Comaraderie, faith and football

by Air Force Staff Sgt. William Banton
JBER Public Affairs

2/5/2015 - JOINT BASE ELMENDORF-RICHARDSON, Alaska -- Twenty seconds...

Twenty seconds of exhilaration. There is a clear shift in atmosphere around the Airmen and Soldiers.Twenty seconds of anticipation.

A chaplain in the group leans forward, anticipating the hike of the football. With twenty seconds left on the clock, the New England Patriots hold a 28-24 lead over the Seattle Seahawks and the Seahawks have the ball.

The conclusion of Super Bowl XLIX was at hand. The ball was on the one-yard-line and Seattle's star running back, Marshawn Lynch, was in the game.

A group of service members and chaplains were listening to sports announcers come to the logical conclusion, after a year of watching these teams play - Lynch will run it in.

Based on the passion on the faces of the Soldiers and Airmen watching the game at the Wired Café on Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, they definitely knew it. And then, for Seahawks fans at least, all hell broke loose.

In a matter of seconds, a run became a pass, a pass became an interception, the Wired Café filled with groans from Seahawk fans and cheers from Patriot fans and all hope of the Seahawks winning the Super Bowl went up in smoke.

However, for the people in the room, could the experience have meant more than just watching the game?

The event held at the Wired Café, located near the Air Force dorms, was sponsored by the JBER chapel and provided a safe, alcohol-free alternative, and encouraged young Airmen to get out of their dorm rooms, said Spc. Francisco Arias III, Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 4th Infantry Brigade Combat Team (Airborne), 25th Infantry Division intelligence analyst.

"I think the biggest thing is that it lets them know we are here," said Air Force Chaplain (Capt.) James Hendrick, a JBER chaplain. "It lets them know that the chapel staff is here.

"Our primary intent is to build relational trust with them so if they have issues in their life and they want to talk about if they can be like 'I know that dude'."

"It's a more relaxed environment, so it's not as much pressure for someone who may be interested in going to church or going into the chapel," said Airman 1st Class Ashley Sass, 962nd Airborne Air Control Squadron airborne surveillance technician.

"You get a chance to talk to the people who go, and see if you're interested."

Airman 1st Class Ryan Harper, 673rd Communication Squadron cyber system operations specialist, said the spiritual context of the event was a draw for him.

"My spiritual health is much better after attending events like this and I also just like to be around like-minded people," Harper said. "These events give us a chance to get out of the dorms, to actually do something with people."

Across the installation, the 907 Sports Bar & Grill held an alternative for service members looking for choices to celebrating the game.

"I knew the Super Bowl was on and I knew I was on duty, so I thought I would take a little break and come over and watch a little bit of the game," said Army Capt. Jason Underwood, a support transportation officer with the 532nd Engineer Battalion (Provisional), 2nd Engineer Brigade.

"I think it is great for the Soldiers to have a place to get away on post so they don't have to risk getting a DUI or anything like that."

Underwood said he sees these events as good opportunities for generations to bond and come together over common experiences, like football.
"The biggest reason to have a place like this on base is the camaraderie," said Dan Gallagher, interim club manager.

"We do have the Better Opportunities for Single Service Members program so there is always a safe ride home [with Joint Base Against Drunk Driving]."