Healing the healers Published April 8, 2011 By Tech. Sgt. Emily F. Alley 451st AEW Public Affairs KANDAHAR AIRFIELD, Afghanistan -- Chaplains help those in need, even if they just need a day off. Chaplain (Capt.) David B. Knight, 451st AEW chaplain, accepted the additional duty of serving as chaplain over the Role 3 hospital at Kandahar Airfield for several weeks in April while the primary, Navy Chaplain (Lt. Cmdr.) Andrew Sholtes, took leave. "I like the diversity of KAF," Chaplain Knight described the NATO-run base, and cited the hospital as an example. "There are chaplains of all nationalities; you see it at Role 3. I'm thankful to be able to connect with other branches of the military and be able to support the Navy." The commander of Task Force Medical South and commanding officer of Role 3, Navy Capt. Michael McCarten commended Chaplain Knight's work with the hospital and added that he's been a welcome and responsive asset to the patients and staff. When Knight first arrived at Kandahar Airfield, he sought out fellow chaplains and recalled how well he got along with Scholtes. Before the Navy chaplain left for his scheduled break, he asked Knight to step in and tend to the hospital. Although Knight's mission is to support the Airmen of the 451st AEW, his chapel team supported his decision to accept the additional duty to care for the hospital. For a few weeks in April, Knight plans to carry the additional pager. He may come in to pray for patients, or talk and comfort staff- he recalled that they now recognize him out of uniform. "Chaplains often say we're a visible reminder of the holy. We're not personally holy, not there just to preach, but to be available," Chaplain Knight described that the religious component of his job was not as important as being approachable to those who might need someone to talk to. "It's not about me, my beliefs." He may be present in an operating room, standing near a patient, supporting him while he's going through the most difficult moments of his life. He described his role as being a non-anxious presence in an anxious place. "In a situation like that, nobody's happy," he reflected on what the experience has taught him. "There are other emotions, rage, hopelessness." His role, he said, is to be the calm. In the chaos of a trauma hospital he said it can be difficult not to absorb the atmosphere around him and carry it with him, which is a lesson he's learned from experience. Chaplain Knight was deployed a few years ago to Baghdad, where he was available on-call and said he almost never slept. The stress became overwhelming and he was constantly working around medics and wounded patients. "In Baghdad, I felt like I was part of an assembly line of death," he recalled. Once he returned home he began to consider the experience and he chose to attend a yearlong Army course for trauma chaplains, to learn more about it. The program included clinical hours, patient interaction, pastoral care, and self-reflection. "You're there for every trauma, right there at the table," he described. "Then it's a lot of assessment of self, your beliefs, boundaries, finding out why you want to do what you want to do." He admires the scientific mind and people who are drawn to being doctors, medics. He stressed that religious beliefs are not as important as being available to comfort those who need it. "It's intense, but I'm intrigued by the medical world," he said. "There is so much suffering, but also healing, and your faith is tested severely." Even a medical mind may need healing.