U.S. Air Force Needs Holy People

priestNo, not the shot-up, holey people. Unfortunately, there’s plenty of those to go around. They need the kind that can help people pray, throw water that’s been blessed, hand out Bibles, that sort of thing. The kind that can help you get through the day.

While the military has a shortage of chaplains in all areas, what they’re really looking for are Roman Catholic priests. Apparently, about 25% of people serving in the Air Force are Catholic, but only 14% of Air Force chaplains are Catholic.

Hence, the Air Force Chaplain Corps is taking applications through September 1, 2009 now for its Religious Professional Scholarship Program. To qualify, you have to have the following credentials:

• A Bachelor’s Degree, or be within a year of finishing it
• Meet all Air Force commissioning requirements (which include a physical exam and a background security check)
•  Obtain written permission from a Department of Defense ecclesiastical endorser for the program
• Be younger than 39 years of age after finishing theological education
• Be a citizen of the United States
• Have no dual citizenship

This scholarship will cover all seminary tuition fees and books, and will also include a monthly stipend. The seminary itself may last from four to eight years. It’s very similar to the benefits that the Air Force offers potential medical and legal officers during recruitment as well.

After completion, chaplains will then attend the U.S. Air Force Chaplain Service Institute, which is currently located at the Maxwell Air Force Base. The Institute is moving to the Fort Jackson Base in South Carolina, where classes will resume in January 2010.

Chaplains are expected to be both a member of the clergy as well as a military officer, meaning they must uphold Air Force Core Values as well. These are “Integrity First, Service Before Self, and Excellence in All We Do.”

While the program says that “all faiths” are accepted, that’s not entirely true—only Roman Catholic, Protestant, Orthodox Christian, Muslim, and Jewish clergy who have an ecclesiastical endorsement are wanted. So all of you Universalist Unitarian, Buddhist, Wiccan and other clergy folk, don’t bother applying.

No matter what faith you are, however, as an Air Force Chaplain you’re expected to provide services and observances for your own faith as well as to protect others’ rights to religious freedoms within the Air Force.

To apply, e-mail chaplains@randolph.af.mil or call 1-800-803-2452 for more information.