United Forces & Families: Building Your Community
September 23, 2025
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This transcript was generated with the assistance of AI. Please report inconsistencies to comms@afa.org.
Maj. Gen. Chaplain Randy Kitchens, USAF (Ret.):
Good afternoon, my name is Randy Kitchens. I have the honor of being the moderator for this panel, of this esteemed panel. We have with us Chaplain Major General Trent Davis, the Chief of Chaplains of the Air Force and Space Force. We have Chief Master Sergeant Kathleen McCool, who’s the Command Chief for Pacific Air Forces Command. We have Dr. Jason Womack, who is the strategist. He has a very long title. He’s the Strategist Leader Development for Operational Readiness, Space Systems Command, US Space Force. And we have Mr. Shaun Beal, our 2025 Armed Forces Insurance Air Force Spouse of the Year. So at this time, we’re going to have a conversation. And it’s going to start with getting to know our panel. So who are these people sitting up here and why are they here? It’s not just a title and a name, but there are other titles and there are other parts of our lives that go with it. So we’re really just going to walk down the line and tell about each of us. So I’m first, I’m Chaplain Randy Kitchens, I’m a Servant Leader. I strive to continue to do that post-retirement. I am a husband, I am a father, I am a counselor, I’m a pastor. But most importantly, I am a chappy to five grandchildren. And so those are some of the pictures to just tell a little bit of the story of who I am as your moderator. And so we’re just going to walk down the line and let each one tell their story.
Maj. Gen. Trent Davis:
Well, I am Chaplain Trent Davis, currently, thanks to Chaplain Kitchens retiring. I am the 21st Chief Chaplains. But as you can see by the pictures, really and truly, I am so many other things. And I have had the opportunity to pastor three different churches. But really, my joy in life is that I am the husband of Lisa Davis, who is sitting here. And I know we’ll talk a lot about that, but our spouses are so, so consequential to building community. And I’m certainly privileged to have been on this long journey together, 28 years now with her. We have three grown kids. And really to go a little bit to what Chaplain Kitchens said, probably one of my very, very favorite titles now is Pops. I have three tremendous grandkids about to have a fourth, and that is a great joy in life. But because of my children, I’ll just kind of leave it with that, I’ve learned that leadership really is about team. And so I have been a youth coach for many years and a youth referee of many, many soccer matches out in installations. And a high school referee thinks that and learned a lot of leadership through all that.
Chief Master Sgt. Kathleen McCool:
Yes, I am Katie McCool. And it’s kind of crazy when you make chief, your name goes away. You’re just chief to everyone. But that’s just one of the roles that I have. I’m a wife, I’m a mother of four boys, three who are now serving in the Air Force. I’m a wingman, I’m a friend, I’m a grandma. And all of those roles are critical to who I am as a person. And I think sometimes we boil down people to the rank and the position they hold. But there is so much more value we bring every day based on all of these roles.
Dr. Jason “JW” Womack:
Hey, everybody, Dr. Jason Womack. And when I think about my role on the planet, I go back. Those of you who have ever had a mentor, I had a mentor of mine sit down and he said, if you teach, you’ll always have a job. And as a high school senior, I only knew teaching as education. And I thought my dad was telling me to be a teacher, which I did after college for four years. But what I’ve realized is that everybody that I work with now is after something. Community or connection, I use that word quite a bit. It happens to be one of our four values in the Space Force as a Guardian. And I’ve been studying for about a decade now what brings people together. I’ve gotten to practice this as an athlete. I raced competitive triathlon in California for about a decade. I have studied this as an author. I’ve written a few books. I’ve studied this as a Airman, civilian Airman, out at Air University. My wife Jody and I moved from Santa Barbara, California to Montgomery, Alabama. Pause for dramatic effect. And on January 23rd of 2019, I took the oath as a civilian to the Constitution. I will tell you that that night I went home to Amazon.com and I ordered a copy of the Constitution, which I carry to this day in my breast pocket. Connection to me has a lot of facets to it. And then most recently on July 1st of this year, I had to deepen my connection to everything. My mom suffered a massive brain hemorrhage. And we are in day 80 something. I’m losing count, which is a good, bad thing. And I’m realizing just how important it is that our Airmen and Guardians feel connected. And that’s what I hope to talk about today.
