JOINT BSAE SAN ANTONIO-LACKLAND, Texas –
Some of the most memorable characters and people of our time had a partner who assisted them carryout their mission.
Batman and Robin, Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippin, and Vince Vaughn and Owen Wilson are in part who they are today because of their partnerships.
A similar partnership is that of the chaplain and the chaplain assistant.
Usually, when someone thinks of the chapel, they think chaplain. Chaplains are responsible for the spiritual care of the personnel they are assigned to.
Yet, they are not able to effectively accommodate their spiritual and religious needs without their religious support team partner; their chaplain assistants.
JBSA-Lackland has a total of 10 chaplain assistants assigned, two of which are currently deployed. They support the immediate needs of the chaplain and the local military community. Chaplain assistants are pillars for the chaplain's ministry.
In order for our chaplains to maintain focus on their ministries, chaplain assistants provide support for pastoral care. They advise leadership concerning religious accommodation issues, facilitate religious observances, provide spiritual triage, peer support to include crisis response, and resource and program management just to name a few. This is how chaplain assistants continually pursue excellence, which is a part of our Chaplain Corps vision.
At JBSA-Lackland, chaplain assistants provide support for the largest chapel in the Air Force and Department of Defense's largest Muslim ministry. They perpetually coordinate logistical support and resources for six facilities, 17 faith groups that consist of 514, 000 weekly personnel, 34 weekly worship services and approximately 20 religious education programs.
All this is accomplished with only 10 chaplain assistants, proving that their will to serve outweighs their manning shortages. They take pride and ownership of the service they provide for the chaplains, the installation, and the local population.
Chaplain Assistants understand what it means to serve, look forward to interacting with you and providing for you any way they can. So next time you think of a dynamic group of individuals, you think of your installation's chaplain assistants.