Marine Corps tours include 3rd Battalion, 2nd Marines, and the division staff of 2nd Marine Division, Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, deploying to Southwest Asia in support of Operation Desert Storm. He served at Marine Corps Combat Development Command as the chaplain for the Marine Corps Brig and the Base Security Battalion and later returned to 2nd Marine Division as the division chaplain.

Tidd has served in leadership positions on the chief of Chaplain’s staff as the branch head for Professional Development and Religious Programs and as the Advanced Training officer at Navy Chaplain School. Tidd was assigned as the force chaplain for U.S. Naval Forces Central Command and the fleet chaplain for United States Fifth Fleet, headquartered in the Kingdom of Bahrain. After serving as command chaplain for the U.S. European Command, he became deputy chief of Navy Chaplains and Chaplain of the Marine Corps.

Tidd assumed his duties as the 25th chief of Navy Chaplains on August 27, 2010. He retired on August 1, 2014.

Marriage controversy

On April 13, 2011, Tidd issued a two-page "guidance" memo stating that following final repeal of don't ask, don't tell, the law barring openly gay people from military service, same-sex couples would be allowed to marry in Naval facilities with Naval chaplains officiating in those states in which same-sex marriage is legal. Following political pressure from Republican members of Congress who claimed that allowing the use of federal facilities or personnel to perform same-sex marriages would violate the Defense of Marriage Act, Tidd suspended the policy on May 10, pending further Naval review.

Awards and decorations

	Navy Distinguished Service Medal
	Defense Superior Service Medal
	Legion of Merit with gold award star
	Meritorious Service Medal with award star
	Joint Service Commendation Medal
	Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal with 3 award stars
	Joint Meritorious Unit Award with one bronze oak leaf cluster
	Navy Unit Commendation with bronze service star
	Navy Meritorious Unit Commendation with service star
	Navy "E" Ribbon
	Fleet Marine Force Ribbon
	National Defense Service Medal with service star
	Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal with service star
	Southwest Asia Service Medal with Fleet Marine Force insignia and bronze service star
	Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal
	Iraq Campaign Medal
	Global War on Terrorism Service Medal
	Armed Forces Service Medal
	Navy Sea Service Deployment Ribbon with 4 service stars
	Navy and Marine Corps Overseas Service Ribbon with one silver and three bronze service stars
	Kuwait Liberation Medal (Saudi Arabia)
	Kuwait Liberation Medal (Kuwait)

See also

• Armed Forces Chaplains Board
• Chiefs of Chaplains of the United States

References

 This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the United States Navy.

External links

Media related to at Wikimedia Commons

Military offices
Preceded by Alan T. Baker	Chaplain of the United States Marine Corps Deputy Chief of Chaplains of the United States Navy 2009 – 2010	Succeeded by Margaret G. Kibben
Preceded by Robert F. Burt	Chief of Chaplains of the United States Navy 2010 – 2014	Succeeded by Margaret G. Kibben