Shaun Beal:
Hello everyone. Thank you for taking the time out to be able to enjoy our conversation. I am Shaun Beal. My wife Elizabeth, which I’m blessed to have had for 25 years, is the light of my life. She’s been involved in giving me the highs and lows and allows me to be the person that sits here on stage today with you. Amongst this stage, as well as out there in the audience, there’s many of my people that I admire beyond the right words. I think that’s the best way to describe it. I’m involved in a lot of things. “I’m more than just a…” and that’s something that in our communities, it’s important that we reframe the knowledge and the phrasing of, you are more than just a fill-in-the-blank. As you can see, we like to have fun. We play hard. We work hard. Sometimes we sleep. And as you all know, this job is all about making sure that the mission gets done. So sleep is probably the most difficult. So with that, back to you, sir.
Maj. Gen. Chaplain Randy Kitchens, USAF (Ret.):
All righty. Well, as we move forward in this discussion, let me set the stage. Because one of AFA and one of our Department of the Air Force, very important resources is people. And when we think about the people that are entrusted to our care, or the people that we serve with, there’s a lot that goes with that. We hear a lot of complaints, but at the same time, we hear a lot of great stories. And so let me set the stage of kind of where the Department of the Air Force, I’ll say the Air Force, and then growing into an Air Force and Space Force, how community has changed. So historically, when the Air Force stood up, coming out of the Army, there were some bases already established, and we had to kind of redefine them, similar to what the Space Force has recently done. But during this time, there was a very important mission, and it was called Alert. And there were different types of Alert missions, but nevertheless, they were usually at remote locations. Your base was away from civilization. So therefore, the leaders saw that we needed to kind of build a community. And so that’s what we’re going to talk about, building community. How was it then, and what are we missing now? How can we get to there? And so that’s where our expert panel will give us all of the answers that we’ve all been looking for. No pressure. So if you think back to those Alert missions, the leaders of the day, they really recognized that they need to build their own community. So therefore, housing was there, so there could be a quick response to the Alert. They wanted families close to those that were on Alert, so that they would have opportunities to not be separated from the family as much as possible. So therefore, schools were built, childcare was added. There was, of course, an exchange and a commissary and a chapel. Well, then they began to add recreational, like the golf course. Cuz we all know when you build a base, you lay out the runway, and then you lay out the golf course. Well, that’s not necessarily true today. But it was very important in that day, skeet shooting, outdoor recreation. A lot of these initiatives emerged because of the way that the bases were built in the day. And so when you think about the foresight that those leaders had, and we see how those community resources emerged to meet the needs and build that community, bringing people together. I guess another way to look at it is the idea was the base was being built, and it was where you work, where you play, where you live, where you recreate, where you socialize, and where you exercise your spiritual or religious disciplines as you choose. And you have all of those resources. Well, we know that the aging resources, the change in mission, when the alert went away, post Cold War, people then began to move off base, further away. And they would simply drive into the base. And so they were not on three ring alert anymore. Does anyone know what three ring alert is? Well, absolutely, absolutely. They’re scheduled alerts. And far different than the number of people who stood alert for long periods of time. So it’s changed, and also society has changed, but communities have changed. As individuals began reaching into the community, the community resources haven’t been there. And we recognize those changes. When you were on base, you could probably get away with one vehicle. Now it’s mandatory for two. Why? Because service members, families, wanted to be able to choose the house that they lived in so that they could have the colors that they wanted, with the design that they wanted, with the bedrooms that they wanted. And they wanted that to be as close to the school of choice, close to the spouse’s employment of choice, and also tied to more resources. But communities began to struggle because they were overtaxed. They did not have all of the resources. This is where many of our installations are today. This is the challenge that we have. They’re struggling for the services. So when you put together the aging infrastructure, the quality houses, the EFMP disconnects, spouse employment, state certification disconnects, child care, schools, education, along with the physical, social, health, mental, and spiritual needs to be met are very challenging. So what do our Airmen, Guardians, and Families need according to them? That’s probably question number one. So this distinguished panel is going to really grapple with, how do we build community? So let’s get right to it. So Chief, let me just start with you. As the command chief, Pacific Air Forces Command, your commander, who happens to be sitting right here, comes in and says, Chief, how do we better build our communities in the Pacific in the preparation for readiness and conflict?
