Chaplains help Airmen transition From Loss to Hope

by Airman 1st Class Joseph Raatz
Air Force Global Strike Command Public Affairs

7/14/2014 - Barksdale Air Force Base, La. -- In the face of swelling numbers of servicemembers being involuntarily separated from the military, the Air Force Chaplain Corps has created a video resource to help those affected deal with the transition.

Due to a shrinking budget, many members of the armed forces have received notice that their service is no longer required and they must leave military service. This notification can leave members stunned, unsure of what to do and where to turn.

"It's a grieving process," said Chaplain (Lt. Col.) Gregory Jans, Air Force Global Strike Command deputy command chaplain. "No one may have died, but there is a loss that forces a change. These Airmen go from what they knew and what they thought they'd be doing, to suddenly having to do something new and unknown."

The video series, entitled Force Shaping: From Loss to Hope, is designed to walk Airmen through the emotions they may well experience during this tumultuous time.

"Those types of feelings are normal," Jans said. "How each person processes those feelings will be different; they may experience them in a different order, they may take a different amount of time, but the feelings that come are normal."

The video, consisting of nine vignettes, walks the viewer through the grieving process and explains how each step might be handled. This forward-looking step-by-step guide features chaplains and other caregivers from around the Air Force sharing their personal experiences and viewpoints, assuring the viewer that there is light at the end of the tunnel.

"It's a process to go from the sense of loss, one that's so typical and normal when facing something like this, towards hope and recognizing that there is life after the Air Force," Jans said. "Sometimes, just to be able to name something, to say 'this is normal' can be the first step to healing."

The healing that comes from acceptance is an important part of the process, Jans explained. Without acceptance, people can fixate so much on the negatives of the past that they are unable to enjoy what's coming to them in the future.

"It's important to say goodbye well, so that you can say hello well," Jans said. "We're trying to help with that. It's not about helping people move out of the Air Force, it's about helping people move on from the Air Force."

Copies of the From Loss to Hope DVD can be picked up at any chaplain's office.

"This resource is all about showing Airmen that what they're going through is normal and that we're here to help them through it," Jans said. "For these Airmen to know that they are not alone, that there are people who care and will walk beside them through this transition, that's something powerful and important."