Trees of Righteousness: God’s Plan for Dealing with Trauma, Grief, and Pain

Chaplain Robert Mills was born in Marlboro, Massachusetts and grew up in Richmond, Maine and in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, the son of missionaries. After attending Pine Tree Academy in Freeport, Maine, he earned a Bachelor of Arts in History from Atlantic Union College in June of 1990. He attended the Seventh-day Adventist Theological Seminary at Andrews University, graduating with a Master of Divinity Degree in December of 2005. He was commissioned on active duty as a chaplain in February 2008. After Basic Chaplain training , Chaplain Mills reported to Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni, Japan where he served as Staff Chaplain, then as acting Command Chaplain. In October of 2011, he reported as Deputy Command Chaplain to Destroyer Squadron 15 in Yokosuka, Japan, serving the men, women, and families of seven forward-deployed naval destroyers covering 48 million square miles of the Western Pacific Ocean. Chaplain Mills next reported to Coast Guard Sector Southeastern New England in Cape Cod, Massachusetts, serving there from October 2013 to June of 2016. Selected to attend in residence, LCDR Mills graduated from the Naval War College in Newport, Rhode Island in June of 2017 with a master’s degree in National Security Studies. As Principal Assistant Chaplain, LCDR Mills reported to USS NIMITZ (CVN-68) in July of 2017. During this tour, Chaplain Mills was conferred the Naval Air Forces Pacific Professional Naval Chaplaincy Award (Chaplain of the Year) for the year 2020. He next served as Deputy Chaplain, then as Command Chaplain for 3D Marine Logistics Group in Okinawa, supervising 7 subordinate Religious Ministry Teams caring for 15,000 Marines, Sailors, and family members. He currently serves as the Command Chaplain for Marine Corps Recruiting District Nine, located at Naval Station Great Lakes, Illinois. He is responsible for serving all Marine Corps Recruiters in a 12 million square mile area in the middle of the continental United States. He has been selected to fill a Navy Milestone Billet as Deputy Chaplain of the U.S. Coast Guard, beginning in October of 2024. As a specialist in trauma ministry, he is currently writing a book about the specific ways that Jesus processed trauma, grief, and pain. Chaplain Mills’ outside interests include reading, writing, sacred and classical music, and aviation. He is currently a PhD candidate in Organizational Leadership at Columbia International University. He is married to the former Virginia Miller of Grand Ledge, Michigan. They have two daughters, ages 22 and 21.