Rev. Herman Keizer, former director of Chaplaincy Services for the Christian Reformed Church, was recently awarded the Distinguished Service Award by the Association of Professional Chaplains for exemplifying and promoting the standards of professional chaplaincy.
Keizer was ordained in 1968 and spent 34 years as a chaplain in the Armed Services and at the State Department in the Pentagon. His career included assignments as executive director of the Armed Forces Chaplains Board, and as command chaplain for the U.S. European Command in Stuttgart, Germany.
Keizer received numerous decorations and awards during his time in the Armed Services, including the Purple Heart (awarded to those wounded while serving) and the Superior Honor Award, which is awarded by the U.S. State Department in recognition of sustained extraordinary performance.
Following retirement from the military, Keizer spent eight years as director of CRC Chaplaincy Services.
“What is really special is that the nomination [for the Distinguished Service Award] and the back-up documents came from Christian Reformed chaplains,” he said. “To have my peers in ministry recommend me is very special to me. I have been blessed to have served in chaplaincy all of my ministry.”
