New chaplain arrives at Westover to support Airmen

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman George Cloutier
  • 439th Airlift Wing Public Affairs
WESTOVER AIR RESERVE BASE, Mass. --  Westover's mission is gaining speed--especially with the recent mobilization that's keeping the base primed and ready to fly, fight and win.

People are the biggest part of that equation, and Air Force Reserve Command leadership is putting in place the right people to take care of our Airmen.

Lt. Gen. Charles Stenner, Commander of the Air Force Reserve Command directed one such wingman to head to the northeast from his previous Texas assignment. He is Chaplain (Maj.) Ted Nicholson.

"The AFRC command chaplain told me that General Stenner has an intense interest in this use of chaplains," Chaplain Nicholson said.

Chaplain Nicholson said his job wasn't just about dealing with issues as they happen or just "putting out the fires". He said he is here to be proactive and to do his part to make sure many issues don't arise in the first place.

"The focus is on resiliency-and that is to be able to deal with the situation that we're in, not to take people out of the situation," Chaplain Nicholson said.

One of the chaplain's pressing issues that he and the base leadership and greater Air Force take very seriously is suicide. As part of the proactive approach, the chaplain said that it's his job to give people the tools to detect the signs of suicide up front so that thoughts of suicide never turn into the real thing.

"Recognizing that there is a change in my life or the change in the life of your friend or co-worker is the first step to preventing something from happening," the chaplain said. "We recognize more drinking, more smoking, more cussing, more reckless behavior, whatever it happens to be...a change like that, a change for the worse -- something is going on.

Chaplain Nicholson urged Airmen to be wingmen whenever they observed trouble signs in another service member.

"If you notice that in somebody else or you notice that in yourself, you ask the question: 'Is there something going on?' That's the first step," he said.

Chaplain Nicholson said that part of the reason people sometimes don't ask for help for themselves or someone else is fear of repercussions.

"A lot of people think that going to seek help is a sign of weakness and that it's going to hurt your career," he said. "That's not true -- in either case it's not going to hurt your career and it's not weak. Weakness is thinking you can do it all by yourself. We wouldn't need an Air Force, we wouldn't need families, if you could do it all by yourself."

Chaplain Nicholson said just like keeping aircraft well maintained, it's mission critical to keep Airmen well maintained.

"We all are working together toward the same goal -- in this case, it's to fly, fight and win."

For more information call Chaplain (Major) Ted Nicholson at 413-557-2264 or theodore.nicholson@westover.af.mil