Chaplain team keeps troops cool during Red Flag

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Daniel Phelps
  • Red Flag 10-4 Public Affairs
NELLIS AIR FORCE BASE, Nev. --  It was more than 100 degrees in the scorching desert sun, yet Chaplain (Capt.) David Knight and Staff Sgt. Shane Rushforth, both from Shaw Air Force Base, S.C., were getting ready to go out into the heat.

But first, they needed to fill up their coolers with ice, water, Gatorade and Popsicles. From there, they would then head out to the flightline and start passing them out to the troops.

"What I like best about this is that it's not in our job description, but it's a nice thing to do to support the war fighting effort," Chaplain Knight, 20th Fighter Wing and Air Expeditionary Wing chaplain, said.

Sergeant Rushforth, 20th FW and AEW chaplain assistant, explained that by going out to the troops every day, they get used to seeing them and are more comfortable talking to them in cases outside of a crisis.

The mission of the chaplain and the chaplain assistant is to help take assessment of the needs and morale of the troops, and to keep the commander aware of the general stresses they face and advise him on morale issues.

"We planned ahead to do this," explained the chaplain, "We wanted to help give them a morale boost by providing a positive outreach."

The chapel at Shaw does something similar to this, added Sergeant Rushforth, by closing early on Wednesdays to go visit the units.

Once the coolers were loaded up, they headed out to the flightline to visit a Marine unit and pass out the refreshing treats.

"Support is always appreciated," said Cpl. Chris Lang, central technical publications librarian, Marine Corps Attack Squadron 225, Miramar, Calif., as he opened up a bottle of water. "Not that many people come out here. It gets kind of lonely."

Chaplain Knight said working with the other services and coalition troops is one of his favorite aspects of Red Flag. By going out to visit the troops, they get to see every aspect of the mission.

Before being stationed at Shaw, the chaplain was stationed here at Nellis. However, this is his first Red Flag, because the Nellis chaplains don't usually work with this combat training exercise.

"Seeing Nellis in this light, after leaving, has been awesome," he said.

The next unit on the team's list was the 77th Aircraft Maintenance Unit from Shaw, where more Popsicles and drinks were handed out.

"The chaplain coming out and bringing these to us is a great morale boost," said Airman 1st Class Garrett Clark, 77th AMU F-16 maintainer.

Coming to visit the maintainers is Sergeant Rushforth's favorite part of the day.

"I used to be a maintainer," he said, "so I try to take care of them as much as I can."

It also gives him an easier way to reach out to them, becoming more approachable so they are more likely to talk with him.

"They see my maintenance patch and feel more comfortable," said the sergeant, "An Airman once came and confided in me just because of it."

The job of the chaplain assistant is only a cross-training career and that has proved helpful, he added. This way the assistant knows the world of the troops and can speak their language.

Having chaplain assistants that come from other backgrounds helps the chaplain understand the stresses and hours servicemembers face, Chaplain Knight explained. It allows for the understanding of both the production and administrative sides of the challenges, as well as the team effort of the job.

"A good chaplain tries to understand the significance of what the troops face, and having an assistant who has come from these backgrounds is priceless," he added.

Following their visit with the 77th AMU, the chaplains visited the Marine Tactical Electronic Warfare Squadron 3, from Cherry Point, N.C., next door.

As they were passing out their gifts, the chaplain was called upon for some help by a Marine.

"It's very motivating to see someone come out and interact with us," said Lance Cpl. Garrett Chapman, Marine Tactical Electronic Warfare Squadron 3 ground support equipment.

Once they finished at this unit, the two went on to visit more units into the evening hours, developing relationships and providing support in any way they could.

"We try to work during the swing shifts, that way we can get to everyone," the sergeant explained .

Before heading out to visit the units during the evening shifts, the team headed back to the office to refill their coolers. Once they were refilled and loaded back into the car, they drove off onto the flightline to continue to keep the troops cool.