Page 4 - Davis-Monthan AFB Desert Lightning News 7-2-15

4 July 2, 2015
Spiritual doctors support Airmen
Airman 1st Class Kathleen D. Bryant
23d Wing Public Affairs
MOODY AIR FORCE BASE, Ga. -- They don’t
work in hospitals, wear lab coats or fix broken
bones but they can heal hidden wounds. Some
people may refer to them as pastors, while oth-
ers consider them counselors. But these spiritual
doctors are known to the military as chaplains.
Chaplains work 24/7 to help members cope in
life through counseling and carry the responsibil-
ity of their welfare, morale and spiritual fitness.
“We are truly committed to taking care of our
people,” said U.S. Air Force Chaplain (Lt. Col.)
Kim Bowen, 23d Wing chaplain. “Sometimes the
awareness that people have or don’t have [about
counseling] makes all the difference in the world
as to what we offer. We understand that not ev-
erybody’s religious. The Air Force understands
that, but it also understands that we are all, at
least in part, spiritual.”
Although church is their workplace, much of
what chaplains do fall outside the realm of religion. their assistants.
“We hope that people know we are a counseling
resource here as well,” said Bowen. “Principally be-
cause of the privileged communication that we offer.
No other agency has that level of confidentiality.”
Privileged communication, under Military
Rules of Evidence 503, means that anything you
speak to a chaplain or chaplain assistant about in
a counseling setting is confidential.
“We can’t release that information to anyone
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without written permission from the member,”
said Master Sgt. John Davis, 23d Wing chaplain
assistant. “It’s a really good service we have, be-
cause there may be someone experiencing diffi-
culties at home or in the workplace. A lot of times
they just need to vent without fear of retribution
or being judged. That privilege, being able to
share that with us so we can help them through
that difficult time, is a really good thing. It’s make
them comfortable and more willing to share.”
Chaplains counsel during the day, but also
work around the clock in order to help Airmen
connect with their spirituality.
“We deal with all sorts of elements of life, from
cradle-to-grave--literally,” said Bowen. “Whether
someone’s celebrating something or someone
has received some bad news, we are available all
the time. Sometimes that comes in the middle of
the night. We always have a chaplain on call. You
can reach them by calling the command post.
[They have] a list of our schedule.”
Chaplains rotate being on call on a weekly ba-
sis and during the day work side-by-side with
“Chaplain assistants are a vital part of the Chap-
lain Corps,” said Bowen. “They manage the chapel
when it comes to the administrative, logistical and
financial side of how things are run.”
Chaplains and chaplain assistants work togeth-
er as a unit, also known as a Religious Support
Team to accommodate the needs of the base.
“We operate on the group-level in RSTs,” said
Bowen. “What we do [on a daily basis] depends
on the needs of each unit. For example, if a trau-
matic event happens[such as death] in a unit we
work with the leadership to come up with a re-
sponse plan, help advise the unit and participate
in the memorial service.”
Each RST finds the time to visit their assigned
group on base, such as the Medical Group, the
Mission Support Group, the Maintenance Group
and the Fighter and Rescue Group.
“Years ago, when I came in as young Airman Basic
Bowen, if you wanted to find a chaplain you’d go to
the chapel,” said Bowen. “Well [since then] we’ve re-
alized we have to get outside the chapel and be with
the people. We are a lot more mobile so we can build
relationships with people. We are only as affective as
those relationships of trust that we’ve built.”
A chaplain’s mobility goes beyond their
home base and extends into all parts of the
world, even deployed locations, in order to
support Airmen everywhere.
“It’s an interesting thing what happens when
people get away from the comforts of home,” said
Bowen. “They start to really think about the purpose
and the meaning of life. They start evaluating their
lives and relationships back home and that can stir
up some things. So there is an increase in [the need
for] counseling that we do in overseas locations.”
Service members may seek out chaplains fre-
quently in a deployed environment, but chap-
lains have been one of the military’s resources for
over two centuries.