WHITEMAN AIR FORCE BASE, Missouri — “My spirit heard Him say ‘this is what I want you to be,’” said Capt. Jennifer Pacheco of the moment she first realized she had found her calling.
Up until that moment Pacheco, the 131st Bomb Wing’s newest chaplain, had been unsure of what her future would hold.
As a young Ecuadorian girl, Pacheco immigrated into the United States with her family in 1987. She said her mother made the move to provide her with more educational opportunities.
Pacheco joined the Air National Guard directly out of high school, after seeing an ad in the local paper asking, “Do you want to have the best part-time job ever?” Thinking to herself, ‘absolutely,’ she called the number listed in the ad.
Pacheco enlisted in the communications career field as an information management specialist, now known as knowledge operations management. After serving six years, she realized she wanted a change of pace from her initial career.
During her first deployment to Kuwait she paid attention to other Airmen and what their jobs were like; however, nothing stood out to her as a good fit. Until one day, while sitting in chapel services, she heard an Air Force chaplain telling his story about how God had called on him from his former vocation as a farmer.
“At first, I thought there was no way … there was no way that is what I was supposed to be,” said Pacheco about the moment that would shape her future career. “But that voice just kept growing and growing every day.”
Pacheco decided to take a break in service to pursue her calling to serve God and Airmen. She said she knew she wanted to continue to serve in the military, but she needed to commit herself full time to finishing her degree and attending seminary to reach her ultimate goal.
After successfully completing her undergraduate degree in Spanish, Pacheco headed to seminary, which required 89 graduate-level credits, along with a follow-on clinical path after graduation.
“I never wanted to leave the military,” said Pacheco about re-entering the military. “The military is my second family, my non-blood family.”
After finishing seminary, Pacheco entered the Air National Guard in 2012 as a commissioned officer. This time, true to her calling, as a chaplain.
Some years later, she took a civilian chaplain position at the Kansas City VA Medical Center, and began calling all the units in the surrounding area.
“I knew the moment after I first spoke with her that our unit needed her,” said Doby of his initial conversation with Pacheco. “You can’t teach being genuine. A person either has it or they don’t; she has it.”
“At that point, I knew I needed a home,” said Pacheco. “I wasn’t looking just to attend drill, I wanted that feeling of home again.”
Pacheco arrived to the unit and in addition to ministering to the spiritual needs of wing Airmen, also immediately began looking for ways to become involved. She joined the wing’s women’s mentoring group, designed to foster relationships and build a place for women to seek counsel and advice specific to their needs. Pacheco, who has a passion for teaching and mentoring, wants to hold office in the new group, which is still in its beginning stages.
“I never really had a mentor,” said Pacheco of her motivation to give back to others in her new Guard home. “I would just find people that had the qualities I wanted, and I would watch them.”
The 131st has recently developed multiple avenues for effectively developing and mentoring the unit’s Airmen. Pacheco brings a broad perspective, after serving in both the enlisted and officer realms.
“I want to give them hope and desire, some motivation for what they can look forward to,” Pacheco said. “My heart is for people. What’s important is each individual has a story to tell, and that’s what I care about. I care about your story and how I can help.”
| Date Taken: |
08.07.2017 |
| Date Posted: |
11.05.2017 08:44 |
| Story ID: |
254148 |
| Location: |
WHITEMAN AFB, MISSOURI, US |
| Web Views: |
142 |
| Downloads: |
0 |
PUBLIC DOMAIN
This work, New 131st chaplain takes a "leap of faith", by SSgt Brittany Cannon, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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