Four Chaplains Center growing

  • Published
  • By Tech. Sgt. A.C. Eggman
  • 35th Fighter Wing public affairs
MISAWA AIR BASE, Japan --  Participation was slow at first, but as word spread the new Four Chaplains Center here has been growing and so has attendance, said the director.

"It was a soft start," said Chaplain (Capt.) Matthew Boarts, Misawa chaplain and director of the facility. "But we're still building and putting in new items."

The center mainly focuses on reaching young Airmen in the dorms, but is not limited to them, said the chaplain. Most Airmen learned of the center through flyers the chaplains put in their dormitory key locks. Airmen began trickling in to find out more about what the center had to offer.

"It is a place for people to go and focus on being a better person, a better Airman, a better leader," explained Chaplain Boarts. "We're dedicated toward character development. Our youngest Airmen don't want to have fun all the time, they want opportunities to make a difference and we're tapping into that."

The chaplain said the center is not trying to replace what the Mokuteki Community Center or Single Airmen Xtreme offers Airmen E-4 and below.

"That is a different venue - we're partnering and being deliberate about being complementary to 35th Services Squadron, the community center and SAX," said Chaplain Boarts, who also is part of the Integrated Delivery System team here. IDS is a group of cross-functional experts dedicated to the well-being of Airmen and their families. Every base has an IDS team that coordinates and integrates the activities of all the base support agencies including Airman and Family Readiness, life skills, the chaplaincy and family member programs.

Meetings were held in the Mokuteki starting in March, but the 35th Civil Engineer Squadron was able to locate a space in the American Red Cross facility, building 674, near the dormitories. The center is open Wednesdays 6 to 10 p.m. Once keys are obtained, and volunteers are trained, the center will be open Friday and Saturday during the same time.

Thus far, the center's volunteer staff has offered movies, beach picnics, boat trips, camping and other adventurous off base trips. The chaplain expects to have internet access soon and recliners are coming as well, he said. 

Each Wednesday evening is started with grilling hamburgers. Airmen are encouraged to come out and join the growing group at 6 p.m. and find out more about the center. Anyone who would like to volunteer at the center can e-mail the chaplain at
matthew.boarts@us.af.mil or call the Main Base Chapel at 226-4630.

The center is named after four chaplains who sacrificed their lives during World War II to save sailors when the ship they were aboard was torpedoed by a German submarine in 1943. The four chaplains gave their life vests to four young servicemen. As the ship went down, survivors in nearby rafts could see the four chaplains--arms linked and braced against the slanting deck. Their voices could also be heard offering prayers. Of the 902 men aboard the U.S.A.T. Dorchester, 672 died, leaving 230 survivors. To learn more about their story, click on this link: Story of Four Chaplains. Or to learn more about their lives and service to their country, go to: http://www.fourchaplains.org/story.html