AUGUST 20, 2024 – The U.S. Air Force Chaplain Corps marked a significant milestone as it celebrated its 75th anniversary during its annual summit held in Arlington Aug. 6 – 8.
The summit brought together Chaplain Corps leaders and religious support teams from across the globe to reflect on the corps’ history and a way ahead for the future with the theme “Honoring the Past, Inspiring the Future: 75 Years of Freedom, Faith, Ministry.”
Topics discussed during the summit included ways to address and support service members’ mental and emotional well-being, enhancing interfaith cooperation within the Chaplain Corps, and embracing technological advancement to enhance spiritual care and expand outreach to adapt to the evolving needs of Air Force and Space Force members.
Maj. Gen. Randall Kitchens, Department of the Air Force chief of chaplains, highlighted significant events from the last three years that are indicative of how members of the Chaplain Corps are crucial to supporting Airmen and Guardians across the world, to include the COVID-19 pandemic and the withdrawal from Afghanistan as examples of times when chapel teams showed their importance in caring for Airmen, Guardians and their families around the world.
“Together, we have united like never before to care for Airmen, Guardians and families more than anyone thinks possible. It has been a long journey through many twists and turns to better fortify the warfighter and family, reimage our [chaplain] culture and rebuild our readiness through our core capabilities of religious accommodation and services, spiritual fitness and leadership advisement,” Kitchens said.
Secretary of the Air Force Frank Kendall and other department leaders shared their thoughts on the legacy of the Chaplain Corps and how it will influence the next 75 years during a panel.
They described the organization as a critical enabler to the wellbeing of service members and their families—at home and deployed.
“The legacy of the Chaplain Corps’ contributions are not always highly visible,” Kendall said. “I am deeply grateful for the work that our chaplains do across the force. You [reach] our people in a way that I don’t think anybody else does, and [we] can’t overstate your value to the institution, to the enterprise, and to our individual governments and their families.”
A panel of six retired chiefs of chaplains shared insights from their time in service and how they addressed the challenges service members have faced, such as the Air Force downsizing, 9/11 and the Global War on Terrorism. During those times, the religious support teams were ready to care for service members and their families.
“One of the most important things is that we take care of each other,” said retired Chaplain (Maj. Gen.) Lorraine Richardson, a former U.S. Air Force chief of chaplains. “The most important resource we have is other people and we can do that by building teams, and being ready and prepared is the more important thing because none of us can do it by ourselves.”
By Staff Sgt. Emmeline James
Secretary of the Air Force Public Affairs