Photo By Staff Sgt. Kevin Ray Salvador | U.S. Air Force 1st Lt. Daniel Starr, chaplain with the 475th Expeditionary Air Base...... read more read more
Subscribe
CAMP SIMBA, Kenya – U.S. soldiers from Charlie Company, 1st Battalion, 296th Infantry Regiment, were visited Wednesday by 1st Lt. Daniel Starr, chaplain with the 475th Expeditionary Air Base Squadron, as part of Simba Cares, a weekly outreach initiative led by the chaplain and behavioral health teams.
The program is designed to boost morale and reinforce spiritual readiness by bringing the chaplain and volunteers face-to-face with service members who may otherwise feel disconnected from the rest of the base.
“Simba Cares is a way for us to reach out to those people who maybe don't get to interact with us as often,” Starr said.
During each visit, the team talks with soldiers to check in and give them a break from the heat. The temperature at Manda Bay typically exceeds 80 degrees, with high humidity due to its proximity to the Indian Ocean. With soldiers posted outdoors for extended periods, Starr explained the importance of checking in on them.
“We want to make sure all the personnel out there feel like they’re being remembered ... that they’re not forgotten,” Starr said. “We’re here to support — and we often take good information back to leadership.”
The Simba Cares program also serves as a subtle but powerful reminder of the need for whole-person readiness. Deployments in any environment can last six months or longer, with some military personnel choosing to extend. Starr discussed how his visits relate to the length and conditions of deployment.
“Seeing the chaplain come around can be that actual reminder — ‘Oh yeah, I’ve got to take care of myself spiritually,’ regardless of whether you’re religious or not,” Starr said. “There are ways to refill your cup.”
Based in Cabo Rojo, Puerto Rico, Charlie Company, 1st Battalion, 296th Infantry Regiment of the Puerto Rico Army National Guard is made up of Puerto Rican enlisted soldiers and officers. Looking ahead, Starr envisions growing the effort through volunteer integration, creating more opportunities for interaction across different sections of the base. With units like Charlie Company contributing to the base community, Starr emphasized the collaborative nature of the program’s continued growth.
“This is not one person’s work — it’s a lot of people coming together to make something successful and long-lasting,” he said.
| Date Taken: | 04.30.2025 |
| Date Posted: | 05.02.2025 03:52 |
| Story ID: | 496784 |
| Location: | KE |
| Web Views: | 47 |
| Downloads: | 2 |
This work, Camp Simba Chaplain visits U.S. Army soldiers as part of weekly outreach initiative, by SSgt Kevin Ray Salvador, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
No keywords found.
