October 6, 2016
Today, in addition to his full-time responsibilities at Owensboro Health, Rich is a member of the Kentucky Air National Guard. It makes for a busy schedule. Most weekends he is either on call for surgery or training for the Guard. Recently, he learned that he is being deployed in October 2017, but he doesn’t know where he’ll be stationed. “On a base, somewhere sandy,” Rich said, meaning somewhere in the Persian Gulf. But this time, his work will be non-clinical in nature.
Rich will serve as the non-commissioned officer-in-charge of the chaplains—a chaplain’s assistant. In this capacity, he will play an important role in spiritual care, with the goal of serving the whole person. Given the prevalence of battle fatigue and combat stress—and soldiers enduring long deployments in the gulf region—boosting morale and protecting the emotional and psychological well-being of the men and women on the base certainly will be a challenge.
In the rotunda of the Capitol, Kentucky ESGR Chair, Allen Youngman, a retired Army major general, said, “At a time when our military forces are so dependent on Guardsmen and Reservists to carry out their global responsibilities, Gov. Bevin’s willingness to set the example as an employer sends a special message.”
Rich echoed the importance of supportive employers and discussed SpecialtyCare’s supplemental paid leave benefit during his turn behind the podium. Additionally, he nominated Mark Kyle, his manager at Owensboro Health, for the ESGR Patriot Award, which recognizes a supervisor’s support to the soldier and his or her family by way of flexible schedules, time off before and after deployment, and leaves of absence, if needed.
