This article is almost a year old and discusses United States Air Force participation in a Royal Canadian Air Force program to train personnel to serve as links between service members and the Royal Canadian Chaplain Service in order to combat suicide. The RCAF has about 1400 Sentinels out of just 14,500 active service members. That’s quite an investment.
The goal of the Sentinel Program, a growing initiative within the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF), is to use wingmanship and tactical-level supervisors as mental health advocates. The program is designed to empower junior leaders to be the first line of defence against real and serious threats such as mental stress, work-centred exhaustion, and suicide.
Staff Sergeant Sierra Rathbun, Technical Sergeant Sheryl Ubando and Master Sergeant Jonathan Miller are the first United States Air Force (USAF) members to have completed the Sentinel Course. They were nominated for the training by their leadership to represent the USAF and build relationships, bringing our two countries closer together.
“I am honored to have a chance to serve side-by-side with my Canadian military family,” said Master Sergeant Jonathan D. Miller, a Detachment 2, First Air Force, operations superintendent. “This opportunity is truly unique, one that I will cherish for years to come. This training opportunity is a bridge between the USAF Resiliency Program and the CAF Sentinel Program, and is a huge step toward bi-national integration.”
Offered by the 22 Wing/Canadian Forces Base North Bay, Ontario, chaplains, “The Sentinel course is a valuable asset for strengthening the spiritual resiliency of our forces,” explained Captain Justin Peter, a wing chaplain.
During training, the volunteers were asked to remember how important it is to “just listen”, to ask open-ended questions, and to be an extension of the chapel as “eyes in the lines”.
The Sentinel Program was introduced at 22 Wing in 2018 by Lieutenant (Navy) Timothy Parker, also a 22 Wing chaplain. Currently, the wing boasts 66 trained Sentinels who must undergo a full day of training every year to maintain their readiness.
By Staff Sergeant Patrick Bisigni
Staff Sergeant Patrick Bisigni serves as public affairs representative and unit photographer with Detachment 2, First U.S. Air Force Unit.