by Staff Sgt. J.G. Buzanowski
Secretary of the Air Force Public Affairs
3/30/2009 - WASHINGTON (AFNS) -- In an effort to better provide spiritual care to Airmen, Air Force officials are offering scholarships for individuals who want to become service chaplains.
The religious professional scholarship program is designed to help fill manning shortfalls within the chaplaincy for underrepresented faiths within the Air Force. The program is available to any commissioned officer or anyone currently enrolled in a commissioning program, such as the Air Force Academy or ROTC.
For candidates who meet the requirements, the tuition will be paid. In addition, students will receive a stipend to cover certain fees or expenses as determined by Air Force Institute of Technology officials, who manage the academic portion of the program. Individuals will be required to serve for eight years, with any time not completed on active duty spent in the inactive ready reserve, said Mr. Craig W. Duehring, the assistant secretary of the Air Force for manpower and reserve affairs.
"This program is a huge step forward in providing qualified chaplains for the Air Force," Mr. Duehring said. "Our chaplains are such an integral part of our Air Force and we have a responsibility to provide their support to Airmen and their families."
The program will help fill manning shortfalls in faiths underrepresented in the Air Force. For example, 14 percent of the 534 active duty chaplains in the Air Force are Roman Catholic, yet they provide services for 25 percent of Airmen, as well as their families, said Chaplain (Maj. Gen.) Cecil Richardson, the Air Force chief of chaplains.
"This is a fantastic program that will help us fill vacancies and make sure we're meeting the spiritual needs of our Air Force family," Chaplain Richardson said. "Right now it just so happens we have a shortage in priests, but next year we may need more rabbis. Either way, this provision will apply as the needs of our Air Force change every year."
To qualify for the program, applicants must:
- Meet Air Force commissioning requirements
- Receive written permission from a listed DoD ecclesiastical endorser
- Be in good academic standing
- Be younger than 39 upon completion of theological studies
For more information about the program, send a request to [email protected].
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