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They never close: Victory Chapel provides guidance, counsel

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class David Dobrydney
  • 379th Air Expeditionary Wing Public Affairs
SOUTHWEST ASIA --  The Desert Eagle Lounge is a place for servicemembers to go when they want to unwind from deployment stress.

But what if your stress cannot be relieved with an ice-cold drink or by watching the football game?

In that case, it's a short walk behind the Desert Eagle Lounge to the Victory Chapel.
The Victory Chapel is a 24-hour enterprise fulfilling the mission of ensuring the free exercise of religion for members of all services.

There are 10 Air Force chaplains and one Army chaplain, each assigned to a different squadron or unit, working 12-hour shifts of on-call service for any Airman, Soldier, Sailor, Marine, civilian or Coalition partner who find themselves in need of assistance.

"If you talk with any military chaplain they will tell you that deployment ministry is the absolute best ministry you can do," said Lt. Col. Stephen Voyt, 379th Air Expeditionary Wing chaplain. "The opportunity to be a part of this type of ministry is the very reason we all joined the chaplaincy."

Chaplain (Maj.) Josephine Pinkney is a Protestant chaplain deployed from Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio. Of the differences between being a chaplain stateside and being deployed, Chaplain Pinkney said in the deployed environment people are more excited about coming to worship and form a more cohesive community in the process. That excitement also translates into a large volunteer contingent, with the chapel having more than 250 volunteers performing various jobs from ushers to musicians.

Chaplain Pinkney has deployed in the past to places such as Croatia and Bosnia. During her first deployment to Croatia, she was the only chaplain assigned and had to work with people from 13 separate nations, all of whom had different faiths and traditions. "We were able to come together and have one big service, where people spoke in their particular language," she said.

But wherever Chaplain Pinkney has gone, two things stayed the same. "You're there for spiritual and emotional ministry; everyone needs someone to talk to," the Lake City, S.C., native said.

While Chaplain Pinkney has deployed many times before, for Chaplain (Capt.) Zachary Nash, deployed from Vance AFB, Okla., his present deployment here is his first. He considers it a privilege to be entrusted with a person's spiritual well-being.

"I think Airmen get to this desolate environment, and for the first time, they are left to think about themselves and what exists beyond," the Milan, Tenn., native said. "For many, that leads them to the chaplain's office."

Chaplain Pinkney describes the emotional cycle she sees in deployed servicemembers.

"The first month they're excited, ready to rock and roll," she said. "About midway through, however, they're more stressed because they are more situationally aware or situations are coming up at home, and then by the last month they're back on a high."

Given the high pace of operations here in Southwest Asia, not everyone can find time to go to the chapel. For that reason, the Victory Chapel has a religious support team that goes out to the various units. "We go through the units so that people can see us face to face. So when they visit us at the chapel they know who we are," Chaplain Pinkney said.

The religious support team also provides the Victory Chapel's seven enlisted chaplain assistants an opportunity to participate in counseling sessions. Senior Airman Amanda Johnson is a chaplain assistant deployed from Lackland AFB, Texas.

"At home, we don't get to go out very often to support our functions," Airman Johnson said, a native of Locust Grove, Ga. Chaplain assistants stateside usually perform the day-to-day logistical duties that often keep them from going out with the chaplains on their visits. For Airman Johnson, the most rewarding part of being deployed is "just helping others -- going out and making peoples' day better."

Besides allowing enlisted members a greater chance to get out and help, being deployed also allows chaplains to be more creative in their methods of caring for base personnel. For instance, a once-a-week ministry, run by Chaplain Nash and held at the Desert Eagle Lounge, began in April with just five people and has grown to nearly 20 members.

But if this particular ministry isn't meeting the night you need to speak with a chaplain, remember, the Chapel is always open.