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Chaplain assistant ensures religious freedom downrange

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Lindsey Maurice
  • 386th Air Expeditionary Wing Public Affairs
SOUTHWEST ASIA --  Religious faith and the freedom to worship is more than a First Amendment right for many military members, it is a part of who they are.

For one U.S. Air Force member, Staff Sgt. Riza Miguel, currently deployed with the 386th Air Expeditionary Wing as a chaplain assistant, ensuring fellow servicemembers are afforded this right, is a daily mission.

"Our job is critical to the mission because our main customers are the troops," said the Philippines native, deployed from Beale Air Force Base, Calif. "We take care of the morale of personnel here in the [U.S. Central Command area of responsibility] and ensure everyone's religion is accommodated while deployed."

As a chaplain assistant, Sergeant Miguel provides ministry support through administrative, logistics and resource management.

"We are the extra 'eyes and ears' of chaplains on deployments, visitations and on a wide variety of other exciting opportunities," said the nine-year veteran. "While here at 'The Rock', our main focus is on the morale of the troops who are stationed here as well as transient troops."

Sergeant Miguel added that Air Force chaplain assistants support different religious observances and events between the various faith groups throughout the year, to include weddings, funerals, memorials, religious holy days, community services and ministries.

With few exceptions such as weddings, funeral services and dealing with finances in regards to tithes and offerings collected in stateside church services, the NCO noted that her deployed job closely mirrors that of her stateside one.

A typical day in the AOR for Sergeant Miguel, begins early in the morning with a phone call to family back home, due to the 13-hour time difference. Then it's off to work, where she spends the majority of her day helping customers.

"During the weekdays I mainly handle customer service in the front office; people stop by asking if a chaplain is available or I get a phone call from someone wanting to schedule an appointment with a chaplain or questions about the programs or services we offer on Sundays," she said. "Sundays are spent setting up for services -- making sure the sound system is working, microphones are in place, and the altar is set accordingly for the particular service."

Sergeant Miguel also noted her career field's support of humanitarian missions both from home station and in deployed settings. In addition to her two deployments here, an undisclosed location in Southwest Asia, she has also deployed to Ayacucho, Peru, in support of New Horizon Peru. During the humanitarian relief effort, she helped build schools and medical clinics among other things.

"We visited local orphanages, giving medicine to the neighboring towns, providing food and clothing to locals and religious support to the Armed Forces personnel deployed with us," she said. "It was a life-changing experience and I would go again in a heartbeat."

The sergeant said one of the hardest and most rewarding aspects of her most recent deployment is the chapel's newest mission, which is the support of dignified-transfers of military members' remains out of the AOR.

"Funerals and dignified-transfers are definitely the most challenging aspect of my job, but it is an important part," she said.

The Angeles City High School, Philippines, graduate said it takes certain qualities to be successful as a chaplain assistant.

"You have to have a servant's heart," she said. "Serving others is what we do. Supporting people and making them feel welcome is important to our success."

The NCO added that while she misses her family and friends back home, she realizes the necessity of deployments and supporting her brothers and sisters in arms overseas.

"Deployment is part of what I signed up for in the military," she said. "I feel honor and at the same time sad because I have to leave my family, but it's just for four months. I know my work here - taking care of our troops and ensuring their First Amendment rights to worship is important. I'm proud to serve."