Mr. Keizer counseled for the U.S. Department of State following the attack on the Pentagon on September 11, 2001, for which he received a telephone call of commendation from General Colin Powell.
CALEDONIA, MI, May 11, 2022 /24-7PressRelease/ -- Herman Keizer Jr. has been included in Marquis Who's Who. As in all Marquis Who's Who biographical volumes, individuals profiled are selected on the basis of current reference value. Factors such as position, noteworthy accomplishments, visibility, and prominence in a field are all taken into account during the selection process.
Mr. Keizer attended Calvin College in pursuit of a Bachelor of Arts in philosophy and Greek. He then voluntarily left the college to earn money for his education and was conscripted to become a chaplain assistant at Fort Belvoir in Virginia. After two years on active duty as an enlisted soldier at Fort Belvoir from 1962 to 1964, he served in the U.S. Army Reserve while he completed his degree in 1965. He subsequently earned a Bachelor of Divinity in theology from Calvin Theological Seminary in 1968. Mr. Keizer later continued his education with a Master of Arts in education from the Teachers College at Columbia University in 1978 and a Master of Theology from New York Theological Seminary in 1979. He was an on campus student at the U.S. Army War College, Carlisle, PA, graduating on June 8, 1992.
In 1968, Mr. Keizer was commissioned as a chaplain in the United States Army and was ordained as a minister in the Christian Reformed Church. He served as a chaplain for troops in the First and Fourth Infantry Divisions in Vietnam, where he was wounded by a grenade and thrown from a helicopter at 150 feet. He further served as a chaplain for the 25th Infantry Division in Hawaii, as a NATO command chaplain based in Stuttgart, Germany planning yearly conferences for other NATO country military chaplains. Mr. Keizer advanced to the rank of colonel and remained with the U.S. Army until his mandatory retirement in 1998, but was recalled twice: the first to work at the Pentagon and then two years later by the Secretary of the Army to serve as an advisor to the Ambassador at Large for International Religious Freedom for the U.S. Department of State until 2002.
During his military service, Mr. Keizer was presented with the Defense Superior Service Medal, four Legions of Merit, six Bronze Stars, including one with a V for valor in combat, the Purple Heart and the Soldier's Medal. In 2012, he accepted the David E. White Award from the Military Chaplains Association, which recognizes lifetime commitment as a chaplain, vision for joint service and inter-agency collaboration and overall ministry professionalism. Furthermore, Mr. Keizer counseled for the U.S. Department of State following the attack on the Pentagon on September 11, 2001, for which he received a telephone call of commendation from General Colin Powell. Mr. Keizer also organized a round table meeting with the Muslim community in the Washington area to try to ease tensions. He testified on the Hill with Senator Lindsey Graham on or as to the constitutionality of military chaplains.
After retiring from the U.S. Army, Mr. Keizer excelled as a counselor with Heartside Ministries, GRACE, Restorative Justice Healing of Children of Conflict and the Micah Center. He was also the director of the Chaplaincy and care Ministry in the Christian Reformed Church of North America from 2002 to 2010. In 2012, he co-founded the Soul Repair Center at Brite Divinity School (TCU), dedicated to educating and researching moral injury and recovery for military veterans. Mr. Keizer was also very active in prison ministry, setting up counseling and helped to establish a church within Angola Prison in Baton Rouge, LA, and Iona Prison in Michigan.
Mr. Keizer was named a Distinguished Alumnus of Calvin College (now University) in 2001, and Calvin Seminary in 2003. He received the Soul Repair Award from Volunteers of America in 2015, and the Association of Professional Chaplain's Distinguished Service Award in 2010. He served as National Chaplain for the Military Order of the Purple Heart, and president of the Army Navy Club in Grand Rapids which is celebrating its 100th year this year. He was the National Chaplain for the Military Order of the Purple Heart.
Mr. Keizer passed away on December 22, 2017.
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Since 1899, when A. N. Marquis printed the First Edition of Who's Who in America®, Marquis Who's Who® has chronicled the lives of the most accomplished individuals and innovators from every significant field of endeavor, including politics, business, medicine, law, education, art, religion and entertainment. Today, Who's Who in America® remains an essential biographical source for thousands of researchers, journalists, librarians and executive search firms around the world. Marquis® now publishes many Who's Who titles, including Who's Who in America®, Who's Who in the World®, Who's Who in American Law®, Who's Who in Medicine and Healthcare®, Who's Who in Science and Engineering®, and Who's Who in Asia®. Marquis® publications may be visited at the official Marquis Who's Who® website at www.marquiswhoswho.com.
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