JTF115 Chaplaincy Bi-weekly Newsletter

May 2020

Chaplaincy Around the JTF Central Coast—CH Becker and SGT Clavon begin their work together as an RST at 0600 in the hotel lobby where they visit with about 50 soldiers as they prepare to head out on mission for the day. Then the next group of about 40 soldiers comes down at 0700, with whom they also visit. Next they head to the Battalion TOC to meet with the SPO and other staff to plan their day. The Central Coast RST typically heads to one or two food distribution sites to do battlefield soldier well-care checks and to work with the soldiers there. After lunch they then head to one of the two Food Banks where soldiers are working to do well-care checks and to work there with them. They return to the Battalion by 1500 for the daily CUB, where CH Becker presents for the RST, including a daily story board. After the CUB, they do well-care checks with the soldiers working at the BN HQ. Their day usually wraps up NLT 1700, when they head back to the hotel for the night.

CH Becker and SGT Clavon with a parent and two children from a local school who have been making posters to support our Soldiers and Airmen in their mission. The posters are hung in the lobby of the hotel. The parents also paid for a snow-cone (Kona Shave Ice) truck to come to the hotel for all soldiers to enjoy. This was a wonderful morale booster.

About CH Becker

Outside of the Guard, he is married to his bride of nearly 28 years, Vanessa, and he is the father to three wonderful adult children, Ryan (who is also a CA Army National Guard soldier, serving with the 3-140th Aviation RGT in Stockton as a 15D Aircraft Powertrain Repairer), Ingrid, who this past week graduated Concordia University, Irvine, and Stephen, a California licensed phlebotomist. He has pastored Greenhaven Lutheran Church in Sacramento for over ten years. He is an avid runner and fitness enthusiast, and enjoys cooking.

About SGT Clavon

SGT Dwayne Clavon is very well know at his home town as “Chief Clavon” due to his former affiliation with a NPO he worked with as the Chief Executive Officer for serval departments from Head Office Operations to Physical Fitness and Convoy Security. Since leaving the NPO SGT Clavon moved to get his CDL becoming an Independent Business Owner as a Local & Long Haul Commercial Driver all while building a family with his daughter and new bride-to-be in August of this year!

A Timeless Lesson CH David Frommer One of the unexpected outcomes of the COVID-19 pandemic is renewed interest in biblical descriptions of plague and quarantine in ancient times. The disease most often discussed in the Hebrew Bible is a skin affliction called leprosy, and while we’re not exactly sure of its details, we do know it was highly undesirable and highly contagious. The Bible prescribes a series of different treatments for this condition, including rituals and sacrifices that are (thankfully) no longer performed today, but one element of this treatment that has retained its relevance is the practice of social isolation. Here in California, our Soldiers and Airmen are working hard to ensure that the most vulnerable people in society—the elderly, the undocument-ed, and the homeless—receive the best care possible if they are affected by Covid-19, but back in biblical times things were a lot different. Lepers were separated from their communities and ordered to dwell outside the boundaries of an encampment or the walls of a city, until the threat of infecting the rest of the community had passed. During this period of separation, they were often shunned and avoided, not only from fear of contagion but also from the belief that their affliction reflected Divine retribution for the moral choices they had made. In an era long before cell phones and video chat, the isolation from family and community, in addition to the uncertainty of compromised health, must have made for a frightful experience indeed. The Bible reminds us, however, that no matter how forsaken lepers were by their society, God was always with them. The Book of Kings tells a story of four, Israelite lepers who had been isolated outside their city’s walls during a time of war, when the hostile King of Aram had besieged their city. The city’s population, fearing their cause to be hopeless, had lost faith in God and assumed they would be overrun in days. The lepers, however, faced a unique dilemma. They were barred from returning to the city, because of their disease, but they faced certain starvation if they stayed in place, so they resolved to test the enemy’s clemency and appeal for food. When they arrived at the enemy’s camp, they beheld an in-credible sight. God had not forsaken the city after all, but had disoriented the enemy with hallucinations, causing them to abandon their for-mations and flee in panic. The lepers immediately reported the news of this miraculous news to the city officials, and all the citizens celebrated their miraculous deliverance. This story is over two thousand years old, but it’s message is as timely as ever. We may be isolated from our family and friends, whether because of social distancing or because we serve in the military, but God has a special plan for each of us, to play a role in repairing this world. These are hard days on a long mission, but the Airman who works side by side with a civilian volunteer, and the Soldier who hands provisions to a family in need, are delivering God’s message of faith and fellowship with just as much effect as those unexpected messengers in the Bible story, so many centuries ago.

Friendship doubles your joys, and divides your sorrows”

Euripides

JTF115 Religious Support Teams

Northern RST CH Maj, Christopher Flesoras Cell: 916-276-3308 1LT Tiffany McKimmy, Chaplain Candidate 775-750-9569 SGT Travis Orth, NCOIC Cell: 407-552-2384 North Bay RST CH Maj, David Frommer 646-648-2778 SPC Zachary Meyers 530-559-5068 South Bay RST CH CAPT Stephen Becker Cell: (916) 291-111 SGT Dwayne Clavon 323-494-8583 Central Valley RST CH Maj Clayton Diltz 559-210-4015

Upcoming Religious Feasts & Celebrations

May 13 Mid Pentecost (Orthodox Christian)

23-24Eid al-Fitr (Islam)

25 Memorial Day (Federal)

Common Values in Community In a Joint Force environment, we could conclude that what unites us is the mission. Yes, with-out question, the mission always unites us. For example, those of us who serve the 115JTF were brought together from our respective branches and shops to create a seemingly unique and mission-focused organization. Whether at HQ or in the field, we serve at the discretion of the TAG to support the humanitarian work of the State. And, thanks our Soldiers, Airmen and Sailors, we’ve been successful at meeting if not surpassing the expectations of our leaders and the organizations with whom we’ve partnered or assisted. No matter the goodness of the mission or our ability to fulfill our taskings though, what unites us are underlining and common values as Soldiers, Sailors and Airmen. Whether on the job or not, by virtue of being Soldiers, Sailors or Airmen, we are meant to live and model our core values.

Army: Loyalty, Duty, Respect, Selfless Service, Honor, Integrity and Personal Courage. Ideally live them whether on the job or not.

Navy: Honor, Courage and Commitment to build the foundation of trust and leadership upon which our strength is based and victory is achieved.

Air Force: Integrity, service before self, excellence in all that we do. By all accounts, these values are both foundational and life pursuits. Put another way, these values are core to our persons, but we are also always in pursuit of being truly loyal, respectful, courageous, selfless... Having said this though, it’s in community that these values are manifested, that is, while we’re on mission together. I’ve witnessed those with a fierce sense of loyalty and duty, as well as those who are truly honorable and selfless in their service. Similarly, the work at each of our sites continually illustrates the pursuit of excellence by so many of our members. I can honestly say that I remain humbled by the talent that surrounds me, the fulfillment of the tasks at hand and also the creativity by which individuals develop new products. Our service members make the Armed Forces proud by their living and in some cases, modeling of our core values. It remains a privilege for our Religious Support Teams to serve on this mission beside you. Be assured of our continued prayers, gratitude and admiration. Thank you!