Chaplains help Airmen cope during deployment process

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Shane Dunaway
  • 4th Fighter Wing Public Affairs
SEYMOUR JOHNSON AIR FORCE BASE, N.C. --  The 4th Fighter Wing chapel staff provides counseling and religious assistance to many Airmen and their families who face the realities of an upcoming deployment. 

The Air Force has a long-standing tradition of caring for Airmen and their families and offers many programs dedicated to their morale, well-being and quality of life. 

"The chapel motto is, 'Glorifying God, Honoring Airmen, Serving All,'" said Chaplain (Capt.) Kevin Humphrey. "We are to provide the free exercise of religion to all people. Our counseling and religious support are the centerpiece in what we do." 

For pre- and post-deployment Airmen, the chaplain's main emphasis is on counseling. 

"When Airmen find out they're tasked to deploy, especially those tasked to dangerous environments, there's a lot of anxiety with the troops because they may feel like they can't express their fears," Chaplain Humphrey said. "We provide a safe place for them to talk about their concerns." 

For those who are married or are parents, there is also the factor of being separated from a loved one. 

"We provide marriage counseling sessions because when a couple is going to be separated from four to six months, they are concerned about what that will do to their relationship," he said. "When they come in, we'll provide them some things to do that will help them stay connected." 

The chapel also assists in readiness by helping Airmen get in the right frame of mind to take the fight downrange. 

"If an Airman is deploying who already has a great deal of personal problems going on in their life, sometimes they may become suicidal or just feel like they have the weight of the world on their shoulders," said the chaplain. "Confidentiality helps because we can try to help them deal with the stress of these things without alerting leadership." 

Once in a deployed environment, chaplains become even more valuable assets to Airmen morale. 

According to Chaplain Humphrey, chapel service attendance in a deployed setting is typically double or triple the attendance of stateside bases, and many Airmen use this as an opportunity to grow spiritually.

When Airmen return stateside, chaplains are also available to help them reintegrate back into their pre-deployment routine. 

"We don't force people to come by when they come back from a deployment," Chaplain Humphrey said. "As some Airmen come back, they've been separated from their spouse for up to six months and while they were gone, the spouse has learned to function on their own. Our job is to help them realize that when they come back, there's going to be some transition." 

The chaplains do not accomplish the mission alone. They have chaplain's assistants who aid and support them in their cause. 

Every program the chapel has to help Airmen with pre-deployment and post-deployment issues, the chaplain's assistant will be there to help out, said Tech. Sgt. Tracey Lundy, non-commissioned offcer-in-charge of chapel operations.