Good News for Airmen and Their Families

News
Chaplains: Serving Base, Deployed Units, Community
1/15/2007 By Jamie Haig, 1st SOW Public Affairs

HURLBURT FIELD, Fla. -- Whether it's a retirement, a change of command or services on the weekend, the Hurlburt Field chaplains are always present and ready to help Airmen and their families at "Anytime, Anyplace."

The chapel has six chaplains and six chaplain assistants, but at any given time, four are deployed to wherever Air Force Special Operations Command personnel are located.

"This is what I like about being here - we go forward with our people," said Chaplain (Lt. Col.) Michael Tinnon, 1st Special Operations Wing chaplain. "Unlike the Air Expeditionary Force, we're placed with our deployed Airmen so the continuity and trust is already in place. We're either deployed or we're out on the flightline, we're rarely in the office. The chaplains find a need and try to meet it," he said. "We've got wonderful helping agencies at Hurlburt, and we work with these great folks to create and implement programs that will effectively take care of the Airmen."

Operation Homecoming is one of the programs the chaplains rolled out recently, where returning Airmen are greeted not only by their families but their commanders, peers and yes, their chaplains. Another program in development is post-deployment retreats that will include life skills and the chaplains helping Airmen reintegrate with their families after the stress and durations of deployments.

"There are so many issues we're finding out about and we want to implement programs that will help our Airmen," Chaplain Tinnon said. "It's so important that we take care of and love each other because if we don't - the rest just falls apart."

click here for the rest of the story.
+++
editor's note: I'd like to see things like this more and more. We have so got to be there for our returning troops. They need us as much, if not more, when they return home from combat.