Carey Cash

The Rev. Carey Cash is a US Navy chaplain currently assigned to Camp David, the U.S. presidential retreat. As such, he has found himself ministering to President Barack Obama. In this sense, Rev. Cash can be considered Mr. Obama's pastor.

A 6 ft 4in graduate of The Citadel in South Carolina and of Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, Rev. Cash nearly became a professional American football player. He is the great-nephew of the singer Johnny Cash and the brother of a former Miss America, Kellye Cash.

Cash was born in Memphis, Tennessee to an accomplished, deeply religious family. His father, Roy Cash, Jr., was a fighter pilot in the Navy for 30 years. His older sister, Kellye, was crowned Miss America in 1987. His mother, Billie, runs a Christian ministry and is the author of several books about her faith.

Lt. Cash served on the battlefield during the invasion of Iraq in 2003. As a fervent believer in the Christian faith, he was deeply committed to spreading Christianity within the armed forces and believed a "wall of angels" protected his men as they fought their way from Kuwait to Baghdad. He baptized more than 50 men during the war.

Now a Commander in the Navy, Cash has been recently reassigned from Camp David and currently serves as Senior Protestant Chaplain at the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland.