The Captain's Prayer
Our heavenly Father, we see this day as one minute and yet a lifetime for all of us. We thank you for the courage of those who gave their lives in saving their shipmates today.
We humbly ask You to grant them peace and to their loved ones the consolation and strength to bear their loss. Help us to renew the faith we have in You. We thank You for our own lives.
May we remember You as You have remembered us today. From our hearts we turn to You now, knowing that You have been at our side in every minute of this day.
Heavenly Father, help us to rebuild and to reman our ship, so that our brothers who died today may not have made a fruitless sacrifice.
Offered by Captain John K. Beling, Commanding Officer, USS Forrestal, July 29, 1967