Captain Jim Peugh MA ’01, MTS ’02 is currently serving as the Command Chaplain, Marine Corps Instaltions, East – Marine Corps Base Camp in Lejeune, NC. He is a native of Salinas, CA and is an ordained minister with the Southern California District of the Assemblies of God. Prior to his military service, Jim served as an associate pastor at First Assembly of God Church in Coquille, OR from 1992 to 1996 and as the Director of Leadership Development at Vanguard University from 1997 to 2002. He is a graduate of Bethany College in Santa Cruz, CA, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in church leadership in 1991. He also holds a master’s degrees in theological studies (2001) and religion (2002), both from Vanguard. He entered the Naval Reserve as a Chaplain Candidate in 2000 and completed the Chaplain Basic School at Newport, RI in the summer of 2001. He entered active duty in 2002, reporting to his first command, USS NASHVILLE, LPD-13.  

Jim’s operational assignments included Command Chaplain USS NASHVILLE, LPD-13; 1st Marine Logistics Group, Camp Pendleton, where he was assigned as the Battalion Chaplain for 7th Engineer Support Battalion and Combat Logistics Battalion 5; Group Chaplain, Commander Naval Special Warfare Group One; 1st Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, Camp Pendleton as the Regimental Chaplain; 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit as the Command Element Chaplain; and to U.S. Marine Corps Forces Pacific, Camp H.M. Smith, Hawaii as the Deputy Force Chaplain.  

Jim’s supporting establishment assignments included serving as the Flag Aid to the 24th Chief of Navy Chaplains from April 2007 to October 2009, and as the Marine Corps Installations, Pacific–Marine Corps Base Camp Butler, Okinawa, Deputy Command Chaplain from July 2017 to September 2019. He currently serves as the Command Chaplain for Marine Corps Installations, East – Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune, NC, where he serves as the senior region chaplain overseeing the religion ministry programs of five Marine Corps Bases and supervising 15 Religious Ministry Teams.  

Since joining the fleet, he has earned an MA in theology (2006) from Fuller Theological Seminary. He also is a graduate of the Marine Corps Command and Staff College (2009) and has completed the Professional Naval Chaplains Intermediate Leadership Course (2016), the Professional Naval Chaplain’s Advanced Leadership Course (2018), both at the Naval Chaplain’s School, and the Professional Naval Chaplain’s Senior Leader’s Course (2021). 

Jim’s personal awards include the Meritorious Service Medal, Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal (six awards), Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal (two awards), Combat Action Ribbon, Fleet Marine Force Ribbon, Military Outstanding Volunteer Service Medal, and the Fleet Marine Force Officer Qualification Badge.