Chaplain Middleton was born in January 1963 in Napoleon, Ohio. He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Toledo in 1985. He then completed a dual degree program at the University of Chicago. He was awarded a Master of Divinity and a Master of Arts in Social Service Administration in 1992. He earned a Doctor of Ministry degree from Pittsburgh Theological Seminary in 2012.
CAPT Middleton served for 14 years in the Army National Guard before accepting a commission in the Navy as a Chaplain in 1995. After accepting a Commission, he attended Chaplains Basic School in Newport, Rhode Island, graduating in August 1995. His first tour was as a Battalion Chaplain with First Marine Division, Camp Pendleton, California. He completed a WESTPAC deployment during those three years. In October 1998, he transferred to USS DENVER (LPD-9) in San Diego, California, where he completed his second WESTPAC. He reported to Naval Hospital Camp Pendleton in May 2001. During this tour he served as the Division Officer for the Pastoral Care Department and the Fleet Hospital chaplain. In 2004, he reported to Destroyer Squadron One, homeported in San Diego, CA. While at DESRON One, he completed two Cooperation Afloat Readiness and Training (CARAT) deployments to Southeast Asia.
In June, 2006, Chaplain Middleton was assigned to Naval District Washington (DC) where he was the Division Officer for the Regional Chaplains office from 2006 to 2009. During his tour, Chaplain Middleton served an Individual Augment tour with Task Force Tusken on the Iraq/Iran border in support of OIF during the surge of 2008. While at NDW, he conducted over 350 burials at Arlington National Cemetery and served as the primary counselor for the Navy Ceremonial Guard. In February 2010, he transferred to CBIRF of II Marine Expeditionary Force in Indian Head, Maryland. While there, he earned the Fleet Marine Force Qualified Officer designation.
CAPT Middleton was then hand selected to be the plank owner and first Director of CREDO Naval District Washington, standing up the entire program when he arrived back to NDW in January 2013. Within the first year, the weekend retreat program began offering nearly 50 retreats a year for joint service members in the National Capital Region. In August 2015, he assumed duties as the Deputy Wing Chaplain at 3d Marine Aircraft Wing, Marine Corps Air Station Miramar in San Diego, California. In May of 2017, Chaplain Middleton was selected for promotion to 06. He served as the Deputy Chief of Staff for Religious Ministries at MCAGCC in Twentynine Palms, CA from July 2017 to July 2019. There he supervised a large three chapel RMT, provided mentoring to 11 operational chaplains and managed training for visiting religious ministry teams at 5 ITX’s annually. From July 2019-July 2021, he served as the Group Chaplain at 1st MLG.
Chaplain Middleton is an ordained Minister of the Word and Sacrament with the Presbyterian Church (USA). He is also licensed in Illinois and California as a Licensed Clinical Social Worker.