Chaplain's office here to serve Airmen, families

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Joel Mease
  • 7 BW/PA
DYESS AIR FORCE BASE, Texas --  Whether you're on the flightline, in the control tower, or in a back office, the chaplain's office is there to help you perform the Air Force mission.

"As chaplains, we are force multipliers," said Chaplain (Maj.) Michael Daniel, senior Protestant chaplain. "We can offer Airmen what no other base agency can provide, a confidential outlet for counseling. We are the first and last stop along these lines."

This confidential counseling is absolutely essential to the mission, Airmen need to have someone they can talk to without fear of repercussion, he said.

The chaplains are also there to provide a spiritual outlet for any military identification card holder, Chaplain Daniel said. "The chaplains are here as a visible reminder of the holy, and to keep your First Amendment right in tact to exercise your freedom to exercise religion," he said. If the chapel is unable to provide the spiritual guidance a person may need, they have a book of lay leaders in the community from various religious denominations to assist the individual, Chaplain Daniel said. I

f an Airman deploys, Chaplain Daniel wants everyone to know they will still be able to receive the same spiritual guidance and worship they received back at home.

"We can even do a wedding if need be over there," he said.

Along with providing spiritual and private counseling, the chaplain's office is there to support the morale of Airmen.

"As a chaplains assistant, I am the eyes and ears for the chaplain," said Senior Airman Crystal Nicolato, 7th BW chaplain's assistant. "We are there to help Airmen out and voice their concerns and needs to a chaplain if they are uncomfortable speaking to them directly."

The chaplain's office disperses more than half of their office to actually work in the buildings of the units they are assigned to, Chaplain Daniel said.

"This really helps those who have a short lunch and need to speak to a chaplain real quick or if they are uncomfortable with going to the chapel," he said. "Being with the units also allows the chaplain to learn what their mission is and understand their work stresses more."

Despite the stresses of providing spiritual healing to a diverse Air Force and the many deployment tasking of the chaplain personnel, they say serving Airmen and their families is worth every minute.

Chaplain Daniel, who has been serving in a ministerial role since 1993, said he enjoys serving as an Air Force chaplain because of its unique setting.

"I get to serve a broad base of people that cuts across every denomination," he said. "I get to provide a Sunday worship service in a much more diverse setting then I would in the civilian sector."

"A lot of Airmen, like maintainers, work extremely long hours in tough conditions, where they may forget how important they are to their coworkers and the mission," Airman Nicolato said.

"It's real satisfying when you're able to help someone realize how important they are to the mission."