ROBINS AIR FORCE BASE, Ga. -- The Air Force Reserve Command recently expanded chaplain resources to help Airmen with reintegration following deployments. The AFRC Chaplain office set up a temporary Active Guard Reserve program to put chaplains on extended orders and make sure Airmen reintegrating after deployment have resources available more long term.
“Not all of our wings have full-time chaplains, and so we've been using either annual tour, RPA support, and temporary AGRs to make sure that resources are available,” shared Chaplain James Danford, AFRC command chaplain. “They are reaching out through the squadrons, through phone calls, and through normal operations. We are catching everybody as they come back through on the reintegration line.”
Chaplains are supporting reintegration briefings to help Airmen understand what the reintegration process looks like. One specific area they are focusing on is moral injury. “Moral injury is ‘I saw something bad, I did something bad, or something bad happened’,” said Danford. “We want to help Airmen process that before it turns into post-traumatic stress and help normalize that those are normal feelings to process. We want to help them access all of the support systems they have available.”
The role of a chaplain stays rooted in service and their availability is not tied to any belief system.
“Even though I’m a representative of a particular faith group as a chaplain, my services and availability are for anybody and everybody,” Tilley said. “We [Chaplain Corps personnel] are here to make sure you get the care you need. If I can’t provide that, then I’m going to find and track down somebody who can.”
This approach is now reinforced by how chaplains are addressed. Earlier this year, the Department of War announced chaplains will be removing the rank insignia from their uniforms, but Danford mentioned it may just open doors.
“It’s always been in our AFIs to refer to us strictly as chaplain and not by rank,” said Danford. “Now that people can’t see the rank, it’s a natural occurrence. A lot of our junior-ranking chaplains have mentioned many, because of rank, felt uncomfortable.”
The freedom to talk openly is the heart of what chaplains offer, giving members space to sort through family, religious, or morale concerns without worrying it will come back on them later. For all Airmen and their families, communication with a chaplain is privileged and cannot be shared.
“The biggest misunderstanding I see is that people think there are exceptions to [Chaplain Corps] confidentiality if they talk about a ‘harm-to-themselves or others’ type of an issue,” said Chaplain Robert Tilley, chief, plans, programs & training. “That doesn't apply to us. Whether religious or non-religious, if a member is struggling with ideas of suicide, or if a member is disillusioned with what's going on, or just frustrated or angry, the chaplain is a safe place.”
Religious Affairs Airmen are also available for support, though their role is more limited than the chaplains.
“They are not there to provide long-term counseling, but they can be a first point of contact, especially if somebody is uncomfortable talking to a chaplain for rank or religious reasons,” said Tilley. “They are another asset to provide assistance during a crisis.”
Aside from the support chaplains provide directly, they can also connect Airmen with resources in their local area as well as those on base, such as Military and Family Life counselors, Military and Family Readiness Center support and mental health resources. For Danford, part of the value chaplains offer is simply being the one place a person can lay everything out.
“Sometimes we need a place to tell the whole story, and the chaplain is that resource to listen to all of the story,” he said. “We also understand as chaplains that people are coming to us because they're looking for help, and so being free to talk to us and being free to tell a story without wondering where that story is going to go is very freeing. We are able then to help the member either find the support within themselves or take it on their own to go and find that support.”