Chaplain James C. Watson is a native of Michigan, but calls Florida “home” after spending nine years there as a parish pastor before coming on Active Duty in 1992. Ordained in the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod in 1981, he served Trinity Lutheran Church. He also served as a chaplain in the Florida Army National Guard, 3d of the 124th Infantry Battalion, 53d Infantry Brigade, from 1983-1992, until his first Active Duty assignment at Fort Polk, Louisiana.

In 1978, he received his commission as a Chaplain Candidate in the Individual Ready Reserve while attending seminary. In 1983 he transitioned to the Florida Army National Guard. In 1977, Chaplain Watson received a Bachelor of Arts in English and Psychology from Concordia Senior College in Fort Wayne, Indiana. He was awarded a Master of Divinity degree in 1981 from Concordia Seminary in St. Louis. In addition, in 2000 he was awarded a Master of Science degree in Community Counseling from Columbus State University in Columbus, Georgia while also graduating from the Army Chaplain Family Life Training Program at Ft. Benning, Georgia.

Chaplain Watson became the Installation Chaplain of Ft. Gordon on 16 July 2012. His previous assignments include the Installation Chaplain of Leonard Wood, Missouri; the Deputy Command Chaplain (Forward) for Third Army/United States Army Central, Kuwait; Deputy IMCOM-Europe Chaplain, Heidelberg, Germany; Garrison and Deputy Installation Chaplain, Ft. Leonard Wood, Missouri; Reserve Component Integration Officer-TRADOC/ Family Life Counseling Instructor at the US ARMY Chaplain Center and School at Ft. Jackson, South Carolina; Family Life Chaplain, Ft. Drum, New York; DIVARTY Chaplain, 1st Infantry Division, Bamberg, Germany; Battalion Chaplain, 32d Signal Battalion, Darmstadt, Germany; Support Squadron Chaplain, 2d Armored Cavalry Regiment, Ft. Polk, Louisiana and Battalion Chaplain, 2-43 Air Defense Artillery, Ft. Polk, Louisiana.

His military education includes the Chaplain Officer Basic Course, the Advance Course, the Combined Arms and Services Staff Support School, the Command and General Staff College, the Chaplain Lieutenant Colonel Course and the Chaplain Colonel Course.

Chaplain Watson served in Operation Constant Vigil (Saudi-Arabia, 1993-1994) and was most recently deployed to Camp Arifjan with Third Army for a year until arriving at Ft. Leonard Wood.

His military awards include: The Bronze Star, the Meritorious Service Medal with four Oak Leaf Clusters, the Army Commendation Medal with two Oak Leaf Clusters, the Army Reserve Component Achievement Medal, the South West Asia Service Medal with one Bronze Star and the Overseas Medal.