459th ARW chaplain wins top awards

  • Published
  • By Tech. Sgt. Brent A. Skeen
  • 459th Air Refueling Wing Public Affairs
JOINT BASE ANDREWS, Md. --  The chaplain for the 459th Air Refueling Wing here is the winner of two top annual awards in the Air Force and Air Force Reserve.

Chaplain (Maj.) Joshua Kim won the 2014 U.S. Air Force Chaplain Corps  Thoran T. Thielen award, and the 2014 U.S. Air Force Reserve Chaplain Corps Individual Award for Excellence.

The Thoran T. Thielen award is presented to the outstanding reserve chaplain based on training accomplishments or contributions to mission support; exhibition of leadership in contributing to civic, cultural or professional activities in the military or civilian community; and enrollment in off-duty programs of professional self-improvement.

It is named after Maj. Gen. Thoralf T. Theilen, who was the first Air Force Reserve chaplain to obtain general officer rank.

When Kim arrived at Joint Base Andrews in November 2013, he saw an opportunity to be part of force-shaping the chaplain corps.

"I've always looked forward to have my chance - developing and mentoring the chaplains and the chaplain assistants to be the best they can be," Kim said.  "So, wherever they go in their career, I've hand a hand in helping them become great contributors to the chaplain corps and to whatever wing they are working for."

For years, the 459th's chaplain team didn't have a worship service for the reservists attending the unit training assemblies.   When Kim arrived - that changed.

"I couldn't believe we didn't have worship services," Kim said.  "Worship services are a large portion of what chaplains bring to the fight."

But adding a worship service wasn't the first thing on Kim's list.  It was connecting with his team.

"I wanted to build the trust, build the comradery, get to know them and their strengths and weaknesses," Kim said.  "I also did a survey to find out where we were at, what we have done and what we could potentially do. But when I saw that we didn't have a worship service, and that we were not effectively engaging the squadrons in our religious support teams - those two things became the most important."

In March of 2014, the wait was over.  The chaplain team started a Sunday worship service and more than 40 people showed up.

It felt great for the team to see what potential they have available, said Kim.

Less than a year later, they added a Latter Day Saints worship service.

The chaplain team got involved with family day, wingman day, suicide awareness, a golf tournament, prayer breakfasts, and volunteered to be physical training leaders.

"I'm using this office to get outside of the chapel context, and help them reach out beyond us and have a presence in the wing," said Kim.

Not only did the chaplain team's involvement with the wing explode, but the members in the office did as well, going from five to eight.

We actually want to add one more to our team, Kim said..  We have overages on top of overages.

Increasing the chaplain corps involvement in the wing is Kim's justification for the additional manpower.  In May, the chaplain office hosted its first ever prayer breakfast.  More than 125 people showed up for the event that included Baltimore Ravens running back, Justin Forsett, as the guest speaker.

"It's a very big team, but resiliency is a big part of our reserve culture these days," Kim said.  "The only way we can help bring awareness and help with the resiliency of the base is to actually bring people in who know what they are doing in terms of resiliency."

"Anything less than building up the resiliency for these Airmen is subpar," said Kim.

"Chaplain Kim is the best Air Force chaplain I have worked with in 29 years," said Col. Thomas K. Smith Jr., wing commander, 459th ARW. "He is the most visible, the most active ... he set up a program here that will be here long beyond his time here."

"He has set up a program that will carry the chaplain's section through all of the adversity the Reserve is going through right now, Smith said.  "He's also influenced others in the wing to hold resiliency type of stuff as well - he's rubbing off on others - he is out there leading."

"I'm not going to be here forever, but I want my team to see the potential of what the chaplain corps can bring to the wing," said Kim.