Chief Master Sgt. Kathleen McCool:
Yes, sir, thank you for the question. I will say that it is so important that we think about communities in a different way. And when I think about my responsibility within the Pacific and what I’m responsible for to General Schneider is the readiness of our Airmen. And I think the most important community for our Airmen is the place they go to work every single day. And I say this to every commander, every senior enlisted leader, is that my boss and I can affect change on some major policies pet travel, cold weather pay. Those are the things that we are able to do. But I have three sons in the Air Force. My husband is sitting over there. I did not say that earlier. I love you, baby. He’s a retired chief. And I can tell you that none of my three children will choose to leave the Air Force over those issues. They matter to them. They want to be paid, and they want to have all of the benefits. But what they will leave the Air Force for is how they’re treated every single day. Thank you. So I’m going to share a story. I not only have three sons in the Air Force. I have a niece. I have a nephew. I have a brother-in-law. It’s a huge family business. So I won’t attribute this to anyone. But I got a call one night from one of those family members who had had a really bad day at work. And he was in tears. And I’ve seen this person cry. I can count on one hand. And I said, Bob, what happened? And he was so excited to go do a mission on the flight line, where he was a three level. They sent him out with a five level. And he was running the job, because that five level hadn’t been on the flight line in over a year. And he said he just felt proud of the work that he did. He got it done faster than he’d ever seen it done. And he gets back into the organization, and everybody’s cussing at him and yelling at him. And he didn’t know why. Well, it’s because they were told they couldn’t leave until he finished the job. He still had to write the report. He still had to put away the tools. And he said they were yelling at him so bad and making fun of him that he couldn’t type anymore. That he just felt like he couldn’t even get typing done. So then they started picking on him for that. And he said, Mom, it was horrible. I guess I gave it away. He said, Mom, it was horrible. And it just crushed him. And as a mom, I was devastated. And as a chief, I was angry. I said, did anybody offer to help you put the tools away? Did anybody offer? And he said, no, Mom. And I said, OK. Well, you’re going to learn a lot from the bad, too. But I took that message and I take it back to our commanders. And I say, you have to create an environment where they feel valued, they feel respected, they feel part of the team. And if we can get that right, the rest of it will come. It will build the type of community that we need. That slide that you saw earlier is a slide I use now when I’m briefing all I’m heading to every base. And I say, why am I showing you this? Because I think you should know about me. No, I’m setting an example of how we should talk to each other. Who are we? And how do we take care of each other? And if we get that community right, we can do a whole lot.
Maj. Gen. Chaplain Randy Kitchens, USAF (Ret.):
Our 20th Chief of Staff of the Air Force actually has a quote that speaks to that. General Mark A. Welsh III said, “I’m absolutely convinced that if we knew each other better, we would care for each other more.” And you bring out an excellent point. I think it’s the caring for one another that really can make a difference along the way. Chaplain Davis, let me come to you with a question. As the Chief of Chaplains, the Secretary of the Air Force asked you how the Chaplain Corps can help build community within the wings and deltas for our Airmen, Guardians, and families. How would you respond?
Maj. Gen. Trent Davis:
I really appreciate the question. Just less than two weeks ago, I was in Greenland and had the opportunity to arrive there, come down the steps of the aircraft. And who was there to greet me but the commander and all of his leadership team, including the chaplain. And it was just so encouraging to me, one, to feel that personal welcome, but then to hear from this commander that they do that for every single person arriving to Patoofic. What a difference that kind of welcome makes. And I think within our Chaplain Corps, we have something called HC Cares, where we take very seriously sponsorship. And my hope is, and certainly I believe that one of the difference makers is that we can make a true difference in the lives of Airmen and Guardians just by simply taking care of them through that initial PCS process and welcoming them. But I believe there at Patoofic, as they shook our hands, they also did something really powerfully. And that is that that commander passed on that handshake basically to his leadership team, including that chaplain, to go, hey, now it is your turn to look out for these Airmen and these Guardians arriving. And really, that’s where we as a religious sport team step in. We have some incredible teams out there, certainly providing for the faith development of our Airmen, Guardians, and their families out there. But one of the things that truly, truly excites me is the growing number of embedded chaplain corps members that we have in units doing some really incredible things. I was at a base out a couple of years ago that had recently had a number of suicide and suicide attempts. And we had an amazing chief master sergeant on that base. But those attempts and those suicides were happening on the flight line. And so he said, hey, chaplain, here’s a facility. I’d love for you to build an integrated resilience center there to make a difference in the lives of these Airmen, to change those statistics, to change lives, to give hope back to those Airmen. And what he did by building a team of Airmen, of young Airmen that stepped forward and by themselves with their own extra hours built a gymnasium, built classroom space, were actively involved in training up to 200, 300 members in suicide intervention. But what happened there, the chaplain didn’t have to say a thing when I came down to visit to tell their story. And they hadn’t had a suicide or suicide attempt in some 15, 18 months at that point in time. These young Airmen were talking about the community and the difference that they had made. And I truly believe that’s what happens when chaplains and religious affairs Airmen are given an opportunity to be able to step in to some of those at-risk units and given the opportunity to say, hey, we have some ideas. And we think that we can make a difference here. I think that we begin to see incredible things happen, because we’ve got some great leaders in our chaplain corps who care deeply about building connections. And what I know, and I’ll leave with this, is I know as the chief of chaplains that I am old. We had a multi-generational conversation. And I don’t understand digital communication. But I do understand the fact that at the end of the day, every generation needs to be able to look eye to eye and know that somebody cares for them. And if we can bring that, we can make a difference.
