Dyess Air Force Base, Texas -- After three years of construction, the Dyess Air Force Base Chapel reopened with a ribbon cutting ceremony among Airmen, families and leadership at Dyess AFB, Texas, Sep. 17, 2021.
The 7th Bomb Wing Chapel seeks to ensure members of Team Dyess have a constitutional right to freedom of religion and strives to provide excellent spiritual help and encouragement for everyone.
“This was the first permanent structure to be built at Dyess,” said Chaplain (Lt. Col.) Gabriel Rios, 7th Bomb Wing wing chaplain. “This building conveys the value our community places on giving our members the opportunity to practice their religious freedoms.”
In the ribbon cutting ceremony, Rios provided historical remarks about the way the members of team Dyess have adapted their approaches to spiritual resilience over time.
He said “our members needs will be better served with a space for all who need these.”
Col. Kevin Kippie, 7th Bomb Wing vice commander, concluded the ribbon cutting ceremony with closing remarks.
“I would like to thank the Civil Engineering Squadron members, our contractors, and our Chaplain corps who have all worked to establish this facility to the structure we see today,” said Kippie. “To the service members and their families that are a part of this community, your religious freedoms are a mainstay of the constitution we have sworn our lives to. We are proud to open this new chapel in support of every member of our base.”
In lieu of an active chapel gathering space, the installations religious communities have taken to observing their religious practices in the Base Theater.
For questions about updated chapel services, locations, and times, please refer to https://www.dyess.af.mil/Units/Support-Agencies/Chapel/