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Army Times
Published on: 02/4/09

An Army National Guard chaplain will give the opening prayer Wednesday on Capitol Hill.

Chaplain (Maj.) James B. Higgins’ prayer will kick off the day for lawmakers. Higgins, who recently was named the 2008 Chaplain (Lt.) Vincent Robert Capodanno National Chaplain of the Year by the Reserve Officers Association, was sponsored by Rep. David Scott, D-Ga., to be Congress’ Chaplain of the Day on Wednesday.

Higgins served with the Texas National Guard’s 36th Combat Aviation Brigade from March 2006 to August 2007. During his tour, he helped his soldiers through the loss of Easy 40, a helicopter mission that crashed on one of the deadliest days in Iraq. His care for the 2,800 soldiers in the brigade contributed to his selection for the Capodanno award.

When he’s not in uniform, Higgins is the senior pastor of McEachern United Methodist Church, a congregation of about 3,200 people in Atlanta.

The Capodanno award is named for a Navy chaplain who received the Medal of Honor, the nation’s highest award for valor, for his service in Vietnam.