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December 2025
Pacific and Rocky Mountain Region 2025 Chaplain Corps Region Staff College Wrap-Up
October 13–16, 2025
15 Chaplain Corps members from four regions and seven wings successfully completed the Joint Pacific and Rocky Mountain Region Chaplain Corps Region Staff College, held October 13–16, 2025 at the Administrative and Community Building at Centennial Airport in Colorado. The college provided a dynamic environment for professional development, spiritual enrichment, and leadership growth among chaplains and character development instructors.
The curriculum featured outside instructors and subject-matter experts, including Jeremy Brown on “Moral Injury” and Alex Yannacone on “Understanding Depression, Self-Care, and Suicide Prevention”. Participants also provided their own subject-matter expertise and experience covering topics of caring for your unit, specialty track excellence, quality character development lessons, encampment, supporting squadron meetings and activities. They also received briefings from Chaplain Corps National Headquarters representatives on internal and external training opportunities to include ChESS, NESA, and Chaplain Corps College.
Inspirational keynote addresses were delivered by Chaplain (Major) John “Ben” Skelton of Buckley Space Force Base and Chaplain (Colonel) Kenneth Parris from Chaplain Corps Headquarters, CAP, who shared perspectives on spiritual leadership, mission readiness, and the evolving role of chaplains in today’s CAP.
Throughout the college, students contributed devotionals and presented instructional topics, fostering collaboration and peer learning across the regions. The event strengthened the Chaplain Corps’ commitment to supporting Civil Air Patrol’s three missions of Emergency Services, Cadet Programs, and Aerospace Education through spiritual care and moral leadership.
Chaplain Corps Education and Training: A New Division Bringing Unity
By Chaplain (Lt. Col.) Tim Miner,
Chief of Education and Training (CAP/HCE)
WARNING: You are about to submerge yourself into the world of military alphabet soup!
One year ago, the CAP Chaplain Corps stood up a new division dedicated to Chaplain Corps education and training, which is known by its three-letter designation of HCE. This was in addition to the already-existing divisions of HCT (Technology), HCP (Personnel), and HCX (Plans & Programs). This effort combines three separate programs that both Chaplains and Character Development Instructors use for their professional, emergency service skills, and auxiliary service. The goal of HCE is to unify and standardize all training and education programs into a single entity which will set the standard for the nation’s premier volunteer chaplaincy. The division also connects the Corps’ programming to other allied training and education efforts in CAP, the Department of the Air Force (DAF), and a variety of agencies in disaster services.
For over a decade the Chaplain Emergency Services School (ChESS) has provided standardized emergency services training for all Chaplain Corps members as part of CAP’s National Emergency Services Academy (NESA) managed by CAP’s Emergency Services directorate (CAP/DO). Created and led by Chaplain (Lt. Col.) Marcus Taylor, the school offers a basic program online twice a year which grants the Mission Chaplain-CAP Support (MC-CS) and the Chaplain Support Specialist-CAP Support (CSS-CS) ratings, and an in-residence program for an advanced rating focused on disaster support which grants the Mission Chaplain-Disaster Support (MC-DS) and Chaplain Support Specialist-Disaster Support (CSS-DS) ratings. The basic rating qualifies the member to serve on a Chaplain Support Team (CST) during a CAP-led contingency operation, whereas the DS rating prepares members for service to the nation with other federal response agencies. As one of the three branches within the HCE division, ChESS’s office symbol is HCEE, with the final “E” indicating Emergency Services.
In 2021, in response to the pandemic’s isolation requirements, then-Chief of Chaplains, Chaplain (Colonel) John Murdoch allowed Chaplains (Lt. Col.) Tim Miner and Linda Pugsley to teach the first nation-wide Wing Chaplain Course to chaplains and Character Development Instructors via an online platform. This was the first offering of the new national Civil Air Patrol Chaplain Corps College (CAPCCC). Chaplain (Lt. Col.) John Tillery of Texas Wing, a retired USAF chaplain and former course director of the Air Force Chaplain Corps College’s (AFCCC) Basic Chaplain Course (BCC) was tasked to lead the new school and its effort to integrate the programming of the CAPCCC with the AFCCC. In 2022, the first class of an Auxiliary Chaplain Course – designed to prepare CAP chaplains for volunteer service with the DoD and Veterans Administration – began with three virtual segments and a fourth segment taking place in-person leading to a graduation at the Air Force college at Maxwell AFB in February 2023. By that time, Chaplain Reutemann, who also serves as an active-duty USAF chaplain was assigned to AFCCC and helped with the integration. Chief of Chaplains of the Air and Space Forces, Chaplain (Major General) Randall Kitchens officiated the first graduation ceremony, cementing the standing of prepared CAP as the fourth component of the Total Force chaplaincy of the DAF.
From these beginnings, the college arm of HCE is thus known by the four-letter office symbol of HCEC. The college itself is further divided into three focus programs. The “professional development” arm of the college (HCECP) now offers or is planning to offer courses related to the skills necessary for chaplains and CDIs and their specialty tracks. These courses include an “on-boarding” course for those who are preparing for appointment, a squadron-level course, a group-level leadership course, the wing-level leadership course, a regional-level leadership course, and advanced theory of character development programming. These courses will allow all members to advance from Technician to Senior, and on to Master ratings. The second division of the college is the operations or auxiliary programming, HCECX, which allows CAP chaplains the best chance for success as a volunteer in support of AFAM missions with the United States military and veterans affairs. The final component of the college is the program development branch, known as the Center for Religion, Ethics, and Excellence in Leadership or CREEL. Its organizational symbol is HCECD for development as it provides the curriculum and lessons as required by HCE. This component has established a relationship with the Center for Character and Leadership Development at the United States Air Force Academy. The college is staffed to handle the complete educational needs of the chaplain corps.
Historically, Chaplain Corps members received much of their education at in-person regional staff colleges (CCRSC). While regions can still create in-person programming, the administration of these RSC efforts is now with the CAPCCC which will also offer a national, on-line, multi-day summer program and monthly on-line webinars to supplement and provide training options for the members. By 2026, a new version of the Corps’ training pamphlet, CAPP 40-80, will be in the works with amended requirements for all levels of professional development.
The third and final branch of HCE is dedicated to preserving our Corp’s history, and will thus use the HCEH office symbol. As long-time members of the Chaplain Corps know, we already have a 50-page history document that covers the first 65 years of our existence from 1950-2015. HCEH has already begun work on Volume Two of that document! They have also received permission from the Air Force Chaplain Corps College to add several CAP Chaplain Corps artifacts to their historical display to showcase the contributions of CAP chaplains and CDIs to the Total Force. Next time you’re at Maxwell AFB, stop by and check it out!
The whole focus of these changes is to give each chaplain and CDI the best opportunities for excellence and success as they carry out their missions for CAP and the nation. This excellence must come while minimizing the amount of time spent in training and education allowing for more “ministry of presence” and increased Spiritual Fitness throughout CAP.
