Photo By Airman 1st Class Jaiyah Lewis | Airman 1st Class Shakaylen Moore, a weapons load crew member with 20th Bomb Squadron,...... read more read more
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Barksdale Air Force Base, La. – If you’re going through rough waters and a storm starts
brewing, look for the lighthouse. When Airmen at Barksdale Air Force Base see a HOPE
specialist, they will see that lighthouse.
Hope is available, Opportunity exists, People care and Expect great things. These are the
words behind the acronym HOPE. Their mission, however, is far deeper than words.
A specialist is a member of the HOPE initiative, which the Barksdale Chapel established
in February of this year. HOPE is a program that consists of more than just Airmen. HOPE
specialists can be civilians, retirees, or spouses – all who are spiritually fit individuals who raise
people up and spread hope and love where it’s needed.
“We are embedding people so they can be an extension of the initiative,” said Patrick
“Patches” Catanese, a member of HOPE leadership. “It’s about being a community where
everybody has the opportunity to come in and participate.”
Becoming a HOPE specialist is no small feat. It requires 20 hours of classroom work and
40 volunteer hours where members learn to foster their skills in spiritual fitness, privileged
communication, religious accommodation, moral reasoning, relationship building, listening and
suicide prevention. Following course completion is a graduation where trainees earn the title of
HOPE specialist and can now wear the HOPE tab.
“The HOPE tab is more than just a patch,” said Airman 1st Class Luis Medina III, a
HOPE specialist. “All these things we’re learning, it’s a basis of showing your love for others.
I’ve been learning a lot about how to love lately. I feel like that was a big thing of what I got
from the training.”
Upon improving these skills, specialists learn to put their expertise into action through
interactive conversations with their fellow Wingmen.
“We don’t want our teachings to be a briefing,” said Capt. DJ Kim, a chaplain and
member of HOPE leadership. “We want it to be a conversation.”
When starting out, the chapel sought out areas that had a need for the initiative through a
needs assessment. A religious support team analyzed data from about 600 Airmen living in the
dorms. After analyzing the data, they engaged with logistics, maintenance, security forces and
other units to check on Airmen. They found that a lot of Airmen go to the gym, get food and stay
in their dorms, as opposed to getting involved with each other and the community.
“We didn’t want to make a splash we wanted to make a wave,” said Patches. “We
hit the areas we thought would be impacted the most.”
Through that, they assembled their first class and have since graduated many specialists.
At the end of the day, HOPE specialists are here to shed light on their fellow Airmen and the
community.
HOPE leadership holds monthly team building sessions for the specialists where they do
wellness checks with each other and talk about what is going on in their lives. The HOPE
initiative is still growing and is always looking for new members who are willing to be a pillar
for others.
“While growing HOPE, we didn’t look for quantity,” said Patches. “We look for quality
and when you have quality, it’ll quantify itself. HOPE is not just a program but a way of life and
a community that requires commitment and protection.”
Some may be hesitant to join, thinking that because it’s the with the chapel, it’s going to
be religion based. However, specialists are taught to coexist respectfully and operate peacefully
with one another for the betterment of their communities and units.
Anyone interested in becoming a HOPE specialist, contact the Chapel at 318-456-2111 or
visit the Barksdale Chapel and talk to the chapel staff.
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| Date Taken: | 11.04.2024 |
| Date Posted: | 11.04.2024 13:11 |
| Story ID: | 484598 |
| Location: | US |
| Web Views: | 124 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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