Maj. Gen. Chaplain Randy Kitchens, USAF (Ret.):
Very good. So Dr. Womack, let me come to you. Coming from, I’ll say, a Space Force perspective, where our Space Force leaders lead not only Guardians, but also Airmen and their families, is there a different approach that a Space Force leader would take in building community? Or are there parallels that you could highlight as Space Force leaders lead the entire community and families?
Dr. Jason “JW” Womack:
So I immediately go from community to connection or connectedness, of course, the third of our Space Force values. And then I go to the dictionary. So let me just start kind of with first principles thinking. And I think, what does connection mean? What does that word mean, or the verb to connect? And it means to link or to relate. So my first salvo will be, do my commanders, my command teams that I get to serve, do they work to link or relate? Now, just that, in light of the comment on generations, that’s different. So when I think about the differences of the different kinds of things that people are connected to, Chapman sir, as you were talking in the introductions about how things were, and then how things are, I also go to how things will be. So for example, if we talk about how things were and the connections that our Airmen during the ’50s and ’60s and ’70s had, you mentioned golf courses, you mentioned BX, commissary. To me, those are all the things that our Airmen and now Guardians are connected to. So now I start to think to myself, it’s like, OK, so what does the word connection mean to the average Airman or Guardian, civilian, family member, volunteer, or community member? What does that mean to them? What does linking or relating? And so here’s what I’ve done. This year, I’ve asked everybody that I work with during our leader development programs, I give them a prompt. And I’ll invite all of you watching this right now to fill in the blank with me. But here’s the prompt. If our Airmen and Guardians were more connected to blank, they would be stronger, more ready, and more resilient as a warfighter. Today’s the 23rd of September. I’ve collected just over 700 responses to that prompt. And what I’m finding is that our Airmen and Guardians, of all levels, they’re not just asking for one of the seven connections, connections to one another. They’re asking for six other things that their leaders, Air Force and Space Force, help them connect to. And so if I were to say, is there a difference? I’m not sure. I’m a human domain guy. I’m a human guy. I think we are all looking for a place where we walk into and we’re recognized. I think we’re looking for a place where we can contribute. And I think we’re all looking for a place where we can be who we are. The Airmen and Guardians that I’m working with are telling me that they are starving for connection. They fear the act of connecting. I’ll ask everybody in the room to let yourself think of your version of that. We want to have been connected with one another, with our communities, with our services. The act of going to that website and clicking, of picking up that phone and dialing, or of looking across the room at someone that we don’t know yet. It’s that act of connecting that I want to get after.
Maj. Gen. Chaplain Randy Kitchens, USAF (Ret.):
So that is interactive. Would you say that is transformational? Would you say that’s transactional? Go in a little bit more about that connecting with the human being.
Dr. Jason “JW” Womack:
Let’s flank. So the Airmen and Guardians that I’ve asked, they’ve given me seven different things. I won’t go through all seven. That’s way too much for a panel. But let me flank the connection to one another. There is a longing for a connection to the mission. When I ask people, when you filled in the blank, if our members are more connected to blank, they would be stronger, more ready, more resilient as warfighters. People are telling me, if I were more connected to the mission, I’d go, wow, how cool. What an opportunity for a leader. Now, whether the transaction is, hey, I’m going to coin you. And then a week later, I’m going to email you the heritage of the coin. I’ll do one more really quickly. And that’s connection to current context. And if there’s one that keeps me up at night, it’s a tie between four and seven. If there’s one connection that keeps me up at night, it’s the connection to current context. It’s that within 18 months– this is my Nostradamus within 18 months, the average eighth grader will not be able to differentiate between something they see as real or fake. And so understanding that what is coming into them is their current reality. And if I have a Delta commander and squadron commanders, and then I have civilian leaders, and then I have families, and then I have community members, they all have a connection to context that can, quite frankly, be very unique to one another.
