Air Force Chief of Chaplains inspires Team Eglin at annual National Prayer Breakfast

  • Published
  • By Chrissy Cuttita
  • Team Eglin Public Affairs
EGLIN AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. --  Chaplain (Maj. Gen.) Cecil Richardson's modern rendition of the infamous David and Goliath Bible tale during the annual National Prayer Breakfast here Feb. 12 left Team Eglin family members feeling inspired to start their day. 

The general described the story of a battle two countries wanted, but no one wanted to fight. Instead, the Philistines sent their biggest and baddest, Goliath, to intimidate the Israelites. The latter won when a young sheepherder, David, beat the giant with a sling shot. 

"Had they shown this on ESPN they would have played it over and over," said Chaplain Richardson, Air Force Chief of Chaplains, Headquarters U.S. Air Force. "David's courage won that battle. The only giant David knew was the Lord Almighty." 

The chaplain said David possessed qualities commanders should emulate; care for troops, provision of troops, force protection and quality of life. He said people go through a lot in their life facing giants like medical problems, family issues and stress on the job. 

"No matter how big the problem is, God gives grace and strength to get you through," Chaplain Richardson said. "Giants want you to believe faith is fantasy. Real faith goes face to face with giants." 

God gives peace and calm; walks with you; provides angels who guard and guide you and always gives victory over giants, he added. 

The interpretation and lessons learned from the Bible tale are things one first sergeant felt he could not only bring back to his wife and family, but also the Airmen he supervises. 

"A lot of Airmen need help and are afraid to ask," said Master Sgt. Michael Bullock, 96th Medical Group first sergeant. "Often I refer them to chaplain services or support on base. Now I have a story to share. Chaplain Richardson spoke from the heart and gave a message. His story on how he was almost separated makes me think what we would have missed today and he's obviously become successful at his rank." 

The chaplain shared personal stories about his early enlisted days when his girl-chasing and irresponsible choices led his first sergeant to filing discharge papers and throwing his uniform over the fence as a "get out" message. He also tearfully shared the effects child abuse has on his life. But most of all he shared how God was with him through all his personal battles with giants. 

"It was awesome," said Sheri Pierick, a Navy spouse, who took her son, Elijah, to the breakfast. "The lesson of remembering what God has done for you before was very encouraging. The Bible also tells us to tell our children what God has done." 

Knowing from experience and hearing the witness of his son serving as a chaplain with the Army overseas, Chaplain Richardson said many times military members feel alone when deployed. They have time to think about what life is about, who they are and who God is. This is where the military chaplain comes in with answers and prayers, something he described as "a wonderful thing." 

"Despite predictions, religion is growing worldwide," said the chaplain. "The conflict we are in shows the need for chaplains." 

He described a chaplain's day to day duty as being unique in the way they are out and about on the flight line, visiting work areas and often stopped by Airmen they meet along the way to pray. The "holy huddle" is often asked for when any number of people leave for a mission he said. This is the small gathering of a few to say one last prayer for the road. 

"In addition to prayer being part of individual lives it gives us strength," said Chaplain Richardson. "Spiritual wellness is the sense of peace that comes from knowing your heart is right with God. It affects the inner being and relationship with other people. It is the foundation for life." 

No matter who military members are praying to, Air Force chaplains are trained to pray in an interfaith environment, he said. Their obligation is to ensure military members have the opportunity to freely practice faith. 

"It's my consuming passion to provide that, to make sure every man and woman who joins the Air Force has the opportunity. And I want the chaplain core to look like the religious make up of America," said Chaplain Richardson who describes the nation as being multidenominational with 92 percent of its people believing in God. 

"I'm also a chaplain for atheists," he added. "I want to care for them. If they have needs, I want to talk to them." 

Often on the battlefield the chaplain said individuals worry about two things - being killed and killing someone else. On both fronts, he said the chaplain is the there to serve first in preparation to deploy and also in the deployed location. 

"Our number one priority is spiritual warrior care, which includes family, marriages and singles," he said. "Our vision of glorifying God, serving Airmen and pursuing excellence parallels the Air Force Core Values. 

Because he believes excellence suffers when we are doing too many things, Chaplain Richardson said a foundation of faith and sense of priority is important to success. 

The same day the Chaplain left Eglin he prepared to travel to Maxwell Air Force Base, Ala., for his next stop on his world wide Air Force base tour. Eglin was number 11 of 35 total national prayer breakfasts he'll be guest speaker at, keeping up a national tradition that started in 1953 by members of the U.S. Senate and U.S. House of Representatives prayer groups and President Dwight D. Eisenhower. Its purpose is to bring together the leadership of the U.S. and affirm the moral and spiritual values upon which America is founded.