Photo By Staff Sgt. Jayden Ford | A cow receives care from Air Force Mortuary Affairs Operations Airmen during a...... read more read more
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The Air Force Mortuary Affairs Operations resiliency team has two enlisted positions, a religious affairs Airman and mental health technician, that are on the same deployment rotation as the other deployed members — providing them a unique opportunity to tailor the program each time a new group comes through the doors of the facility.
This rotation, Staff Sgt. Carissa Lovelace, AFMAO resiliency team religious affairs Airman, and Staff Sgt. Ricardo Castro, AFMAO resiliency team mental health technician, concentrated their efforts on providing their fellow deployers with a means to see tangible results through volunteering in the local community.
“During the resiliency team’s initial briefing to the deployers, I shared with them that one way I maintain my spiritual fitness is through service and volunteerism,” Lovelace said. “From there, I started volunteering at the local food bank and, eventually, other deployers started going with me.”
As her fellow deployer’s interest grew, Lovelace leveraged their enthusiasm to make volunteerism this rotation’s resiliency focus.
“We saw that it was a good way to do something meaningful outside of work together and get to know each other,” said Lovelace. “This influenced me to push for a volunteer program within AFMAO to promote spiritual, mental and sometimes physical fitness.”
Throughout the past six months, the group has accumulated more than 1,000 service hours volunteering at various community events and for several organizations throughout the local community, which led to 6 Airmen being nominated for Military Outstanding Volunteer Service Medal.
“The team has blown me away with everything they have done so far,” Lovelace said. “They are charged to complete a difficult but rewarding mission and they have gone above and beyond to not only serve and honor the fallen, but to serve the local community in their spare time as well.”
Their volunteerism underscores the vital relationships Dover Air Force Base and AFMAO has with our local community.
“For years, our military have upheld the reputation of being the hardest working groups on our build sites,” said Tim Bailey, Central Delaware Habitat for Humanity chief executive officer. “They bring an unmatched work ethic along with great attitudes and inquisitive personalities. It takes a lot of hard work and discipline to build a house, both of which are abundant qualities of our Airmen.”
As her time at AFMAO comes to an end and she reflects on her experience, Lovelace said she is proud of the impact they’ve left – not only through her support of the local community, but how she was able to inspire the other Airmen to serve alongside her.
“When the program first started, I was unsure of where it would go or what their motivations would be for participating but hoped that at the very least, I could share a passion of mine with a few people,” said Lovelace. “I have been blown away by the genuine effort and compassion that the deployers here at AFMAO embody and have shown, and I’m honored to have had the opportunity to be here with them.”
| Date Taken: | 10.03.2024 |
| Date Posted: | 10.03.2024 09:14 |
| Story ID: | 482415 |
| Location: | DOVER AIR FORCE BASE, DELAWARE, US |
| Web Views: | 16 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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