WASHINGTON, DC – Father Daniel L. Mode, CHC, CAPT, USN, a 38-year veteran Catholic U.S. Navy Chaplain who serves on active duty with endorsement and faculties from the Archdiocese for the Military Services, USA (AMS), has been awarded the Legion of Merit for exceptionally meritorious service. Vice Admiral James P. Downey, outgoing commander of the U.S. Navy’s Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA), presented the award on Aug. 12 at command headquarters in the Navy Yard in Washington, DC.
NAVSEA is the largest of the Navy’s five systems commands, in charge of engineering, building, acquiring, and maintaining ships, submarines, and combat systems. The award citation commends Father Mode for “dynamic and visionary leadership” from June 2025 to August 2026 as NAVSEA’s first appointed Force Chaplain by, among other things:
- Developing and executing a comprehensive Force Chaplain strategy;
- Creating an enduring framework for workforce case, crisis response, and leader support across the Navy’s largest systems command;
- Establishing the first spiritual readiness programs to meet the unique stressors of NAVSEA’s industrial environment;
- Forging strategic partnerships with religious ministry teams, significantly expanding support for the NAVSEA workforce;
- Optimizing resource management to create six immediate chaplain positions, spearheading staffing standards, and validating requirements for 16 additional positions across Regional Maintenance Centers, Naval Shipyards, and Shore Intermediate Maintenance Activities;
- Conducting rigorous assessments at 18 commands and detachments, providing senior leaders with “unprecedented insights” into workforce resiliency, climate, and readiness.
The citation notes that by his “outstanding leadership, commendable innovation, and inspiring dedication to duty,” Father Mode “reflected great credit upon himself and upheld the highest traditions of the United States Naval Service.”
This is the second Legion of Merit Award Father Mode has earned since he joined the Navy as a chaplain candidate in 1988. Four years ago he received the same commendation for meritorious service during his three-year tour as Command Chaplain of the Seventh Fleet. However, unlike the previous award, which came at the end of his tour, the latest is a so-called “spot” award, meaning that the recognition comes for specific actions taken during his current tour, not after. In the Navy, spot awards are rare, underscoring the extraordinary nature of Father Mode’s distinction as a Catholic priest and Navy captain in service to God and Country.