Maj. Gen. Chaplain Randy Kitchens, USAF (Ret.):
Very good. You reminded me of a comment that General Robin Rand, former ATC commander and commander of Air Force Global Strike, said, he said, “History makes us smarter, but heritage makes us prouder.” And your example with the coin, with the meaning of it, that really brought not only that act, that coin, but that heritage and that tradition. And perhaps there is something deeper there about tradition going forward to look at. Very good. All right, Mr. Beal, I have a question for you. So the installation commander approaches you, because you’re an involved spouse, and simply asks, Mr. Beal, we’re trying to build community here. And I’m wondering, from your perspective, what are we missing? What could we do better? What could we do differently to meet the needs? How would you respond?
Shaun Beal:
Your people have to trust you. And the most defined opportunity is General Lutton, as you sit there across the room today. Years ago, I had the opportunity to be on his installation. And he lived not only from the leadership, the spouses, and all of the leadership across the board, the NCLs, as well as the SELs, as well as the shirts. Everyone was on the same mission. Those individuals that I actually are going to share about him, because this is something he probably won’t. We was at an event. Brand new Airmen walked in. He and his fellow wing commander, within less than 10 minutes, were able to give that person all of the information about who they were, how they were connected to this installation, as well as they knew about their families. And that is something that is very worthy of a round of applause, because as you all saw today, he lives that mission.
Maj. Gen. Chaplain Randy Kitchens, USAF (Ret.):
Absolutely. So is there another can you just peel back trust? What does trust really mean from your perspective?
Shaun Beal:
In our world today, trust is something that everyone wants, but it’s very easily broken. And in the situation of you as our leaders, the people that are on the ground, those boots that you’re asking and tasking to be able to do things that they may not even think is possible, they need to know that you’re going to get out of your office, you’re going to come down to where they are, and you’re going to do their mission so they actually can say, my commander, my chief, knows what my job is. That way, I can trust that they are going to be willing to do that job with me.
Maj. Gen. Chaplain Randy Kitchens, USAF (Ret.):
That makes sense. General Timothy Ray, former Air Force Global Strike Commander, used to say, trust is the currency of influence. And I think that’s a powerful word that we can take to heart and actually even take it a little deeper, because it can really influence our character. It can influence our capability. And I think those are two important cornerstones to that. Very good. Let me follow up with another question. And I tell you what, I will let whoever would like to take it first. I’ll throw it out to the panel. So groups from your installation are deploying in support of a military operation. How can you sustain the community at home and build this new community in a deployed environment?
Chief Master Sgt. Kathleen McCool:
I’ll take a first hack, because we just got through the largest exercise we’ve done since World War II with REFORPAC. And the boss and I had the opportunity to go to Guam and go to Saipan and see our Airmen actually performing in this exercise. And one of the things that struck me right away is that, one, a large group of them have been training together over the past year, preparing to go to this exercise. And so they already had trust built among them. Something else we’re doing within PACAF is the operationalization I can’t believe I got that word right. It’s hard to say of our first sergeants. And so our first sergeants are not just there to advise the commander on discipline issues and pick people up who do bad things and end up where they shouldn’t be. They are there to understand the mission. They are there to take care of our Airmen downrange. But at the same time, those individuals that are back at home need to be responsible to understand what’s happening. So another scenario that happened in this exercise was a real-world event that was going on at the same time. And I asked about the chaplains. And my dad’s a chaplain, so I have a very strong place in my heart for chaplains. But I said, what are we doing for the families? Because even though it’s a real-world inject to an exercise, these families are affected. How are we making sure that our service members can stay ready? Because they’re not worried that their spouse is back at home where their families don’t have what they need.
Maj. Gen. Chaplain Randy Kitchens, USAF (Ret.):
Very good. Anyone else want to add?
Dr. Jason “JW” Womack:
I want to bridge the trust comment to that one, which is I appreciated that trust can take a long time to build. It can be broken pretty quickly. At Space Systems Command, we have five bases. We have more than 30 GSUs around the world. And I’m looking at three factors of the dash one, if you will, of the human domain. And very simply, I call it notice, engage, return. And so what can I do from my seat when I’m looking out across? Where can I notice? Where can I pay attention? And engage my situational awareness. That engagement, it sounds like sharing something with an Airman or Guardian or listening to what someone is saying. Listening without waiting for them to stop talking so I can start, which some of my leaders have a tough time with. As Ted Lasso said, be curious, maybe just a little less judgmental. He said not judgmental. But then the third one, I think, is where leaders make their money. I think where leaders can really differentiate ourselves is in the return. I could ask an audience like this, whoever out of the blue got an email, a text, or a phone call from someone just to let them know that they were thinking of you and hope that you’re doing well? That little moment that can really be at the right place at the right time. And so what do we do? What I would say if someone were leaving this room, on your way out before you hit the traffic or your hotel room, just text somebody, say you were noticing them. See if you can engage in some kind of a conversation. And then find a way to return to that in some kind of a capacity. I think that’s how we build trust with one another.
