Retired Airmen Teach Cadets
Air Force Junior ROTC instructors must be retired military from any Air Force speciality with at lease 20 years of active duty....more
Military Spouse Employment Study
Rand Corporation is conducting research for the Department of Defense to study the occupational choices of military spouses. ....more
M61A1 20mm Cannon
The current version of the M61, the M61A1 remains relatively unchanged from past models. Take a look.
CHAPLAIN SERVICE IMA PERSONNEL GATHER FOR "ONE FORCE, ONE MISSION, ONE VISION"
Over 300 of the 388 Individual Mobilization Augmentees (IMAs) for the Air Force Chaplain Service gathered in Colorado Springs recently for their biennial training conference under the new theme of "One Force, One Mission, One Vision." Held in the Colorado Springs Sheraton the conferees met Monday through Thursay, February 5-8, to consider a variety of issues related to the vital roles that IMAs play in supporting and enabling the ministries of the Air Force Chaplain Service.
As category B reservists, IMAs are assigned to active duty chapels, and to every echelon of the chaplain service up to and including the Office of the Chief of the Chaplain Service. They normally must complete 12 days of "Inactive Duty Training" (IDT days) each year, with an additional two weeks of annual tur training at their assigned location, often in the summer. Their primary role is to stay current with the mission at their assigned location and to be prepared to activate there should active duty chaplains and chaplain assistants be deployed during times of national emergency or crisis.
Because IMAs are assigned as individuals to chapel settings they sometimes lack a sense of belonging to a unit as category A reservists do. According to Ch. Lt Col. Donald Smith, of the Air Reserve Personnel Center (ARPC) in Denver, this biennial conference is thus a real highlight for IMAs, enabling them to network with each other and to feel a part of the IMA mission and team.
This year's conference boasted a stellar list of very senior chaplain service leaders, including the Deputy Chief, Ch. B/Gen Lorraine Potter, the Mobilization Augmentee (MA) for the Chief of the Chaplain Service, Ch. B/Gen David Webb, the AF Service Senior Enlisted Manager, CMSgt David Bennett, and the Command Chaplains and Senior Enlisted Managers from Air Force Reserve Command, the Air National Guard, Air Combat Command, Air Education and Training Command, Air Mobility Command, Air Force Material Command, Air Force Space Command, and the Air Intelligence Agency. The IMAs were afforded time to meet with their respective command chaplains to discuss issues pertinent to their locations of assignment.
With a major focus of the conference being training on current issues facing the Air Force Chaplain Service, this conference featured major blocks of instruction from the Professional Continuing Education Course (PCE) being presented this fiscal year to all AF Wing Chaplain and NCOICs entitled DoingGlobal Ministry. This material was presented by two chaplains from the AF Chaplain Service Institute, Ch, Lt Col. Richard Oberheide, and Ch. Maj. Scott Henry. They taught on three major themes, Leadership, Needs Assessment, and Prioritizing of Ministries.
Another highlight of this year's conference was a Luncheon Banquet featuring a keynote address from the most senior Mobilization Augumentee in the Air Force Chaplain Service, Ch. B/.Gen David Webb. He spoke to the group on the joys of ministry in the Air Force, reflecting on his many experiences over his long and distinguished career. The banquet also featured the nationally renowned singing of the US Air Force Academy Cadet Chorale.
The conference also included three different training field trip options. Conferees were afforded the opportunity to tour the Cheyenne Mountain underground command center, the US Air Force Academy, and the headquarters of Focus on the Family, all located in the Colorado Springs area.