Maj. Gen. Chaplain Randy Kitchens, USAF (Ret.):
All right. I’m going to give each of you an opportunity for a closing statement. And we’ll just start with Chaplain Davis and go right down the line.
Maj. Gen. Trent Davis:
That’s great, because I wanted to add my comments to this question. And I think it fits in with the closure. And that is, I truly believe that not only are the chaplains and our religious support teams out there so key to readiness, but so are chapels. Because the chapels become a hub for readiness on those installations, and especially in times of deployment, in times of crisis and contingency. And that’s because of so many of you. And so service is an amazing aspect of support to the wider community. And so as you take part and join in and contribute items, and that chapel can become a hub of resilience and support for that community. And so one, thank you. Thank you to the faith communities out there that do that every single day. And thank you, as I think about partners, I so oftentimes think about joint coalition partners. But those today, I think equally important are the local community partners. And our chaplain corps is developing relationships every single day with our faith communities that need to be a part of the community and become such an important aspect in those times of crisis and contingency as well. So again, I hope that our chapels continue to be those community builders on our installations.
Chief Master Sgt. Kathleen McCool:
So I’ll just say, people ask me a lot, why are you still serving after 30 years? What keeps you doing this? And it’s the belief that I can make a difference. But it’s not because of my stripes. It’s not because of the star. It’s not because of four, two, three stars. It’s because of that connection to people. And you can do that regardless of your rank, regardless of your position. You can make a difference. And then I just close with saying, thank you to AFA. So about 2011, I got introduced to AFA. And I can tell you, this is one of the strongest communities I’ve ever felt in my life. There are people on this second row here that are as close to me as my grandparents and my parents. And so thank you to AFA for building that opportunity to create another community.
Dr. Jason “JW” Womack:
Chief McCool, my first AFA was 2019, the year that Jody and I moved from civilian life to Air Force civilian life. I did 25 years in what y’all call industry. And then I fled to a civil servant. The colonels and the general officers and the chiefs that I work around that do it the other way, let’s talk. Our Airmen and Guardians are starving for connection and they fear connecting. What I know is that when I am hungry, the hungrier I am, I will reach for things that might not be the best for me. So if we can get out in front of this, if we can feed our Airmen and Guardians in the way they want to be fed, it is not simply putting people in the same room at the same time, hoping that they connect on their own. Leaders, we have a chance, we have the opportunity, and I think we have the responsibility to influence that for good.
Shaun Beal:
From the community aspect of being a military spouse, one of the things I would like to ask all of you to do is when you go home, wherever that home is, you finally get there, don’t drive into the garage and close the door and not have any contact with the people that you live around. Leave that garage door open, go out for a walk, knock on the door and ask that neighbor, are you okay, can I do anything for you today? Because no one really knows what’s going on in somebody else’s mind at any given moment. And if you could be the person that changes that life for that person, your life will be better than you could ever possibly dream of.
Maj. Gen. Chaplain Randy Kitchens, USAF (Ret.):
Powerful words. Thank you to each of our panel members for your outstanding responses and sharing, really from your heart, how powerful that is. How do you build community? It’s going to be different every place we go, but we recognize that there are individuals in the community and we have to knock on their door or they knock on our door for us to get to know them. It’s a relationship, it’s a connection that we need to build trust so that we can better work together. And just a reminder that there are AFA chapters by many installations who are really dying to connect in a way to help build a community, whether it’s in town or on base or somewhere in between. The AFA trailblazer, General Jimmy Doolittle, said there’s nothing stronger than a volunteer, the heart of a volunteer. And that’s a powerful thing for us to remember is the powerful hearts of the volunteers that are around us and how we can lean in and learn from one another. Thank you all for being here. I know that the panel will be here after we close and would be more than happy to field any questions that you have for us. And I want to have a shout out. I recognize we have missileers who have never stood down to watch. They stand to watch 24/7 and we don’t have to spend anything up for that. And I appreciate that. There are many other entities also, space and air. Thank you. God bless you and have a wonderful day.